Designing Campus-Wide Dante Systems

Designing Campus-Wide
Dante Systems
A Simple Hybrid Classroom – What are we trying to do?
Absolutely Need to Have:

• Professor audio
• Class content
Good to have:
• Visual of the Professor
• In room and remote students can hear and see each other
Nice to have:
• Connection to remote lecture capture
• Monitoring System
2 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System
A Simple Hybrid Classroom – What gear do we need?
• PC with UC Client
• USB to Dante Device for PC audio in/out
• Microphones for picking up professor and in room students
• Speakers - content playback and interaction with remote participants
• DSP – microphone processing/mixing and distribution to speakers
• Cameras – USB or IP?
• Professor
• In Room Students?
• Displays/Projectors/Doc Cams
• Class Content
• Remote Students?
• Monitor for Professor
A Simple Hybrid Classroom – Physical Connections
Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

4
Hybrid Classroom – Physical Connections

Logical Routing Dante Controller

Using Dante Controller Presets
• Easily return rooms to a known working state

Don’t Build Islands of Technology
Flexible Goes the Distance
Scalable Manageable

How Are Dante Devices Addressed?
Dynamic Static
DHCP Link-Local
DHCP Server Sure have

192.168.1.109
Is anyone using
169.254.10.134?
Can I have an
IP address?

How Devices Get Discovered (Without DDM)
• Dante uses mDNS to discover devices on the network

• Devices send unsolicited mDNS responses messages
when they come online so they are immediately
discovered by Dante Controller
I’m Online!
Subscribing to
Hey Devices! 224.0.0.251:5353
Subscribe to
224.0.0.251:5353
*Note: The Dante API takes over to get more details about devices

Dante On Your Network – Audio Bandwidth
• Dante Audio is unicast by default but can be set to use multicast for
cases of one-to-many distribution
• Audio is packaged into flows to save on network overhead
• Unicast audio flows contain up to 4 channels.
• Samples-per-channel can vary between 4 and 64 dependent on latency
• Bandwidth usage is about 6 mbps per typical unicast audio flow

• @ 48k/24bit
• Bandwidth for multicast flows is dependent on the number of audio

channels in the flow
• Each channel is about 1.5 mbps

Unicast vs. Multicast Flows

Dante On Your Network– Dante Video Bandwidth
• Video bandwidth depends on resolution, frame rate, chroma

sampling, and color bit depth used and varies with content shown
Resolution Chroma Frame Rate Bit Depth Bandwidth
4K 4:4:4 60 10 911 mbps
4K 4:2:2 60 10 675 mbps
4K 4:4:4 30 10 506 mbps
4K 4:2:2 30 10 337 mbps
1080p 4:4:4 60 10 253 mbps
1080p 4:2:2 60 10 135 mbps
1080p 4:4:4 30 10 126 mbps
1080p 4:2:2 30 10 85 mbps
13 Designing a Campus wide Dante System

Dante On Your Network – Synchronization
• Dante uses Precision Time Protocol (PTP) for time synchronization

• By default, Dante uses PTP v1
• This generates a few small packets a few times per second
• One clock leader is elected on a per subnet basis
• Leader sends sync and follow up messages to followers
• Followers send delay requests to determine network delay
• Follower devices can be configured with unicast delay requests
• A clock leader can keep about 250 devices in sync*
• If switches have PTP settings, it’s best to “disable PTP” on ports or network
segments with Dante devices so the traffic is forwarded as normal multicast
Dante On Your Network – Multicast Management
• Dante implements IGMP v2 or v3

• One IGMP Querier should be elected per VLAN
• Query intervals should be short
• Leave time-out values long
• IGMP is not a requirement for Dante audio only networks with
few or no multicast audio flows
• IGMP is required if:
• IP video (including Dante Video) is on the same network segment
• Significant amounts of multicast audio are in use.

Dante On Your Network – Traffic Prioritization
• Dante as a real time media streaming service benefits from low

latency and jitter on the network
• QoS should be used for prioritization of Dante clock and audio on
mixed-use networks
• Required on networks with IP video including Dante AV!
• May see clock sync issues (especially with 100mb devices)
• Dante can make use of DiffServ QoS
Priority Usage DSCP Decimal
• Dante will tag packets High PTP (clock) CS7 56
• Must be configured with strict Medium Audio EF 46
priority queueing Low (reserved) CS1 8
• DSCP values can be re-marked None Other Traffic BestEffort 0

Dante On Your Network – Final Things
• Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) or Green Ethernet (IEEE

802.3az) should be disabled on all ports used for Dante traffic
• Results in poor synchronization and occasional audio dropouts
• Full list of ports Dante uses:

https://www.audinate.com/learning/faqs/which-network-
ports-does-dante-use
Always check manufacturer documentation as well!

