IPC 3.03

Well the older DP-2000s were never good as far as processing speed on fast chases....but they don't normally crash as a result of one.

What are you using to connect the DPs to the console?

DHCP or static IPs?

USB devices sometimes cause problems. I am not sure whether they could cause one's as serious as this, but may be worth disconnecting them just to rule it out.

Regards,

Marty,
DHCP to find the DP's.
Need to get the exact make/brand but it's a PRG switch...
joe i don't think it's the USB connectors,if i reduce the speed of the chase it won't crash so in my mind it has something to do with the network or DP's.

Thanks

[quote=cormacjack;38764]
joe i don't think it's the USB connectors,if i reduce the speed of the chase it won't crash so in my mind it has something to do with the network or DP's.


Fair enough. I will agree on that note. What is the exact speed in BPM? How many fixtures are in the chase you are using?

Regards,

Hi Cormack why don't you move the fixtures chasing to the internal super widget?

Hi,
Because my DP's are onstage and the console is at FOH.......but a good idea thanks
Marco.
It would mean splitting the cable runs so that the kino flo were on another universe but perhaps i may have to do this.

C

I presume you have a 4 universe snake going from FOH to the stage. It shouldn't be difficult swapping universes. I reckon it is worth a try for internal widget is way better than DP 2000 especially with led fixtures.

[quote=cormacjack;38764]Need to get the exact make/brand but it's a PRG switch...

You aren't by any chance trying to run PRG Series 400 traffic through the same network as your DPs are you?

Series 400 and Hog-Net will not play nice together AT ALL!! Don't even think about mixing them or trying to send Hog-Net traffic down one of their lines!!

> Series 400 and Hog-Net will not play nice together AT ALL!!

The Series 400 uses Art-Net internally, so if you're using its DMX distribution, then there's Art-Net on the wire even if you're not expecting it.

It is possible to segment the S400's networking if you need to use both, but you have to plan carefully. The default config of connecting all of the boxes in the rack to the same ethernet switch won't work.

The important thing to realize is that each of the S400's cable trunks has exactly one network wire. You can connect a given trunk to the Hog-Net *or* the Art-Net network, but not both. If either end of the trunk has a connection to the Art-net, then that line is poluted with DMX whether you're using it or not.

Hi both,
I am using a series 400 system but am not
Combining any other network traffic other
Than hognet.
Is this still an issue?
Again I would like to rule out the dp before
I move onto other parts of the chain.

Regards c

Hi Cormac,

I have had issues with Series 400 switchers and DP2ks with Hog 3. DP crashes / Dp locks, console not detecting DP's etc.

Switched to 1Gb standard switches - all my problems went away.

If you want any further info, just mail me.

Best Wishes,

P

> but am not Combining any other network
> traffic other Than hognet.

So you're not using the DMX capabilities of the Series 400 at all? None of the DMX jacks in the entire system are connected to anything? Can you send me a block diagram of your system showing what's connected to what?

If you remove all of the S400 gear and just use a single ethernet switch to connect to the console to the DPs, do you still see the crash?

The thing that can bite you with the S400 is that *every* box in the system has an ethernet switch in it. Each Breaker Module, Breakout Box, and FOH plugbox adds another switch, plus the switch in the distro rack itself. That means network traffic has to go through a minimum of *five* switches to get all of the way through the system. This alone can cause problems.

[quote=ericthegeek;38839]That means network traffic has to go through a minimum of *five* switches to get all of the way through the system. This alone can cause problems.

Yep.....creates too many Collision Domains to keep the data flow fast enough.....you can almost think of every switch as having a traffic cop inspecting every vehicle coming through the intersection......

This is all priceless for me to know right now as I am starting prep and was thinking of getting the 400 system!!!!

I'm uncomfortable using the full S400 system to carry Hog-Net traffic. There are far too many network hops.

I should start by saying I've not actually used the S400 system and don't have one to test with. Based on a few conversations with some of PRG's people I have a basic idea how it works, but I've had a hard time getting full technical details (Like what ethernet switch chip they use and whether cut-through switching is enabled).

If you want to use the FOH module to put your DPs at dimmer beach, that's probably OK, provided the FOH Breakout and Breaker modules are totally isolated from the rest of the network. If possible, avoid putting another switch at FOH and use the two ports on the S400 directly.

Include a few extra CAT5 cables in your FOH snake so you have the option to isolate the Hog-Net traffic, at least until you have enough confidence in the S400's performance.

Note: Some versions of the S400 documentation show the Ethernet connectors daisy-chained from unit to unit down the rack. While this looks pretty and probably works fine for Art-Net, it's a disaster from a networking standpoint.