Network considerations when using RAVENNA

Owned by David Jacques
Last updated: Sept 15, 2022

As RAVENNA uses network connections in order to transport hundreds of realtime audio streams, it will be a good idea to ensure that the rest of computer is managing its other network needs in a way that will not interfere with RAVENNA.  


Connecting “Other” networks to the Merging system 

  • Ensure that the other networks do not sit on the same subnet as the RAVENNA network
  • Do not connect your RAVENNA connections through networks which are also carrying internet or LAN traffic, use a dedicated network for your RAVENNA streams.

Configuring IP addresses for Merging RAVENNA equipment

Merging Technologies recommends that unless you have a specific requirement, that you leave all of your RAVENNA equipment in auto-assign mode. If you set static IP addresses, everything will work, but you have then the potential of operator error at a number of points depending on how the system may change over time.
For firmware prior to V3.9.3.38957 - Maintenance move 43, the maintenance modes of the hardware interfaces requires auto-assigned IP addresses to work. So, if you did set static IP addresses, you would have to undo it all every time you wanted to update the firmware.

  • This will work fine with a switch that gives out IP addresses as well as if two devices are connected together without a switch.
  • If you are using a switch that gives out IP addresses, make sure that it is configured to use a different subnet than any of the other networks you may have connected to the computer.

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has directed the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to reserve the following IPv4 address ranges for private networks:
192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255 / 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255 / 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255.
Private IPs should only be in these ranges (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_network )


What type of switches can be used with RAVENNA networks?

Only managed switch are suitable for RAVENNA networks, and Merging has tested and validated some.
E.g. Immediate Leave setting should be turned off.
Merging cannot guarantee that it will work with any other switch, so to be sure of seamless operation please consult your local Merging representative to get a unit for your setup.

Please refer to Merging validated network switches list for more information


Additional articles

RAVENNA Network Home page (ALC NetworX)
Practical guide to AES67 by Andreas Hildebrand.