Clear-Com HMS-4X Kurzanleitung
IP Network Guidance:
HelixNet Digital Partyline
TECHNICAL
GUIDE
Technical Guide | HelixNet IP Network Guidance Page 2
Introduction HelixNet Digital Partyline
The HelixNet Digital Partyline system offers a tremendous amount of flexibility and
performance to broadcast and live productions requiring partyline/group
communications. HelixNet Digital Network Partyline System delivers all the features and
functions of industry-standard analog partyline systems along with digital audio clarity
over 24 channels and IP connectivity via Powerline or connected Power-over-Ethernet
(PoE). HelixNet operates over any standard single, twisted-pair, shielded cable (like
microphone cable) using our Powerline technology. As this paper will explain, it can also
be interconnected over standard IT network infrastructures via IP/LAN or IP connected
Powerline.
HelixNet
Network
Guidance
This guide provides specifications, best practices and guidance for the integration of
HelixNet into an existing or new IP network. Several of the terms used in this paper are
technical in nature, please see the glossary at the end of the document for explanations
and definitions.
Technical Guide | HelixNet IP Network Guidance Page 3
HelixNet
“Network”
Digital
Partyline
In Figure 1 (below) teams in separate studios (A and B) can communicate with an
outside broadcasting truck on the same digital partyline system over their existing IP
network. With cabling integration possibilities in either XLR or CAT5/6, HelixNet
becomes a flexible solution in multiple scenarios.
- Live Production
- Performing Arts and Theatre
- House of Worship
- Theme Park Ride Communications (Figure 2)
Figure 1
Because of its IP capability, HelixNet is an excellent solution for intercom
communication for Theme Park Rides as shown in Figure 2 (below). A Park’s Network
Operations Center houses sets of HelixNet Main Stations per ride – one HMS is live
production, the second is a redundant back up. The HMS connects to a local switch, the
local switch then connects via CAT5/6 to a second PoE switch at the ride locale. HelixNet
endpoints (HKB and HXII-BP) are placed at strategic positions within the ride to connect
operators and provide a safe experience for the customer.
Technical Guide | HelixNet IP Network Guidance Page 4
Figure 2
Network
Topology
The HelixNet Main Station (HMS-4X), Remote Station (HRM-4X), Speaker Station (HKB-
2X) and Beltpack (HXII-BP) use a 100Mb Network Interface Card (NIC). Devices are
physically added to the network by connecting the RJ45 LAN port on the device to an
Ethernet switch port using a shielded CAT5 or CAT6 cable. HRM, HKB and HXII-BP units
can be powered using PoE Ethernet switches or a local power supply. To connect the
HMS-4X to the Ethernet switch, it must be fitted with a HLI-ET2
2-port Ethernet module (pictured). There are two ports
available on each module. The HLI-ET2 ports act as two normal
switch ports. They can be daisy chained together, but they do
not use Spanning Tree Protocol - connecting both ports to the
same switch can cause redundant paths or loops which will
cause a packet storm and severely degrade both networks.
Best practice would be to use one port to connect to the
network switch, and the second port to daisy chain to other
HelixNet or LQ devices.
HLI
-
ET2
Module
Technical Guide | HelixNet IP Network Guidance Page 5
HelixNet devices can be paired/linked together across subnets. They use the mDNS
protocol to auto-discover each other. Figure 3 below shows a typical network topology
with HelixNet endpoints connected directly to the HMS-4X mainstation, endpoints with
a local power supply connected via a switch, and endpoints connected via a PoE switch.
Figure 3
Technical Guide | HelixNet IP Network Guidance Page 6
Network
Configuration
Connecting Across Routable Subnets
Company networks typically have multiple subnets or VLANs. IP routers are already configured
to route IP traffic across those subnets. The HMS and HRM/HKB/HXII-BP must have their IP
address, Subnet mask and Gateway set properly (all automatically done when there is a DHCP
server available on the network). If the HRM/HKB/HXII-BP is deployed on a different subnet,
you will need to Pair to Station by entering the IP address of the HMS (Pair to Station by Name
is not available in the Figure 4 example below). “Pair to Station by Name” is discussed later in
this document.
Figure 4
HMS Network Configuration:
IP Address: 192.168.30.10
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.30.1
HRM Network Configuration:
IP Address: 172.30.10.67
Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0
Gateway: 172.30.10.1
Pair to Station:192.168.30.10
HKB Network Configuration:
IP Address: 172.30.10.25
Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0
Gateway: 172.30.10.1
Pair to Station:192.168.30.10
Technical Guide | HelixNet IP Network Guidance Page 7
Connecting Across Non
-
Routable Subnets
The second scenario occurs when an HMS is in a private/separate network, not directly
reachable from where the HRM/HKB is located. A reachable IP router/gateway, on the network
where the HMS is located, must be configured to forward all the IP traffic for port 6001 TCP/UDP
to the HMS (Figure 5):
Figure 5
HMS Network Configuration:
IP Address: 192.168.30.10
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.30.1
Here the Router on the HMS side must port-forward everything from 6001 TCP/UDP to
192.168.30.10:6001
HRM Network Configuration:
IP Address: 172.30.10.67
Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0
Gateway: 172.30.10.1
Pair to Station: 69.70.166.37
HKB Network Configuration:
IP Address: 172.30.10.25
Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0
Gateway: 172.30.10.1
Pair to Station: 69.70.166.37
Technical Guide | HelixNet IP Network Guidance Page 8
It should be noted that HelixNet reserves the 10.0.0.0/16 network for connecting
HelixNet devices by powerline – placing HelixNet devices/systems on 10.x network may
cause issues.
