Unmanaged Network Requirements

Managed networks are always recommended, but unmanaged networks can be used in small, portable systems utilizing:

Unmanaged networks are smaller or portable systems, either using unmanaged switches or not using switches at all, specifically utilizing any of the following:

• 1–5 Eos Family devices in any Multi-Console Sessions.
• Fewer than 12k outputs (24 universes) of sACN and Art-Net cumulatively.
• 1–5 network endpoint devices (gateways, dimmer racks, fixtures, etc.)

Networked Eos systems have specific hardware and software requirements which are detailed in this section. See the Guide to ETC Network Requirements for general requirements for ETC network systems.

Physical Infrastructure

Cabling and Communication

Hardwired infrastructure is required for all ETC hardware, which primarily utilizes RJ-45 connectors.

All cables must be marked on the cable jacket as meeting or exceeding the listed standards.

• All cabling used for 1 Gbps connections must meet or exceed:
  • 1000-Base-T communication standards (IEEE-802.3ab)
  • Category 5e cable standards (ANSI/TIA 568.2-D)
• All cabling used for 10 Gbps connections must meet or exceed:
  • 10G-Base-T communication standards (IEEE-802.3an)
  • Category 6a cable standards (ANSI/TIA 568-C.2)

SFP-connected cable and fiber requirements are determined by the installed transceiver. The following supported transceivers can be installed in Eos Family hardware.

The following connections (including installed, portable, and patch cables) must meet or exceed the listed communication standards.

• All switch ports connecting to Eos Family and ETCnomad devices must communicate with 1000-Base-T or higher standards. 10G-Base-T is preferred.
• All switch ports connecting to other switches must communicate with 10G-Base-T or higher standards.
• All switch ports connecting to network endpoint devices (gateways, dimmer racks, fixtures, etc.) must communicate with 100-Base-T or higher standards.

Many endpoint devices are not gigabit capable. Your cable and switch should be capable of carrying appropriate data speeds, generally 100-Base-T or 1000-Base-T. Consult the documentation for any network devices to determine the necessary speeds.

For the purposes of entertainment networking, a delay of 500 ns (0.5 μs) per 100 m (328 ft) segment is sufficient to include when calculating latency for all cable types. For more information, see Eos Network Overview > Network Wiring > Cable Latency.

It is recommended that all network ports be capable of providing Power Over Ethernet (PoE) with the ability to enable and disable on a port-by-port basis. ETC hardware implements 802.3af/at unless otherwise specified.

Topologies

See Eos Network Overview > Network Topology for general information about network topologies.

Single-switch networks must meet the following requirements.

• The network switch must comply with all other network requirements.

Switches

Port Bandwidth

• All switch ports connecting to Eos Family and ETCnomad devices must support connections of at least 1 Gbps.
• All switch ports connecting to other switches must support connections of at least 1 Gbps.
• All switch ports connecting to network endpoint devices (gateways, dimmer racks, fixtures, etc.) must support both gigabit and megabit connections, as many endpoint devices are not gigabit capable.
• All network ports must auto-negotiate 10/100/1000 Mbps speeds. The ability to set static speed on a port-by-port basis is preferred. Select hardware provided by ETC operates at lower speeds of 10/100.
• Throttling (static or dynamic) of network bandwidth is not permitted.

Switch Bandwidth

• Switch bandwidth must be no less than 60% of the capacity of the total possible bandwidth of all ports.

To calculate switch bandwidth, see Eos Network Overview > Network Switches > Switch Bandwidth.

Switch Latency

• Switch latency shall not exceed 125 microseconds (μs).
• Full network latency, which includes all downstream switches, shall not exceed 22 milliseconds (ms).

External and Wireless Connections

Other Devices and the Internet

ETC lighting systems have traditionally used isolated networks with dedicated network hardware and cabling that are physically separate from corporate intranets and the outside world. This is the required network arrangement for advanced and basic managed networks and remains the best practice for all networks regardless of size and complexity.

• Facility intranet(s) and the ETC entertainment control network shall be separated physically (preferred) or logically (VLAN).
• The greater internet shall not be routed to or from the ETC entertainment control network.

Show Control

Network-based show control must meet the following requirements:

• ETC Show Control Gateways may be connected directly to the entertainment control network.
• Other show control sources must be connected to Eos Host devices directly via secondary network ports (NICs).
  • IP Addresses for the secondary ports must be in a separate subnet from the entertainment control network, and may be assigned statically or using DHCP.
  • Show control sent to a specific IP address should target the addresses of the secondary ports of both Host devices.
• Control Protocols show control must be connected individually to each Eos device that requires it.

Wireless

• Wireless networking is only permitted for use with approved and supported ETC software applications.

Wireless networking is only permitted for use with approved and supported ETC software applications.

Use of Wireless Networking hardware is subject to the following requirements:

• Wireless connections to the entertainment control network are only to be used for Wi-Fi remotes.
• Wireless connections between Eos devices are not supported.

Wireless Access Points are preferred in entertainment control networks. Routers are not recommended due to their relative complexity to configure and higher potential of delaying or blocking real-time lighting data.

Protocols and Services

The following protocols and services must be supported.

Internet Protocol

Use of Internet Protocol (IP) is subject to the following requirements:

• ETC prefers that all ETC devices use static IP addresses in a single IPv4 subnet (/16 preferred).
  • ETC default IPv4 scheme is 10.101.0.0/16.
• Limitations on the quantity of active MAC addresses per network port is to be coordinated prior to an ETC technician’s arrival.
• All IP addresses shall be private. No public IP address is required as the ETC lighting network shall not be on the internet. For more information about private IP ranges, see Address Ranges.

IPv6 addressing is not currently implemented in ETC hardware.

sACN and Art-Net

Use of Streaming ACN (sACN) and Art-Net is subject to the following requirements:

• Multicast shall not be restricted, filtered, or blocked.
• Multicast address ranges used by ETC are part of industry accepted standards and protocols and are non-negotiable. They cannot be modified.
  • A list of multicast address ranges used by ETC is available upon request.
• Anycast communication is not supported by ETC product.
• Jumbo frames shall be allowed/permitted.

Network Time Protocols

Use of Network Time Protocol (NTP) and Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) is subject to general networking requirements.