Tesira devices support the use of many Ethernet network-based features to facilitate integrating audio and video transmission in an AV environment. Depending on the Tesira hardware, network port functions are separate or combined. For example Tesira SERVER, SEVER-IO, TesiraFORTÉ AVB and TesiraLUX devices have separate dedicated Control Network and AVB network ports, while audio expanders use one Ethernet port for both control and AVB traffic. Tesira firmware 3.8 introduces the Single Network Connection feature which can allow all control and media communication to occur via the AVB network port of a server class device.
Standard copper twisted-pair Ethernet network cables cannot exceed 100 meters in length between network devices. Fiber optic cables which can extend significantly further depending on cable and optical transceiver types. All network ports on Tesira audio devices are 100/1000 BASE-T and are auto-sensing, so point-to-point or connections via network switches can use straight or crossover cables. All Ethernet cabling must be Cat 5e or better.
TesiraLUX provides two AVB network interfaces: 1 gigabit and 10 gigabit Ethernet. Only the 1 GbE or 10 GbE may be active at a time. Twisted pair Ethernet cables must be Cat 6a or better for 1 GbE. Cat 7 or better or fiber optic cabling must be used depending on the type of 10 GbE SFP+ modules selected. The same make and model SFP+ module should be used on both ends of the cable.
A Tesira system supports the following communication, audio and video protocols:
Tesira supports the simultaneous use of AVB and CobraNet or Dante, however some network topologies are not supported. The following network topologies are supported:
| Note |
| While the Hardware supports SERVER IO devices to have 1 AVB and 2 CobraNet or Dante cards - this is not documented here. Please contact Biamp technical support if you require more details. |
An additional media networking change in Tesira 2.4 and later concerns how Tesira devices synchronize with each other over an AVB media network.
In Tesira versions 2.3 and earlier, the rule was Tesira devices which discovered each other on the control network would assume they were connected to the same AVB media network and attempt to synchronize with each other. In installations comprised of two or more separate Tesira systems which were connected to the same control network but not the same AVB media network, this could result in a synchronization failure in one or more of the Tesira systems.
In Tesira version 2.4 and later the rule was changed, making it easier to work with larger and more complex installations. Only Tesira devices in the same system will assume they are part of the same AVB media network and try to synchronize with each other via a system specific AVB pilot stream.
Put another way, a single Tesira configuration file defines a single media clock domain. Tesira devices programmed in same file will attempt to synchronize with each other; Tesira device programmed in separate files will not try to synchronize with each other.
In Tesira version 2.4 to 3.7, the network infrastructure may be configured in one of two ways:
The first option is called a Converged Media Network; the second a Separated Control and AVB Media Network. The type of network combination used will depend on the site topology and network security requirements.
If a Tesira server-class device is configured to use separate control and AVB media networks:
1. On new units or following a reset to the factory defaults, the AVB interface will be enabled for control communications by default.
For units shipped with older firmware, the AVB network will not automatically be enabled by a firmware update, but may be enabled using Tesira software.
2. When the AVB interface is enabled for control communications, it is not necessary to provide a separate control network port connection when deployed in a converged network topology.
Although not required, it is still valid to do so and is recommended for Tesira SERVER, SERVER-IO, and TesiraFORTÉ
3. If the control network port is connected, then it will be used for control communications. Otherwise the AVB port will be used for control communications.
4. The IP address listed on the device front panel and in Device Information is that of the port actively being used for control communications.
The Tesira device will not act as a gateway between the Control and AVB interfaces
The feature referred to as Single Network Connection allows AVB NIC to handle all control and media communications. This allows Control NIC to be optionally disconnected. Network connection behavior will reflect and dynamically accommodate the physical connection state of the control and AVB NICs.
On systems with dual control and AVB connection, disconnecting the Control NIC will cause the system to accept control traffic over the AVB interface. The front panel of the device will be updated to display the IP address of the AVB interface, as control communications may only use this interface.
On systems with a single connection to the AVB port, connecting the Control interface to the network will cause the Control interface to accept control traffic. The front panel of the device will be updated to display the IP address of the Control interface. If the Control Interface has been configured for DHCP, connecting it to a network will begin DHCP negotiation for an IP address.
The Single Network Connection Feature increases the supported infrastructure options from two to six. These infrastructure options are detailed here, or click a link to go directly to a topographical diagram for a specific option listed below:
Tesira 2.4 and later introduced several features for audio networking, providing greater flexibility for the design and installation of both single and multi-protocol systems:
Media networks are managed in the Media Network Setup dialog. Multiple AVB, CobraNet, or Dante networks can be added and named, and the master media clock network selected.
Named networks therefore allow two import operations:
| Note |
| Use of named networks is optional. If additional media networks are not created, Tesira will behave as it did in version 2.3 an earlier. Tesira 2.4 automatically creates a default network of each type, and network input/output blocks will be automatically assigned to the default networks of their corresponding type. In this way, users unfamiliar with the new features can configure audio networks as they would in versions 2.3 and earlier. |
There are some important rules for working with multiple media protocols in Tesira.
Implicit AVB connections (AVB connections between Tesira devices created by the compiler) are made only on the AVB Default network. Therefore, only explicit AVB 1722.1 Input/Output blocks can make use of user-defined AVB networks.
Expanders, to include Tesira Plenum-Mount Amplifiers, must use implicit AVB connections. Therefore, the I/O blocks for audio expanders will always be assigned to the AVB Default network.
Because of 1 and 2 above, any system which contains audio expanders and uses ONLY implicit AVB connections must use the AVB Default network.
Only Tesira Servers support two AVB cards. Therefore, implementing a second AVB network in a Tesira system requires a Server with two AVB cards installed, one to connect to the AVB Default network and one to connect to the user-defined AVB network.
A Tesira system is able to use a collection of media networks in complex arrangements. But it is important to remember that only one of the networks can be identified as the clock source of the system and all its networks.
It will be possible in any system to follow the connections from the master media clock network to the set of connected Tesira devices; from those Tesira devices to the system’s other media networks, from those media networks to yet more devices. In this way, all connect devices can be viewed as a tree which has the clock source network at its root.
The Media Networks Diagram will show the current topology the compiled system file is using.
When considering a system in this way, it is convenient to think of those media network connections which lead toward the clock source network as “upstream”, and those which lead away from it as “downstream”. Media clocks are propagated from “upstream” networks to “downstream” networks.
A system of Tesira devices supports a single media clock domain only. Tesira devices must be a part of the same media clock domain to share digital audio over a media network
All Tesira devices in a system must have at least one media network connection which can be traced back to the clock source network. Consequently the following will result in a compile failure:
A multi-device system cannot contain devices which do not have a media network connection.
A Tesira system cannot contain unconnected sub-groups, which share media connections with each other, but not with the rest of the devices in the system.
A system of Tesira devices may be synchronized to an external, 3rd party device. To accomplish this, a 3rd party device must be placed on the media clock source network.
If two or more Tesira systems share a common Dante or CobraNet network, then the Dante or CobraNet network must be upstream for at least one of those Tesira systems. In other words, if N Tesira systems are connected to the same Dante or CobraNet network, then the Dante or CobraNet network must be the clock source network for at least N-1 of the connected Tesira systems.
Please review the CobraNet Network Considerations and Dante Network Considerations for more details.