Element Network question

B

bhallerm

Member
So I've had the iPhone/iPad RFR app and used it on both devices to control our ETC Element. I also run Stage Mix for our LS9 on my iPad. Now, Stage Mix is a bit picky and wants your iPad to run a static IP, the element could care less....but my iPad does.

So, I'm having my IT guy set up static IP addresses at the server level for my iPhone, iPad, the LS9 and the Element. I give him MAC addresses for all the devices and he programs them into the server so I can keep DHCP going on the mobile devices but the server will automatically assign a static IP each time the device's MAC is seen on the network. Hopefully this all works...

The basic question is...Where the heck do I find the MAC address on the Element. I've been in the Shell/Settings and in the Network page. I scoured the settings page forever. Does it matter?? Am I missing something completely??

BJH
 
I can understand wanting to keep DHCP on for the mobile devices, but why would you do that for the Element? Just set it to a static IP directly and don't worry about the DHCP server handing out the proper IP to it. That's what I would do, just on the Element though. I like the your plan for the mobile devices.
 
bhallerm said:
So I've had the iPhone/iPad RFR app and used it on both devices to control our ETC Element. I also run Stage Mix for our LS9 on my iPad. Now, Stage Mix is a bit picky and wants your iPad to run a static IP, the element could care less....but my iPad does.

So, I'm having my IT guy set up static IP addresses at the server level for my iPhone, iPad, the LS9 and the Element. I give him MAC addresses for all the devices and he programs them into the server so I can keep DHCP going on the mobile devices but the server will automatically assign a static IP each time the device's MAC is seen on the network. Hopefully this all works...

The basic question is...Where the heck do I find the MAC address on the Element. I've been in the Shell/Settings and in the Network page. I scoured the settings page forever. Does it matter?? Am I missing something completely??

BJH
Click to expand...

So your Element and LS9 are both on the school's WWW connected network?
 
Backwards...I actually would keep a static IP for the Element. It's the mobiles that are freaking out over switching back and forth from DHCP to Static IP.

I think that is what is going to happen. The Element really wasn't the problem. Yamaha Studio Mix is the one that is really picky about static IP's so if the two mobile devices and the LS9 are mapped out on the server and the Element doesn't care...then hopefully they will play nice. I was just confused that I can't find a MAC address ANYWHERE on that thing. From my moderately limited network knowledge, almost all devices with a NIC have a MAC address that uniquely identifies that specific unit. Usually it's not too hard to find that...but I'm at a loss on this one.

BJH
 
ScottT said:
So your Element and LS9 are both on the school's WWW connected network?
Click to expand...

So apparently it's time for the standard,

No computerized system used in a show critical environment should ever be connected to the Internet.

Or even a school (or district) wide network for that matter. There are too many things that can go wrong that you can't control in the middle of a show. If you ask nicely, you should be able to get your own network set up.

ScottT said:
I'd advise against that, get your IT department to get you a separate router that you can plug into just the LS9 and Element. You never know how networked theatrical devices will behave with other things on the network
Click to expand...

Beat me to it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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Currently, the Airport is the hub for the auditorium. Basically the two consoles would be plugged to it and then computers in the space use it for wireless connection for weekly assemblies. I'm not planning on using this during shows, mostly for setup, focusing days, etc. Someone is always AT the console during shows. (Although one day I'm going to mix a band from the floor and not from the booth) It mostly keeps me from running back and forth up and down stairs for setups and teaching my tech kids. Kind of like the brake pedal on the passenger side of a driver's ed car. Plus, it's really handy for quick things.

-I understand the danger of the internet and devices. For right now, I want to get things playing nicely with each other simultaneously. Once that happens, we can get more specific with closing things down and being really picky with a specific network within the school's intranet. I know it can be done, I'm just now finding the time to corner my buddy in the IT dept. and pick his brain on the best way to go about this with regard to our specific network setup.

BJH
 
Man, I wish my biggest worry was if my dimmer racks might mysteriously get viruses. Wouldn't that be a great world? I'd love to explain that to parents when they ask why their kid was in the dark during a concert. "Honestly....Al Qeada's new target......"we are taking the US down...one theater at a time." Maybe that's why arts organizations are going under. The high cost of Production Counter Terrorism.
 
I'm going to make an extremely controversial statement...

Get with the times, converged networks is where it's at, stand alone networks are on the way out.:twisted:

But you better start working towards having a REALLY good relationship with your IT department...

And I say this based on a real world venus operating internet, email, ticketing all alongside production critical DMX over ethernet, Comms over IP, and at one stage Audip over IP (Dante - it turns out the Dante implementation in a DLP isn't that great FWIW). That's kiwitechgirl current home venue...
 
bhallerm said:
Man, I wish my biggest worry was if my dimmer racks might mysteriously get viruses. Wouldn't that be a great world? I'd love to explain that to parents when they ask why their kid was in the dark during a concert. "Honestly....Al Qeada's new target......"we are taking the US down...one theater at a time." Maybe that's why arts organizations are going under. The high cost of Production Counter Terrorism.
Click to expand...

It was meant to be an example that anything with a chip can get a virus.
 
Right now I think VLANs are the best plan for medium-sized "show" networks: they can give you all the separation of a separate LAN, but it'll only use 15 minutes of your IT Guy's time to set up from the comfort of their PC and can be "connected" to any existing ethernet port in the network, instead of $1000s in installation, cable, and equipment for a whole new installation.

For your size of network, however, I'd just get a $40 commodity wifi router, hook all your equipment into it, set up a protected Wi-Fi network for your wireless devices, then plug the school/whatever's network into the "WAN" port. That way you'll shield your equipment from outside fiddling, but retain internet access for software updates (get a decent enough router and you could actually lock down access to only the update site/s).
 
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In any case, there are a few things that no one mentioned in this thread. First of all, any device can be set with a static IP address even if the network is serving DHCP (as long as you set in in the same subnet). Just make sure you use an IP that is not in use. The DHCP server will not try to serve that IP to another device as long as your device is on the network. Second, all the iOS devices store network settings for each individual network you log into, therefore, if you set up a static IP for a given network, whenever you connect to that network, the iOS device will use the same settings. You don't have to do any switching of settings on your iphone/pad/pod.

Creating IP address reservations via MAC address in the DHCP server is not a terrible idea, but if you ever get a new device (or replace one), you have to change the settings of the DHCP server. Seems like more hassle than it is worth.
 
I have been having some trouble with Setting up our new Element onto our booth network as well. As i have a different but similar sort of trouble i'm going to start a new thread. As I've yet to find anything about the various network settings in the setup and what they correspond to for my network.

New thread..... Here.
 
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