Firewall:
TCP/UDP
IP Ports
To support remote connectivity of HelixNet endpoints external to a LAN or WAN, port
forwarding rules will be needed to achieve the required connectivity to the HMS that
has been set into Link-Master mode. Listed below is the Port # and a description of what
the opened port provides access to.
- Port 6001 TCP - Pairing with HKB-2X, HRM-4X, HXII-BP, Authenticate, update,
and reboot
- Port 6001 UDP - Audio
- Port 80 HTML – Core Configuration Manager (not recommended as
management of the system should be limited to a device within the secured
network)
Link-
Master
Mode
To create a Link-Group, you must designate one unit as Link-Master in the Core
Configuration Manager (CCM). The Core Configuration Manager (CCM) interface
provides an intuitive software utility for HelixNet on any browser-enabled platform. The
CCM facilitates a quick and simple means of configuring any devices in a Link-Group,
including role-based configuration of endpoints, save and restore, and live monitoring
of all system components.
The Link-Master designation serves three main purposes:
- It facilitates Link-Group membership.
- It is the owner of configured Role information, meaning that Roles will only
persist (be maintained consistently) if the Link-Master is operational.
- It is responsible for the synchronization and distribution of both configuration
(Roles) and device availability status throughout the Link-Group.
Note: Clear-Com recommends that the IP address of the Link-Master is allocated
statically. When allocated by DHCP, the IP address can change. If this happens the Link-
Members will no longer be able to reach the Link-Master device, and Role information
may not be available.
Note: Any device can be set to Link-Master or Link-Member. The default setting for
HelixNet linking mode is Link Disabled.
HelixNet devices that are not identified as master will have the designation of Link-
Member. Joining a device to a Link-Group requires that device to be set to Link-Member
which will prompt the user to enter the IP address of the Link-Master. Once joined to
the Link-Group, all devices attempt to connect to all other devices within the group.
Technical Guide | HelixNet IP Network Guidance Page 9
- Configuration and control of any device is possible through any other unit in the
group
- Configuration information is both distributed and persisted within every node of
the group
- The Link-Group significantly reduces loss of service within the set group
HelixNet
Pairing by
Name
HKB-2X, HRM-4X, and HXII-BP on the same subnet can pair to a system by name. The
system uses mDNS to propagate HMS and HRM (when configured as an expansion host)
presence in a network. As a device populates it’s mDNS entry, it specifies an ID, an IP
address, a name and a list of services.
When configuration changes, the mDNS entry is updated and all devices connected “by
name” will update and re-pair/link/expand as required.
NETWORK INSTALLATION
Managed
Ethernet
Switch
When connecting HelixNet to a
managed network switch, ensure that the connection performs
at a minimum of 100Mb full duplex.
If the system is using more than one switch, ensure that the bridge between the switches also
operates at a minimum of 1Gb full duplex. When using a managed switch, the port connected
to the HelixNet Main Station and endpoints should be set at 100Mb versus letting the port auto-
negotiate.
Note: You do not need to set all ports to 100Mb, only the ones connected to the HMS-4X, HRM-
4X, HKB-2X & HXII-BP.
We recommend the following specifications when selecting a managed switch to use with
HelixNet:
- 100/1000Base-T Layer 3 Managed Switch
- QoS support with the audio traffic prioritized over other data
- If Energy Efficient Ethernet is supported, ensure it is disabled
- SPF/Mini-GBIC support
If connecting two or more switches together, we recommend the bridge / link
ports between the switches supports at least 1GB.
Technical Guide | HelixNet IP Network Guidance Page 10
Unmanaged
Ethernet
Switch
Since unmanaged Ethernet switches do not allow user manage port speeds, it is best to
use a 100Mb switch. An unmanaged Ethernet switch can connect to a managed switch,
but the port that is physically connected to the HelixNet device or endpoint must be
100Mb full duplex.
Hubs Hubs should not be used with HelixNet. A Hub’s all port transmission will crash the
HelixNet Network.
Connecting
HelixNet to
Your
Network
Integrating HelixNet into your network may need an IP addressing scheme defined with
the help of your IT department. We recommend using a STATIC IP address for the
HelixNet Main Station then leaving all other HelixNet devices on DHCP. However, there
are a few scenarios where DHCP may not be desirable.
- In a large HelixNet systems with roughly 30 HRMs, 10 HKBs and 10 beltpacks, a
DHCP server may not assign addresses to devices fast enough for a network this
size. In this case, it is better to utilize static IPs for each device.
- When a port on a Cisco switch starts up, there is a Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
exchange before IP traffic starts flowing properly. This exchange can take up to
a minute to complete. In this situation HelixNet devices configured for DHCP
addressing will often timeout before receiving its initial IP address. They will
retry and get a proper IP address a minute later, but our recommendation in this
case is to either use static IP addresses or enabling PortFast on Cisco switches
port.
If no DHCP server is found, the Main Station and all other HelixNet devices will revert to
an unused link-local address in the 169.254.0.0/16 block - devices on this subnet block
will then be discovered by the Main Station. If neither of these options are used, the
Networking menu on the device allows you to disable DHCP and set static IP addresses.
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