Custom Switch set up for Dante Network

[Lextech]

 

[Lextech]

 

[Lextech]

Audinate, among others, makes a line of POE adaptors https://www.audinate.com/products/devices/dante-avio that interface with all sorts of audio equipment. Personally the two channel Dante to male xlr line adaptor has saved me on a couple of occasions where I have needed audio in another venue when the audio on a AV transceiver system crapped out. Attero-tech makes several goes-in devices that are handy, I am using a BlueTooth wall mount box for my dance kids and instructors to play music for rehearsals without turning on the whole PA. Admittedly I’m waiting on a Symetrix box that will trigger a relay to finish it. It’s also POE.

These are ones I have, there are lots of gadgets out there.

 

[FMEng]

I think you are right that any PoE switch with an internal supply will have a fan. I just bought some PoE Cisco SG-350-10MP. They have an external, line lump supply, and no fan. Not many audio devices are PoE, but quite a few video devices are.

 

[Rob]

Curious if you have any examples of POE items.

I love these interfaces and these coms and these mics.

The reason I was thinking non POE is because I believe the 28 ports do have fans and have been reported to be quite noisy. That’s really the only reason for me.

Our VIA PoE switches have no in-line power bricks or fans. Dead silent.

 

[np18358]

I can't recommend the Via12 switches enough. I have used them so many times, never had an issue. The ease of configuration and entertainment specific features make them hard to beat.

 

[Rob]

Nice avatar.

 

[Mstr Matt]

Looking at the map near you, we have a good dealer in KC https://www.starkravingsolutions.com/
Or in Tulsa - http://www.pro-ami.com/
or email us directly for other references to a dealer.

Any vendors out in the Los Angeles area? The company I'm putting this together for is out there.

Also, with these switches, I assume it would still be good practice to run separate switches for primary/secondary. So I would need 4 total. I've seen people split primary/secondary between 2 VLAN's on the same switch.. just seems if you're going to have redundancy, you should have redundancy all the way through.. Thanks!

 

[MNicolai]

Re: Redundancy, it really depends. Actual failures of switches are incredibly rare. These are devices intended to run 24/7/365 for a decade at a time. With any type of redundancy, you need to identify where to draw a line. If you have separate switches, are you going to feed them from different UPS's or different power sources? Run the cables down different paths in case someone runs over a cable pathway with a forklift? Run a completely 2nd mix surface in case the first one goes down? Which nature of failures are you trying to protect against?

I'm not going to deter you from doing primary and secondary on separate switches if it makes you feel more comfortable, but in most cases that level of redundancy doesn't gain you very much unless you are really pulling out more stops. With the Ciscos it's relatively cheap to do, but if you feel more comfortable with the Pathways, I personally would not spend the money on a secondary set of switches unless you are engaged in broadcast or presidential address type events where the cost of the extra switches is absolutely negligible relative to the ticket or ad revenue of those events.

And even going fully redundant in every possible way doesn't prevent both networks from getting killed simultaneously. Fun fact, when you have a Lake LM-44 processor in redundant mode get locked up and tech support has you do a hard reset, turns out that the LM-44's default back into daisy-chain mode, bridging the primary and secondary, crossing the streams and suffocating the entire Dante system across the whole venue. Ask me how I know that.

 

[KO20]

Any vendors out in the Los Angeles area? The company I'm putting this together for is out there.

Also, with these switches, I assume it would still be good practice to run separate switches for primary/secondary. So I would need 4 total. I've seen people split primary/secondary between 2 VLAN's on the same switch.. just seems if you're going to have redundancy, you should have redundancy all the way through.. Thanks!

Just sent Mstr Matt a PM regarding Los Angeles resellers of Pathway Connectivity gear.
Cheers,
Kerstin O'Leary
Director of Sales
Pathway Connectivity Solutions

 

[Mstr Matt]

Re: Redundancy, it really depends. Actual failures of switches are incredibly rare. These are devices intended to run 24/7/365 for a decade at a time. With any type of redundancy, you need to identify where to draw a line. If you have separate switches, are you going to feed them from different UPS's or different power sources? Run the cables down different paths in case someone runs over a cable pathway with a forklift? Run a completely 2nd mix surface in case the first one goes down? Which nature of failures are you trying to protect against?

I'm not going to deter you from doing primary and secondary on separate switches if it makes you feel more comfortable, but in most cases that level of redundancy doesn't gain you very much unless you are really pulling out more stops. With the Ciscos it's relatively cheap to do, but if you feel more comfortable with the Pathways, I personally would not spend the money on a secondary set of switches unless you are engaged in broadcast or presidential address type events where the cost of the extra switches is absolutely negligible relative to the ticket or ad revenue of those events.

And even going fully redundant in every possible way doesn't prevent both networks from getting killed simultaneously. Fun fact, when you have a Lake LM-44 processor in redundant mode get locked up and tech support has you do a hard reset, turns out that the LM-44's default back into daisy-chain mode, bridging the primary and secondary, crossing the streams and suffocating the entire Dante system across the whole venue. Ask me how I know that.

Oh no!! Don’t cross the streams!! That’s crazy.

Funny enough, I have a client that uses redundancy almost all the way through the entire system starting with 2 desks at FOH. They had a desk take a dump right before a big sales break once.. and that was that!

In my case, I typically split power supplies between different power legs. I’ve just always followed Audinates recommendation of using separate switches. But I see your point. I’m not super advanced on the networking front.. but I guess your just hedging bets on equipment failure.

I haven’t gotten pricing back on the VIA 12’s yet but I was guessing 4 of them would be way out of the ballpark.