Network slows down after enabling ACN with CEM+ modules

As of the end of my last show I was really only able to trace it back to the the fact that the Ion is not powerful enough (cpu-wise) to handle that much network traffic. I did not get a chance to try upgrading the switches from 10/100 to 1000 based switches.  This is a "network bogging down" effect and I wanted to try that next, but I was using CBS in-house stuff. 

I'd like to point out that this is only an RFR/iRFR problem when the Sensor racks are on the network with the Ion.  I had DimStat software running on my laptop so I could monitor the racks from there (keeping the racks off of the Ion's network) and everything worked great.

I think it'll get sorted out over time from two improvements:

1.  faster cpu power

2. better software/protocol implementation in both the CEM modules and EOS.

#2 being the place for more immediate improvements.  When they updated to 1.9.8 it got a little better, but the iRFR lag was still way too much.  It took ETC over a year to fix the USB bug with changing the channel on the RFR from the EOS Shell via the USB connection, requiring an ethernet connection through the GCE as a workaround....  So there is plenty of room for improvement in the implementation of network protocols into EOS.

@James - the thing that confuses me in what you wrote was the "networking at the console is off".   The setup should start with the Ion as the DHCP Server for your own, independent "network".  So yes, turn that on and start with configuring the Ion's start address, subnet & gateway.  I've got other threads in the ION forum that show the settings.. 

The only device that will automatically get it's settings from the ION's DHCP is your WAP (for your iPod/iPad app), if your router doesn't have WAP mode, then just get a WAP, not a router (they're different).  If you're using DHCP in your router, that's the first place to start making changes.  All you need is wireless for the remotes, so it only needs to be an access point.

As far as each device (rack, iPad, etc) You manually assign each device it's own IP (even though your using dynamic addressing - don't do that), set the IP yourself for each rack.  (i.e. 10.101.1.x   X=unique IP) each rack has to have it's own IP in a group.  If you set them all the same, that's why it didn't work.

You should be able to do this with your laptop.  Plug it into the switch at your racks and login to the IP address that brings up ETC Connect (CEM access)  and you can set it all from there..  I'm away from my notes right now but can go dig them out if you can't find the other threads on this in the forum.

Cheers,

Jason

The hard part about this is that something changed. I have setup systems with as many as 13 racks all in the same group, accessed through either iPad or iPhone, and had the Ion seeing each CEM+ with no lag on the iPad.. I realize there are lots of variables at play, but as for console, router, iPad, I've. been plug and play since the iRFR came out. All I would have to change was the console password as I would get a different console for each job.

I turned off networking as it was the only way I could get the i's to join the wireless network and see the Ion (10.101.100.101 255.255.0.0 10.101.1.1)  WAP in bridge mode. Using only Ethernet ports. 

The port speed isn't the issue. All of my switches used 10/100/1000.

As for the racks. That was a different problem. I updated software so they were all 3.1.2 I started with just one rack on Ethernet. Deleted it's config. Assigned it an IP .101.101 and turned on networking.  Then I assigned the next rack an IP 101.102, and added that rack from the first CEM. Transfer would always fail no matter which rack I started with or which I was adding. After wrap on Friday, I reinstalled the software update, and tried again using just two of the SP12s 100AFs. Failed again. l also tried adding the racks from Web Connect. Could add the rack, but could not send the config to Rack 2. Had to give up. 

James

what happens when you ping each rack?

Sounds like the rack is loosing the network. Maybe once you assign it's static IP the other  'stuff' don't see it anymore.

Never got that far. After several attempts at trying to put them in the same group, once I got them working as separate groups (of just one rack) and ACN I had to move on.

James

Ah, now I see. We did change the Multicast address used for inter-rack communication in CEM+ v3.0, so I think you were going from the old group mutlicast IPs to the new ones.

This Multicast address survives an Abort Boot (otherwise it wouldn't be able to send configs between racks), so you'd need to manually upload the new config into each rack the very first time after this update.

After this update, the first time you Generate Defaults on the first rack in the group, just keep adding the racks to get the final config you want.
Then set Group/Rack/Net on all the other CEM+, but leave them with no config.

Then log into the Rack 1 CEM+ to download the complete system config file.

Finally, log into each of the other CEM+ and upload this file.

Once this first 'new version' config file has loaded the first time, the inter-rack multicast will have been updated to the new one so you shouldn't need to do this again.

Wow. Never would have gotten that on my own. Will try it out on the next one. Thanks.

Jim

Can you sticky this note somewhere?  That's a big one!!

Well, the change of default Multicast is in the release notes...

I live in hope that somebody out there reads them, though I know it's a very long shot!