An Introduction Guide to the AC-MXNET-DANTE-CBOX

This article goes over the majority of features that are currently available for the AC-MXNET-DANTE-CBOX, such as configuring and monitoring devices, performing route subscriptions, and more.

Converting to a DANTE-CBOX

To use the DANTE-CBOX, an AC-MXNET-CBOX-HA must be “converted” to the Dante API Software platform first.

Next, follow the instructions provided in this article to convert a 1G CBOX-HA to an AC-MXNET-DANTE-CBOX: https://support.avproedge.com/portal/en/kb/articles/how-to-guide-for-cbox-ha-platform-conversion

Once the CBOX is successfully converted, the latest firmware version can be obtained from this Knowledge Base article: DANTE-CBOX Firmware Page

Accessing the Web GUI of the DANTE-CBOX

Accessing the Web GUI for the DANTE-CBOX is done by entering the IPV4 address displayed on the Status Monitor A LCD screen, located on the front panel of the CBOX. There are two primary connection methods for accessing the IP Address of the CBOX, DHCP (default network setting for the CBOX), or Point-To-Point.

DHCP

1. Connect the CBOX to power, either via 12V5A power supply, or Power over Ethernet via the AV/NETWORK port. 
2. Connect one of the CBOX’s Control/MENTOR Ports (Ports 1-7) to a network serving DHCP leases. 
3. Connect a personal computer to the same network mentioned above.
4. On the front panel of the CBOX, push the “PRESS TO SCROLL PAGE” button for Status Monitor A twice, or until the CBOX’s current IPV4 scheme is displayed.
5. On the personal computer, open a web browser and enter in the IPV4 address displayed within Status Monitor A, granting access to the web GUI of the CBOX. 

Point-To-Point

1. Connect the AC-MXNET-CBOX-HA to a 12V5A power supply or Power over Ethernet via the AV/NETWORK port.
2. Directly connect your personal computer’s RJ-45 port to any of the ports 1-7 on the back of the AC-MXNET-CBOX-HA. 
3. The AC-MXNET-CBOX-HA is factory defaulted to search for a DHCP lease. On the front panel of the CBOX-HA, push the “PRESS TO SCROLL PAGE” button for Status Monitor A twice, or until the CBOX’s current IPV4 scheme is displayed.
4.  Push and hold the “DHCP” button for 10 seconds. The IPV4 Address displayed within Status Monitor A will flicker and change to a 192.168.1.239/255.255.255.0 Static IP Address scheme. 
5. On the personal computer, statically assign the Ethernet interface connected to the CBOX an IPV4 address of 192.168.1.200, and a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. The default gateway/DNS fields are unnecessary for this connection process, and can be left blank. 

1. Note: Any IP address can be used on the computer, as long as it exists within the same subnet as the CBOX.

6. Open a web browser and enter 192.168.1.239 within the URL field, accessing the web GUI of the CBOX.

Introduction to the Web GUI

System Utilities

The System Utilities page is the homepage of the DANTE-CBOX and is where general information and services involving the CBOX is performed. The System Utilities page provides the following features (location labeled in the screenshot above):

1. Configure the IP address of the CONTROL/MENTOR Network Port
2. Configure the IP address of the AV/DANTE POE Network Port
3. View the total uptime and CPU load average of the CBOX
4. Perform firmware updates within the CBOX UPDATE tile
5. Reboot, reset to factory defaults, and save/load configuration information of the CBOX
6. Reboot, remove, or factory reset Dante endpoints
7. Configure the administrator username/password

Device Settings

1. The Device Settings page is where Dante endpoints can be configured to fit the needs of any job site. Custom Names as well as a short description can be configured for easy identification of an endpoint by clicking the Pencil icon within the Custom Name / Description field.
   
2. The Sample Rate information of all endpoints can be quickly reviewed immediately to ensure all endpoints are set to the proper sampling rate, as well as Encoding and Device Latency settings.
   
3. The IP Address Information for Dante endpoints can be adjusted by clicking the Configure IP button near the top of the page.
   An example of the IP Address configuration is displayed below:
   
   

1. Click the Plus (+) sign to the left of an endpoint’s custom name to display the individual channels associated with an endpoint. Any channel of an endpoint can also be modified to include a custom name or description for fine-tuned channel identification.  
   

When viewing Dante Receivers (Decoders), the active descriptions of a Dante decoder’s channels can be viewed as well, as shown below:

Dante Routing

Initial Overview

The Dante Routing page is where subscriptions between Dante endpoints are established.

The middle of the page displays matrix preset Inputs and Outputs. Routing is done by first assigning an encoder channel to any of the IN1, IN2, INx matrix inputs, and assigning decoder channel(s) to any of the OUT1, OUT2, OUTx matrix outputs. The matrix grid size can be increased or decreased by adjusting the amount of Transmitters(Inputs) or Receivers(Outputs) within the Matrix Grid Size panel. 

Note: When adjusting the amount of matrix inputs/outputs to fit a Dante system, keep in mind that each input/output within the grid can hold up to two channels.

Assigning Channels to Matrix Inputs/Outputs

Assigning an encoder or decoder channel to a matrix input/output is done in the following manner:

1. Click the Plus (+) sign to the left of an encoder/decoder’s name to expand the individual channel list.
2. Click and drag the channel to the desired input/output.
3. Once the cursor is over the desired input/output, release the left mouse button.
4. A speaker icon will appear below the input/output, indicating a channel is now bound.

1. Click on the Plus (+) sign next to the corresponding input/output to display the actively bound channels. 
2. Any input or output can hold a maximum of 2 channels.

Below is a demonstration of creating a channel binding:

If you wish to remove an assigned input/output channel, right click on the desired channel to activate a prompt to delete it.

Establishing Dante Subscriptions

Establishing a Dante subscription from the DANTE-CBOX functions similar to the interface of Dante Controller. 

1. Click on the grid space aligning the desired Dante encoder channel with the desired Dante decoder channel to establish a subscription. A green checkmark will appear indicating the subscription was successfully established.
   
2. Click on the grid space aligning the speaker icons for a matrix input/output to establish a subscription for all channels associated with said input/output. A green checkmark will appear indicating the subscriptions were successfully established.
   
3. Channels can be routed independent from matrix input/outputs. For example, the Left audio channel within IN1 can be routed to the left channel for OUT1, and the right audio channel within IN1 can be routed to the right channel for OUT2.
   
4. To unsubscribe a route, simply click on a green checkmark and the route will unsubscribe.
   

System Log Page

The System Log Page is where the backend commands executed by the CBOX, or sent from third party devices, can be viewed. Any function executed on the web GUI also populates within the system log. The system log page is extremely useful in verifying if commands sent by third party devices are executing as expected.

Specific log keywords can be searched for or excluded using the search field at the top of the page.

The Export Log button exports all logfiles stored internally by the CBOX, and is recommended to do so if abnormal behavior occurs on a CBOX, that requires technical support assistance.

The Date and Time of the CBOX can be adjusted within the Set Time section.

API commands can be executed from the system log page by entering in the command within the API Command field. 

Switch Management

The Switch Management page can be utilized to manage an AVPro Edge network switch without needing to access the GUI or CLI of the network switch itself. From the Switch Management page, the following features are available:

1. Connect to an AVPro Edge Network Switch
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. View the current CPU & Memory utilization, as well as the current Temperature Levels of the network switch
   
   
   
3. View the data rates of all online switchports
   
   
   
4. View the total packet amounts as well as error reports on each switchport
   
   
   
5. Manage PoE activity per switchport
   
   
   
6. VLAN Management