Avid Technology Pro Tools S6 Master Post Module User manual

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S6 Networking Guidelines

Networking Setups for Various S6 configurations

This guide assumes you have a basic understanding of networking and its settings on both Mac and

PC. You need to understand the difference between static IP addresses and automatically assigned

addresses (DHCP), and how to change these. If not, please seek help with making these changes.

Contents

Introduction

Note about Default Routes

Recommended Routers

S6 Network Configurations

Single S6 Consoles

Dual Operator S6 Consoles

Dual Operator S6 Consoles with Multiple Master Post Modules

Using Both Ethernet Ports on the Master Module

Connecting a Dual Operator Console and the Master Modules to a WAN for IHSE KVM

Advanced Guide to the S6 Master Module DHCP Server

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Introduction

The S6 is an audio mixing control surface that requires a fast and reliable connection to the controlled

DAWs. Ethernet was chosen because of its performance, flexibility and easily available hardware.

Although the S6 uses common protocols for its networking, this doesn’t mean that it can be treated just

like an office network. Running applications that use high bandwidth (such as Audio over Ethernet, Avid

ISIS etc.), open a large number of ports, or use QoS (Quality of Service) can make the S6 behave

erratically. Any temporary break in the Ethernet connection can cause the whole system to become

unreliable and require a full reboot.

Note about Default Routes

A computer uses a Default Route (IP address) to talk to other computers when it can’t find a location on

the local machine. For example, when a user requests a page from the Internet the computer doesn’t

know the requested address, so it looks for a Default Route to send the request out to. This usually is a

Router that is then connected to the Internet. Problems occur when a computer is connected to two

Routers; these will each give out a Default Route, and the computer then doesn’t know which one to

use. The S6 Master Module internal DHCP server does not give out a Default Route, allowing

workstations to connect to a Router using a second port without running into these issues. This

description is a little over simplified but it’s all that is needed to understand the following setups.

Recommended Routers

For single S6 systems, the internal DHCP server (port 2 on the Master Module) is recommended.

For dual operator or other installations that require a separate router, the Cisco RV325 Dual Gigabit WAN

VPN Router has been tested and is recommended by Avid. A sign that an unsupported Router is not up

to handing out IP addresses to a large number of modules is that the Master Module takes longer to

connect to all the modules on S6 system power up (for example, modules staying red for a long time on

the Surface > Settings page). This can also lead to firmware update errors or, at the extreme, a damaged

module.

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S6 Network Configurations

Setting up the S6 in the supported networking configurations is required for maximum reliability and

performance. Avid tests the following:

Single S6 Consoles

The preferred and easiest network setup is to use the internal DHCP server (port 2) on the Master

Module for connecting the Master Module to the rest of the system, and for providing IP addresses to

the modules and workstations. If you require your workstations to be connected to a WAN/Internet,

then use the second network port on the workstations for that connection.

Alternatively, you can use a 3rd party Router (see Recommended Routers) connecting it to the S6 Switch

and the Switch to port 1 on the Master Module, but be sure to read the earlier Note about Default

Routes. Most Routers don’t allow you to disable the Default Route, so if running two networks (S6

EUCON and WAN/Internet) you may have to configure the router to reserve some static IP addresses

and set the network Adapters in the Master Module and Workstations with these, as described in

Connecting a Dual Operator Console and the Master Modules to a WAN for IHSE KVM.

For more details about single S6 console network configuration, see the S6 Guide.

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Dual Operator S6 Consoles

The Master Modules’ internal DHCP Server will work and has been tested with Dual Operator S6 systems

but it has some disadvantages. Setup is similar to a single S6 but on the 2nd console you connect the

Master Module port 1 to its resident network switch, then connect that switch to the switch in the 1st

console. This is all that is required, but the downside is the 2nd console relies on the first Master Module

to be on and running the Master Module software (MTM App). If both consoles have a large number of

modules the internal DHCP server will approach its performance limits.

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Dual Operator S6 Consoles with Multiple Master Post Modules

If using multiple MPMs on a dual-operator or larger system with only one recorder, all MPMs must be

connected to the S6 that has the recorder attached. The 2nd or 3rd MPM can be placed in the 2nd or

3rd S6 by connecting Ethernet cables from the 1st S6 to each MPM in the 2nd or 3rd S6 system.

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You can also use an external Router just like a Single Operator console configuration but connect both

Master Modules’ Ethernet port 1’s to the S6 Switches and the Router to either S6 Switch.

The same caution about Default Routes applies. Most Routers don’t allow you to disable the Default

Route, so if running two networks (S6 EUCON and WAN/Internet) you may have to configure the Router

to reserve some static IP addresses and set the network Adapters in the Workstations with these. More

on this later.

