E Snake Manual - Whirlwind

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4. System Configuration Programming – The Architecture Editor4.1 CobraNet® basicsCobraNet is a protocol for transporting uncompressed, multi-channel, digital audio and controlover standard Ethernet hardware. Currently, there are some 40-plus manufacturers signed up aslicensees of this technology. Because licensees conform to a common standard for transportingdigital audio data, the various devices developed by these manufacturers can communicate withone another, similar to an Ethernet computer data network. CobraNet facilitates the transport ofup to 64 channels in each direction between two points on a switched 100Mbs full duplexnetwork. (However, actual network topology can allow for many more channels within thenetwork and using gigabit hardware dramatically increases channel count.)HUBS and SWITCHED HUBSDevices on an Ethernet network are connected together through the use of a hub. Each computerhas a cable that connects it to the hub. This architecture is called Star Topology as the hub canbe visualized as the center of the network with the computers connected outward from the centerin a star formation. There are two primary types of hubs, repeater hubs and switched hubs.Data is transmitted on an Ethernet network in chunks called packets. These packets contain dataalong with other components such as the sender address and the destination address. When usinga repeater hub, all packets entering the hub are retransmitted to all ports (except the one thatreceived them). Therefore, all computers connected to the hub “see” all of the packets on thenetwork and each only picks off those packets that are addressed to it.A switched hub (usually just called a switch) looks just like a regular hub but it operates a bitdifferently. When a computer is connected to a switch, the switch stores that computer’s uniqueaddress in the switch’s memory. It then only routs packets intended for that address to that port.This results in a significant reduction in network congestion because all packets are nottransmitted to all ports.Another advantage with switches is that the ports can send and receive data in both directions atthe same time. This is called full duplex mode and this feature effectively doubles the port speedon a 100BASE-T network to 200Mbs.Another use for hubs and switches is to increase the overall length of the network. Ethernet onCAT-5 cable is limited to 100-meter length. However, the addition of a hub or switch acts like anamplifier or repeater, which allows another 100-meter length of cable to be added to the network.A network may also contain multiple switches such as when two switches connected to two ormore groups of computers are linked together with a single cable.
Although CobraNet can be networked with standard repeater hubs, it is recommended that switchedhubs be used instead. The cost difference is minimal and the added capacity of the network issignificant. Also, with careful network design, a switch allows CobraNet and other computer datato exist simultaneously on the same network.CobraNet BundlesCobraNet’s software implements a protocol that combines one or more channels of audio intoEthernet packets, along with information about the audio such as the resolution. CobraNettechnology orchestrates data transmissions that result in reliable real-time performance whileutilizing standard Ethernet hardware.A CobraNet system is synchronized by one of the devices on the network called the conductor.When two or more CobraNet devices are interconnected properly, one of the devices will be electedthe network conductor based on a priority scheme. The conductor generates a time base from acrystal oscillator or receives it from an external clock source. Based on this time base, the conductorregularly broadcasts beat packets onto the network. Other devices on the network lock onto thearrival time of this packet and regenerate the clock locally. The Conductor indicator will light onthe CobraNet device that is serving as the conductor.With CobraNet, all audio channels are packaged into groups called “bundles” for transmission overthe Ethernet network. The usual assignment is 8 audio channels of 20 bits width into one bundle.This is the maximum size possible, although using less audio channels is possible.If 24-bit audio channels are desired, there is a maximum of 7 audio channels that can be packagedinto a single bundle. In 24-bit mode, the <strong>Whirlwind</strong> E <strong>Snake</strong> uses pairs of bundles where sevenaudio channels are contained in one bundle and one audio channel in the other or a secondproprietary mode where each bundle contains four audio channels.Each CobraNet device has the ability to send and receive a fixed number of bundles. The bundlenumber defines the routing between specific CobraNet transmitting devices and CobraNetreceiver(s) on the network. Use of bundle numbers removes the necessity of the user having tospecify the Ethernet hardware addresses of the devices that are trying to communicate. As long astwo CobraNet devices are set to the same bundle number, the CobraNet system takes care of all therest of the technical details of setting up an audio path over Ethernet between the devices.Multicast bundles (numbered 1 – 255) are automatically sent to every device on the network.Unicast bundles are (numbered 256 - 65,279) and may only be sent to a single receiver.A given bundle may have only one transmitter that places it onto the network. Multicast bundlesmay have multiple receivers. Unicast bundles may have only a single receiver.On a switched network, there is no fixed maximum number of bundles possible. The number willbe determined by the network design. When using multicast bundles it is important not to exceed
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Page 3 and 4: 4.3 Output boards .................
Page 5 and 6: 1. E Snake System OverviewThe main
Page 7 and 8: 1.3 Automatic ES Operating Paramete
Page 9 and 10: Large Blue Light indicates unit is
Page 11 and 12: Analog AudioAudio connections are m
Page 13 and 14: A Fully Loaded E Snake Frame2.2 Inp
Page 15 and 16: 3. E Snake ControlIMPORTANT - ROUTE
Page 17 and 18: groups of computer networks. It was
Page 19 and 20: 4. Right-click - Click do NOT acc
Page 21 and 22: server. This feature eliminates the
Page 23 and 24: 7. Make sure that “Obtain an IP a
Page 25 and 26: The computer is now set up to autom
Page 27 and 28: 5. Disco should find the devices on
Page 29 and 30: 3. Select the proper Network Adapte
Page 31 and 32: Select a file from the “Most rece
Page 33 and 34: The Overview Window can consist of
Page 35 and 36: Figure 2 MLI Channel Detail PageSel
Page 37 and 38: 3.4.4 Transformer Mic Input (TRMI )
Page 39 and 40: Identifies the sample rate of the i
Page 41: 7. Click the button. The firmware
Page 45 and 46: Architecture Editor ScreenThis scre
Page 47 and 48: 20-bit resolution with 2 Tx and Rx
Page 49 and 50: 5. Examples of typical applications
Page 51 and 52: Resulting Overview Screen for Basic
Page 53 and 54: 4-box, 64 x 32, 24-bit Architecture
Page 55 and 56: allowing all physical connections a
Page 57 and 58: 2 - Stage Festival Setup, “Stage
Page 59 and 60: Broadcast and Recording Architectur
Page 61 and 62: E Snake As Access Point To A CobraN
Page 63 and 64: E Snake As Input To A Digital Conso
Page 65 and 66: Architecture Editor Screen for Basi
Page 67 and 68: Changing the complement of input an
Page 69 and 70: 7.3.3 “CobraNet Discovery Uninsta
Page 71 and 72: Appendix A.ES UNIT LCD Display Mess
Page 73 and 74: (Blink Code)Error Name(54) FLASH Bu
Page 75 and 76: Error NameCM-1 Watchdog Error(Fault
Page 77 and 78: Ethernet A Local Area Network (LAN)
Page 79 and 80: Switching Hub A Switching Hub, or s

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