User manual RANE NM 84

[. . . ] OPERATORS MANUAL NETWORK PREAMPLIFIER NM 84 Quick Start Why is it that the hardest thing about writing the Quick Start is the opening line?What I want to say is, First, design the network. Only thats hard to say with a straight face but if you are going to jump right into this thing without reading all of our hard work, then thats where you begin. A dedicated network for CobraNet audio is recommended, but not required when using switched networks. [. . . ] No network diameter restrictions networks are 100 Mbit in each (like repeater hubs have). [Using switch-based direction; 200 Mbit total per networks removes CobraNet's need to detect collisions, switch port!thus CobraNet acts differently with repeater vs. switchbased networks -- although this is not important to know or understand for design or proper operation. ] Only slightly more expensive than repeater hubs; it is well worth the (literally) few extra dollars more for a switch than a repeater hub. Managed Switch Managed switches are like switches on steroids; they offer many customizable setup features. Permit extremely flexible setup, diagnostics and troubleshooting capabilities. Although managed switches are more expensive than non-managed switches, these capabilities more than pay for themselves when network re-configuration or troubleshooting is required, particularly during setup. Table 2. Network Hardware More costly than non-managed switches, but worth the expense for many systems due to their advantages. 101 designs. As with many technologies, repeater bus have had their day and may soon be a thing of the past. The second kind of network hardware devices are called switched hubs which are only a little bit more expensive than repeater hubs. Using switches for your network greatly increases the efficiency of the network and allows computer data to be shared on the network. Switches automatically view the IP address (destination) of all incoming data and only send the data out the single required port for delivery, therefore, switches are unicast (point-to-point) devices. Switches are the more common network hardware devices used for CobraNet networks. Switched hubs are like the Junior or Senior class of the network world. A third type of network hardware is a managed switch. Similar to a switch but the next step up the rung managed switches can be user-configured in several ways: you can create Virtual LANs (VLANs) and change the network architecture among various VLAN setups; you can set the managed switch up to prioritize the incoming data so audio data has higher priority than computer data, for example. With such capabilities, you can see that managed switches are not simple, Networking 101 devices theyre more like the Ph. D. The fourth network hardware device to introduce is called a media converter. These are devices that convert the electri- cal signal from a set of copper wires (e. g. , CAT 5 cable) to the light signal of the fiber optic world. Use media converters when the distance between network nodes exceeds the 100 meter limitation of copper cable. Delay Times. There is an inherent delay between when audio enters and exits a CobraNet network. For the NM 84, the delay from when analog audio enters the device until it appears at the analog output of another NM 84 on a typical, small network is specified by three numbers. They are CobraNets fixed 5. 33 milliseconds and the A/D and D/A propagation delays all of which are specified separately on the NM 84 Data Sheet. This allows calculating delay times across the network. The A/D time gets you onto the network; the network delay is fixed between any CobraNet devices; the D/A time is the time between the arrival of the CobraNet audio and the analog audio exiting from the Monitor Outputs when theyre configured to monitor Network audio. [. . . ] Live audio and video are examples of examines addressing fields on data arriving at each port and attempts to direct the data out the port or ports to which the data is addressed. Data may be buffered within the Switching Hub to avoid the collision condition experienced within a Repeater Hub. A network utilizing Switching Hubs realizes higher overall bandwidth capacity since data may be received through multiple ports simultaneously without Media Converter Multicast isochronous data streams. A two port Repeater Hub with different media types on each port. [. . . ]