Using 2 Cisco 3850 switch’s - 2 SPF+ modules at each end connected via a Neutrik NO4FDW-A OpticalCON Quad Panel Mount in MM mode - I want to run Slink down here - the board is a QU-5D. stage box dx168. I know this can work, but if anyone can take a look at what I THINK is required on the switch and comment this would be most helpful. Thanks.
1. Dedicated, Isolated VLAN (Absolute Rule)
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Dedicated VLAN ID: The SLink/DX stream must reside on its own completely isolated VLAN (e.g., VLAN 30).
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Zero Mixed Traffic: No other network traffic (no management data, no Dante, no NDI, no lighting) can ever share this VLAN. A&H transport streams broadcast raw data packets that can saturate switch buffers and crash any unmanaged or shared devices on that same VLAN.
2. Disabling Advanced Switch Features (Crucial)
Unlike Dante or general networks where features are enabled, Allen & Heath proprietary transport streams require specific features to be explicitly disabled:
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Disable IGMP Snooping: Turn IGMP snooping off on this specific VLAN. IGMP expects IP multicast groups; A&H raw streams will break if the switch attempts to snoop or filter them.
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Disable Quality of Service (QoS / Auto-QoS): Turn off switch-level QoS or queue prioritization manipulations for these ports. Let the native hardware handle its own deterministic flow without the switch trying to re-tag or re-queue packets.
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Disable Energy-Efficient Ethernet (EEE): Just like audio networks, Green Ethernet/EEE must be forcefully disabled to prevent ports from entering low-power sleep states.
3. Link Speed and Duplex Settings
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Gigabit Speeds Required: Hardcode or lock auto-negotiation strictly to 1 Gbps, Full-Duplex (or 10 Gbps if using core switch-to-switch Inter-Switch Links via fiber transceivers).
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Media Converters / Fiber Transceivers: Standalone fiber media converters or SFP modules must be transparent Layer-2 devices supporting full-rate Gigabit Ethernet with auto-negotiation matching.
4. Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) & Port Security
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PortFast / Edge Port: Configure these ports as STP Edge Ports (or PortFast) so they immediately transition to a forwarding state without waiting through standard listening/learning delays, preventing dropouts on boot.
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LLDP Handling: On enterprise switches (such as Cisco or Luminex GigaCore switches running custom profiles), ensure Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) is handled cleanly or disabled on these exact ports if it causes handshake conflicts with the A&H hardware endpoint.