Wheatstone Corporation WheatNet-IP Blade3s, Техническое руководство

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G E N E R A L I N F O R M A T I O N
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WheatNet-IP / Aug 2011
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of data in the network. Consequently just about any switch or link can get overloaded
if you are streaming lots of channels and don’t attempt to manage your network and
switch configuration. Conversely, because we use Gigabit ports for the WheatNet-IP
to minimize link overload issues, a smaller system will run just fine on an inexpensive
unmanaged switch, as long as it is a Gigabit switch . It’s all in the numbers. Consult the
chapter on Ethernet considerations for more information about switches, or call us at
Wheatstone Corporation for help with switch recommendations.
CAT-5e Wiring
The next component of your WheatNet-IP system is the CAT-5e wiring itself. Each
“BLADE” requires a single 1 Gigabit network connection, which is typically a CAT-5e
cable. Due to the nature of Ethernet and CAT-5e cabling, these connections must be at
least 1 meter but less than 100 meters in length. If you must connect devices together that
are more than 100 meters apart, use an interim Ethernet “edge” switch, or else use optical
fiber and copper/fiber convertors to extend the range of the Ethernet LAN connections.
AoIP Driver
The next component of your system is the WheatNet-IP AoIP driver. This is software
that will allow any Windows 2000 or XP device to send and receive audio packets as a
member of the WheatNet-IP system. Typically, this driver would be installed on your
Automation PCs to allow them to play back audio into the WheatNet‑IP system without
using a sound card. You can install the driver on any PC that you wish to get audio
to/from. On a modern PC, the driver will allow up to eight different audio streams play ‑
ing back simultaneously while accepting eight different audio input streams. That’s a
lot of audio, representing over half of the total bandwidth available on the standard
100 Mbit Ethernet NIC card installed in most PCs. Please note that any PC can use the
WheatNet-IP AoIP driver; it doesn’t need to be an Automation server. If you want to
stream your station’s Program output to the PD’s office PC, you can. Likewise, many
modern audio devices such as codecs are really PCs at heart. If they are running Windows
and can work with standard WDM drivers, they can most likely be directly connected
to the WheatNet‑IP system.
Software Tools
The next components of your WheatNet‑IPs system are the software tools used to
administer it. While the WheatNet-IP system is completely functional (unlike some
competitors) without running any software on a PC, you will find the Navigator GUI
program very handy for administrating normal system functions like setting access
passwords, controlling signal visibilities, naming sources and destinations, etc. Each
WheatNet-IP device also runs a web server, thus allowing convenient access from any
web browser for basic set up and control. These tools are described later in this manual.
Audio Devices
Lastly are your audio devices themselves. Your loudspeakers and headphone amps,
your microphones, CD players, and Sat receivers, your processors and codecs. These
are the devices you’ve created your audio network for. Wire them up to the appropriate
“BLADE” and they have instant access to all of the audio in your system. Connecting
any source to any destination is just a simple “click” away.
WheatNet-IP / May 2013 WheatNet-IP / Aug 2012 WheatNet-IP / Mar 2014