Rane MONGOOSE Installation Manual download pdf (Page 47)

MONGOOSE

Design Manual

Connecting the Mongoose to a Network – Best Practices

As previously mentioned, the Mongoose connects to two types of networks – a control network and

a CobraNet network. Both networks use Ethernet, but one sends and receives control data while the

other sends and receives audio data. Each of these networks is described in detail below, along with

recommendations for designing and implementing the networks.

Note: As a general rule, it is usually best to separate the control network and the CobraNet network.

is is due to the diﬀerent behaviors, needs, and requirements of the two networks.

About the Control Network

e control network is needed for conﬁguring and managing the Mongoose. You use the Mongoose

Ethernet port to connect the device to a computer running the Mongoose Tracker software. You can

connect this port via CAT 5 to an Ethernet network switch, or you can use a standard Ethernet patch cable

to connect the port directly to a computer. Because this port contains auto-MDIX functionality, you do

not need to use a crossover cable – although it will also work.

Zero Conﬁguration Networking

You probably know that when setting up networks, you typically need to conﬁgure IP addresses or enable

dynamic assignment of IP addresses to the devices on the network. e Mongoose system is no exception.

After all, the computer has to have some way of ﬁnding the Mongoose devices on the network. You’ll be

glad to know, however, that the engineers at Rane designed the Mongoose to greatly simplify this process.

We are even willing to say that as long as all your control network connections are working properly, the

Mongoose software will magically ﬁnd all the Mongoose devices on the network – without any additional

conﬁguration. e Mongoose software uses a technology called Zero Conﬁguration Networking (or

Zeroconf), which is a set of techniques that automatically creates a usable IP network without conﬁguration

or special servers. In other words, you won’t need to mess with IP addresses when setting up your

Mongoose control network. Although rare, there may be a few exceptions to this. For example, if your

control network needs to send data through a router or VPN, you may need to conﬁgure one or more

static IP addresses. In such situations or in any large or complex network, we recommend working with

the organization’s IT department.

How Mongoose Tracker Communicates with the Mongoose

It is helpful to understand the basics of how Mongoose Tracker discovers and then communicates with a

Mongoose device over the control network. Mongoose devices send occasional UDP (Zeroconf) messages.

RaneLink (a Windows Service installed with Mongoose Tracker that helps establish communication with

Mongoose devices) listens constantly for these messages and, once it receives one, does the following

two things, if necessary: It sets up a temporary link-local IP address (in other words, it is cleared when

the computer reboots) on the appropriate network interface card (NIC). It also adds an entry to the

computer's network route table. is entry tells Windows and Mongoose Tracker which NIC to use for

communicating with the Mongoose. e same UDP (Zeroconf) messages also indicate to Mongoose

Tracker that a Mongoose device is available on the network, so it can be displayed in the Device Discovery

window.

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Rane MONGOOSE Installation Manual Page 47