Extron Electronics Dante Controller - Manual (Page 19)

Dante Controller User Guide
Copyright © 2013 Audinate Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. -19-
Clocking and Synchronization in Redundant Networks
In a redundant network, the clock synchronization protocol operates over both primary and secondary
networks. Each network will have a designated PTP master clock; usually this will be the same device on
both networks. If this is not the case (e.g. if a non-redundant device is designated Preferred Master) then
one device will bridge the clock synchronization information from the primary to the secondary network,
ensuring that all devices derive their clock from the same source. Redundant PTP Slave clocks will
synchronize their local clocks based on information from one of the networks they are connected to. In
event of a failure on one network a redundant device will continue to receive clock synchronization
information over the other network.
Clock Health Monitoring
Supported devices are constantly monitored by Dante Controller to establish the accuracy and stability of
their clock synchronization with the Dante network master clock.
If a device clock is exhibiting significant instability, it becomes at risk of losing sync with the master clock,
and Dante Controller can a display a ‘Clock Instability Detected’ pop-up, identifying the device.
Which devices are supported?
Dante PCIe cards, Dante-MY16-AUD cards, and devices that include a 'Brooklyn II' Dante module are
currently supported.
If your device is a Brooklyn II device, it will be displayed as the Model type in the Dante Information
section of the Device View > Status tab.
If a device’s clock becomes too unstable and loses sync, the device will be automatically muted.
Activating Clock Health Monitoring
Clock Health Monitoring is off by default. To activate it, click the clock button on the main toolbar:
When Clock Health Monitoring is active, the button is down and the icon is green:
To switch it off, click the button again.
Note: The pop-up will be displayed only once for each device. Further instances of clock instability
(on a device that has already been identified as unstable) will not produce a new pop-up, unless Clock
Health Monitoring is reset, by switching it off and back on again (using the Clock Health Monitoring
button).
If you have Clock Health Monitoring switched on and you see no pop-ups, it indicates that all clocks on
your network are currently stable, and synchronizing well with the master clock.
There are a range of network conditions that can interfere with a device’s ability to synchronize with the
master clock. These include:
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A switch is configured to use Energy Efficient Ethernet ('Green Ethernet') functionality
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A 100 Mb switch or link is present where a Gigabit connection is required
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One or more switches are incorrectly configured
Refer to the Dante FAQs for more information.