AUDIO / NETWORKING

Dante & AES67 Network Planning Checklist

Build a review checklist for a Dante, AES67, or mixed AoIP network before changing switch configuration.

This page does not generate switch commands. Confirm every setting against the exact switch model, firmware, Audinate guidance, protocol profile, and your organisation’s network policy.

What Must Be Verified

Exact Hardware

Record manufacturer, model, firmware, port speeds, switching capacity, and the current configuration backup before making changes.

Topology & Loop Protection

Document uplinks, trunks, LAGs, redundant paths, VLANs, and the existing STP/RSTP/MSTP policy. Never remove loop protection as a generic AoIP fix.

Clocking & Multicast

Confirm PTP version/profile/domain, leader-clock design, multicast flows, querier ownership, and whether IGMP features are actually required.

Policy & Validation

Review enterprise policy, monitoring, change control, rollback, and post-change tests with the network owner and current vendor documentation.

Plan the change before touching the switch

Save the checklist with the exact device documentation and rollback plan.

What is the Network Planning Checklist?

It separates generally applicable review points from topology-, protocol-, and vendor-dependent decisions. It deliberately does not emit CLI commands or claim to configure a switch.

Use it to prepare a change plan and identify missing facts before opening the switch management interface.

Real-World Use Cases

Useful when reviewing a new AoIP VLAN, investigating intermittent dropouts, or preparing a managed change across one or more switches.

It cannot prove that a topology is loop-free, that bandwidth is sufficient, or that QoS/IGMP settings match a particular firmware release.

Technical Methodology

Audinate guidance recommends disabling EEE on ports carrying Dante and describes conditional QoS and multicast management. IGMP is not universally required on small audio-only networks with few or no multicast flows.

For AES67 or mixed systems, verify the exact PTP profile/domain and DSCP policy used by every endpoint and by the network owner.

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