MACKIE HDR24/96 - Manual (Page 182)

HDR 24/96
Networking problems often have simple solutions but they can be difficult to find. Don’t be ashamed
to ask for help.
Connecting Your HDR24/96 In A Larger Network
We described the simplest two-station network first because that’s the easiest to get going if you have
no experience with interconnecting computers, but this is the 21
st century and we all want to be better
connected. Things are a little different when using the home networking components that we have
available today at very modest cost.
Router
Studio Workstation
Home or Office Computer
HDR 24/96
d8b Mixer
the Internet
Modem
An Ethernet router/hub is a device that has several ports and some internal software to direct traffic so
that a device connected to one port can talk to a device connected to any other port without a data
collision when everyone starts talking at once. Many routers today provide additional services such
as a firewall (to keep computer users outside your network from connecting to your computer) and
dynamic assignment of the IP address. The last feature is particularly important if you use the same
computer to connect to your recorder and to the Internet. To the router, your computer can have a
fixed address, it can have the same fixed address when talking to the recorder, and the outside world
will take the dynamically assigned address it gets from the Internet host system and translate it to the
computer’s fixed address. Here’s a typical small network:
Modern hardware and software that allows you to set up the router from a connected computer makes
configuration of a network like this fairly simple, but you must consult your router’s instructions (and
not us) if you have problems. Have faith. It all works once you get it set up correctly.
For a very local network, say two HDR24/96 recorders and a computer with no connections to the
Internet or other household or office computers, an Ethernet automatic switch usually provides better
data rates than a hub or a router because it does less traffic control. It’s cheaper, too. If you find
yourself moving cables too frequently, try one.
When connecting to a router, hub, or switch, use a STANDARD, not a CROSSOVER Ethernet cable.
Just as a standard cable won’t work with a direct connection between two network interface cards, a
crossover cable won’t work when connecting between a network interface card and a router.
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