Managing Your Devices
So now we have a bunch of AV devices on the network

how do we maintain and support these systems?
Dante Domain Manager

Server based centralized
Dante network monitoring
and management

Organizing Your Devices in Domains
• Dante devices can only be

enrolled in one domain
• Shared Audio Groups can be used
to share transmit channels from
devices to multiple domains
• Who do I want to have access
to these devices?
• Am I giving my users the ability
to enroll/unenroll devices from
domains?
• Devices once enrolled cannot
share audio back to the
unmanaged domain.
Shared Audio Between Domains
• Temporary Shared Audio Streams:

• Audio form Sports Games or
Performances to broadcast studios
• Creating overflow rooms
• Permanent Shared Audio Streams
• Combined Clock Domains
20
Designing a Campus-wide Dante System
Single Subnet DDM Systems
Discovery & Addressing options for single-

subnet systems:
• Link-local addressing + Dante Discovery
Service (mDNS)
• Static addressing + manual enrollment
• DHCP is convenient, but not required
• The mDNS discovery feature (Dante Discovery

Service) is on by default and does not need to
be activated or configured.
• Once enrolled in a domain devices no longer
respond to mDNS queries or send out
unsolicited mDNS responder messages
Multi-Subnet DDM Systems
Discovery options for multi-subnet systems:

• DHCP and DNS-SD (recommended)
• Static addressing & manual enrollment
DDM
DHCP/DNS
ROUTER
DNS-SD (Service Discovery)
• Dante devices and controllers can use DNS-SD (Service

Discovery), when mDNS is not a viable option for discovery
• Each DNS-SD entry consists of an SRV record describing
how to connect to the DDM Server and a TXT record with
additional information
Where’s the You can find it at

DDM server? ddm.avtech.com
UDP port 8000
DNS

Static Addressing & Manual Enrollment
• For Dante systems that span multiple subnets where

discovery with DNS-SD is not an option the devices can be
manually enrolled via their IP address.
• This is done either by typing in device IP address or
uploading a .csv file of IP addresses
• When you manually enroll a device in DDM, the DDM server
sends a static reference to the device.
Enroll in a domain,
the server is at
OK!
192.168.1.3
DDM

Multi-Subnet Systems
Dante systems only allow unicast traffic to pass a router

What traffic does this affect?
• Control: Control data between the DDM server, Controller
and devices is sent unicast
• Discovery: Supports Unicast DNS or Manual Enrollment into
domains
• Clocking: For Domains or Shared Audio Groups that span
multiple subnets a device capable or becoming a unicast
boundary clock is required in each subnet
• Audio: When routing audio across subnets devices’ flow
counts should be taken into consideration
Authorize Use of Dante Systems
• Require user login for

Dante Controller
• Credentials can be unique
for Dante or tied to existing
LDAP/Active Directory
• Authorize users for only
Dante Domains they
need and actions required

Supporting Your Classrooms
Monitor System health via Dashboard, email, and SNMP
Connectivity
Clocking
Latency
Subscriptions
System

Keeping Track of it All - Audit Log
• Search the audit log by The audit log displays a timestamped

entering text in the list of user and device related events
search field
• Add Filter filters log
entries by user, domain,
device, and event
parameters
• Export to CSV to saves all
entries to a CSV file
• Clear Log to permanently
deletes all entries

Inventory Management
• Export .csv file of all device

details for import into Inventory
Database
• When enrolling devices fill out
Device Info fields with serial # (or
other details) used for tracking

Remote Audio Monitoring
• Single Subnet systems

Dante Via
• Multi-subnet systems
hardware device
• Flow count could be

an issue

Take-aways
• Transitioning to and using AVoIP is easier than you think!
• Putting Dante on the campus network is possible!
• Monitoring and Management of AV systems is a huge

benefit!

Q&A
Contact emails:
Help I have a problem! – support@audinate.com
I want to talk about Dante on my campus, system
design, doing a case study, etc –
kathryn.taub@audinate.com
32 Designing a Campus wide Dante System

Designing Campus-Wide Dante Systems

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Designing Campus-Wide Dante Systems

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Designing Campus-Wide Dante Systems

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Designing Campus-Wide

Absolutely Need to Have:

Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

5 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

6 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

• Easily return rooms to a known working state

7 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

Flexible Goes the Distance

8 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

DHCP Server Sure have

9 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

• Dante uses mDNS to discover devices on the network

10 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

• Bandwidth usage is about 6 mbps per typical unicast audio flow

• Bandwidth for multicast flows is dependent on the number of audio

11 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

12 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

• Video bandwidth depends on resolution, frame rate, chroma

4K 4:4:4 60 10 911 mbps

4K 4:2:2 60 10 675 mbps

4K 4:4:4 30 10 506 mbps

4K 4:2:2 30 10 337 mbps

1080p 4:4:4 60 10 253 mbps

1080p 4:2:2 60 10 135 mbps

1080p 4:4:4 30 10 126 mbps

1080p 4:2:2 30 10 85 mbps

13 Designing a Campus wide Dante System

• Dante uses Precision Time Protocol (PTP) for time synchronization

• Dante implements IGMP v2 or v3

15 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

• Dante as a real time media streaming service benefits from low

16 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

• Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) or Green Ethernet (IEEE

• Full list of ports Dante uses:

Always check manufacturer documentation as well!

17 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

So now we have a bunch of AV devices on the network

Dante Domain Manager

18 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

• Dante devices can only be

• Temporary Shared Audio Streams:

Discovery & Addressing options for single-

• The mDNS discovery feature (Dante Discovery

Discovery options for multi-subnet systems:

• Dante devices and controllers can use DNS-SD (Service

Where’s the You can find it at

23 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

• For Dante systems that span multiple subnets where

24 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

Dante systems only allow unicast traffic to pass a router

• Require user login for

26 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

Monitor System health via Dashboard, email, and SNMP

27 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

• Search the audit log by The audit log displays a timestamped

28 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System

• Export .csv file of all device

29 Designing a Campus-wide Dante System