Shure MXA310 - Networking and Dante; Digital Audio Networking; Switch Recommendations for Dante Networking; Qos (Quality of Service) Settings

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Networking and Dante
Digital Audio Networking
Dante digital audio is carried over standard Ethernet and operates using standard Internet Protocols. Dante pro
vides low latency, tight clock synchronization, and high Quality-of-Service (QoS) to provide reliable audio transport
to a variety of Dante devices. Dante audio can coexist safely on the same network as IT and control data, or can
be configured to use a dedicated network.
Switch Recommendations for Dante Networking
In addition to the basic networking requirements, Dante audio networks should use a Gigabit network switch or
router with the following features:
• Gigabit ports
• Quality of Service (QoS) with 4 queues
• Diffserv (DSCP) QoS, with strict priority
• Recommended: A managed switch to provide detailed information about the operation of each network link (port
speed, error counters, bandwidth used)
QoS (Quality of Service) Settings
QoS settings assign priorities to specific data packets on the network, ensuring reliable audio delivery on larger
networks with heavy traffic. This feature is available on most managed network switches. Although not required,
assigning QoS settings is recommended.
Note: Coordinate changes with the network administrator to avoid disrupting service.
To assign QoS values, open the switch interface and use the following table to assign Dante-associated queue
values.
• Assign the highest possible value (shown as 4 in this example) for time-critical PTP events
• Use descending priority values for each remaining packet.
Dante QoS Priority Values
Priority Usage DSCP Label Hex Decimal Binary
High (4) Time-critical
PTP events
CS7 0x38 56 111000
Medium (3) Audio, PTP EF 0x2E 46 101110
Low (2) (reserved) CS1 0x08 8 001000
None (1) Other traffic BestEffort 0x00 0 000000
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