Dante Multicast Communications Revisited

What is Dante?

Dante is the product name for a combination of software, equipment, and network methods that provides uncompressed, multi-channel, low-latency digital audio over a conventional Ethernet network utilizing Layer 3 IP packets. Established in 2006 by the Sydney-based Audinate, Dante improves previous audio over Ethernet and audio over IP modern technologies.

Dante audio networking is commonly made use of across industries– real-time occasion locations, institutions, corporate conference rooms, holy places– anywhere that requires dependable, crystal-clear audio dispersed across several endpoints. It has actually become the gold requirement for electronic audio transport.

Dante is a proprietary Network Layer audio transport protocol, described info is not directly available from Audinate (there are some 3 rd celebration sources, but they mostly lack the needed accuracy as one may require for the wanted network configuration).

LAN Separation

The adhering to arrangement separates the LAN right into two locations, one including all Dante audio devices and the other including the remaining parts, the wireless accessibility points and the outbound router. The splitting up is done making use of ixdp functioning as a (mainly) transparant bridge. This has the following advantages:

Dante gadgets get their IPv 4 address by means of DHCP as all other gadgets.
Dante devices can be updated with Dante update supervisor or supplier certain programs (like RedNet Control).
PTPv 1 is maintained in the Dante LAN component only, this stays clear of propagating high concern PTP packets in the direction of WLAN tools.
mDNS multicast is forwarded originating from the Dante LAN, yet not in the reverse direction.

This apart LAN looks after that essentially such as this:

Example Ethernet Stats

Below’s an instance output of if.uestat which reveals the Layer 2 packets sent by the following two tools:

00: 1 d: c 1: 07: air conditioner: 30 Focusrite RedNet AM 2 (Stereo earphone and line output tool)
00: 1 d: c 1: 10: e 9: 50 FERROFISH Verto 65 (64 x 64 Kanal ADATDante Converter)

*Example Ethernet Statistics of 2 Dante Instruments*

Multicast Ethernet DST Addresses utilized by Dante

Below’s a summary which MAC location Multicast addresses are utilized by Dante:

The mDNS Multicast address 01: 00: 5 e: 00: 00: fb enables Dante controller to locate all energetic Dante gadgets in the LAN.
PTPv 1 packages are sent with DSCP worth CS 7
There are two types of control and monitoring multicast in operation.

ixdp

ixdp acts as a dividing bridge and enables to obstruct Dante multicast and mDNS multicast individually.

Starting ixdp

  $ sudo ixdp enp 1 s0f0 enp 1 s0f 1-- daemon 
 ixdp going to background ... 
 $ _

ixdp.rpcl

  "ixdp@u 32>> >" "rpcl.prompt"! 
 "green" "rpcl.prompt.color"! 
0 tap.rx.enable 
 1 tap.rx.enable 
0 dante.mcast.drop.enable 
 1 dante.mcast.drop.enable 
0 mdns.mcast.drop.enable

Resources

This post initially appeared on blog.inlab.net

Resource web link