Please see the information in the S6 Guide about connecting two S6’s on the same network, each have

to have a different Desk ID.

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Using Both Ethernet Ports on the Master Module

S6 v2.1 software introduced the ability to use both Ethernet ports on the Master Module. Follow the

instructions in v2.1 (or later) of the S6 Guide to set this up. However, care must to be taken to not

introduce dual routes on the Master Module just as it does on the Workstations. If using the Internal

DHCP server in its default settings on a Single Operator console then this will already be OK as it doesn’t

have a Default Route, but if using an external Router or a Dual Operator console then some settings will

need to be changed.

A lot of these settings will be different depending on your network and setup. The following is an

example that is tested at Avid and should help in configuring your system.

Connecting a Dual Operator Console and the Master Modules to a WAN for IHSE KVM

In this example we will use two S6’s together as a Dual Operator console and connect the Master

Modules to a WAN/Intranet/Internet. We will show how to connect an IHSE Ethernet KVM to this

network.

We will assume that the WAN has a DHCP server on it giving out IP addresses and the S6 network has a

Router attached (Linksys EA6500v2 in this demo). In this configuration, the S6 EUCON network will

require changes to its settings to remove the second default route. Giving parts of the S6 network static

IP addresses is the easiest way to accomplish this. This way we can show both automatic and static

DHCP assignment settings.

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Hardware Setup

1. Make sure you have the latest S6 software installed and all modules (firmware) are up-to-date.

2. Shut down all Workstations.

3. On the second S6 go to Settings > Surface, open its Local Options screen (gear icon) and set its

Desk ID to 2.

4. Connect the WAN network to Ethernet port 1 on the back of both Master Modules.

5. Connect port 2 on the back of each Master Module to their S6 internal Ethernet switch.

6. Connect the two S6’s together by connecting an Ethernet cable from the first S6 switch to the

second S6 switch.

7. Connect all required Workstations to the S6 Ethernet switches, keeping the number of Ethernet

hops/cables to a minimum, and keeping in mind which Workstation will be used by which S6 the

most. For now, keep the default Network Settings for the Workstation Network adapters

(automatic DHCP).

8. Connect the Router from one of its normal ports (not the WAN port) to a free port on one of the

S6 network Ethernet Switches.

9. Power up the Router, both S6 systems, and one Workstation (the Workstation to be used to

configure the Router as described in the next section).

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Software Setup

1. Port 1 on the Master Modules are already set up to automatically get IP address from the WAN

so leave these as is. If your WAN requires static addresses, see below for how to set them up but

do that for port 1.

2. Follow the instructions from your Router manufacturer to log in to its settings web page from

your Workstation and change the following:

a. Set its IP address to 192.168.3.254 and Save. Once it has rebooted log back in.

b. Then reserve a pool of IP address equal to the number of Workstations you have plus

two, starting at the address 192.168.3.1. Do not turn off DHCP as this is needed by the

S6 Modules.

c. Restart the Router if it hasn’t already.

3. On the Workstation you are using to set up the Router, go to its network settings and set a static

IP address 192.168.3.3 subnet 255.255.255.0. Then reboot that Workstation.

4. On the first Master Module log out (navigate to Settings > About, and press Logout).

5. Log back in as the Administrator (the default Password is “password”).

6. From the Control Panel, select Networking and Sharing, then Change Adapter Settings link on the

left.

7. Right click the adapter named ”Ethernet two (Static IP)” and select Properties. You should see a

window like the one on the left below. Select the TCP/IPv4 line shown and then Properties.

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8. In the window that appears, configure the settings as shown in the image on the right below and

press OK. Close all the other windows.

9. On the second S6 Master Module, follow steps 4 to 8 above to set its port 2 to IP manual address

to 192.168.3.2 subnet 255.255.255.0.

10. Now power on all your Workstations and follow the instructions from item 3 above to set their IP

Addresses to 192.168.3.4, 192.168.3.5 etc. subnet always 255.255.255.0

11. Power cycle both S6 systems and the Workstations but not the Router.

12. The Master Modules will boot into the S6 software. If both the WAN and S6 networks are seen, a

warning appears telling you to set the correct network port for S6.

If it does not appear, logout of S6, wait a few seconds (for the networks to come up) and log back

into S6User again.

13. On both Master Modules go to Settings > Surface, and open its Local Options screen (gear icon).

14. Select the S6 Network Adapter, it will have the IP address we set earlier 192.168.3.1 on the first

Master Module and 192.168.3.2 on the second Master Module.

15. Now power cycle both S6 systems and the Workstations but not the Router one last time.

16. To add the IHSE Ethernet KVM follow the instruction provided with it to set its network to the

correct settings to work on the WAN.

17. Follow the S6 Guide and enter its IP address into the Master Modules KVM settings screen.

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