Establishing and monitoring remote links

Pandad can be configured to connect to other instances of Pandad on the network. The other instances, in turn, provide lists of MediaMatrix nodes on their local subnets. This allows the NWare user to view a complete list of all nodes on the network, even if they are located on different subnets and need to be contacted through routers, firewalls or using VPN bridges.

The diagram below shows a typical network topology where this feature would be used. Node lists from subnets B and C are provided to NWare on subnet A by the instances of Pandad.

Each remote instance of Pandad that is contacted can, in turn, contact further instances on other subnets to retrieve details of nodes. This allows a chaining of the Pandad instances across the network, as shown below.

Notes:

• In order for the system to work, each PC must be configured with the correct network settings so that the remote PCs and nodes can be reached. If you cannot ping a remote address, you will not be able to use it.
• It is very important that two instances of Pandad on two different PCs are not configured to request lists of nodes from each other. This creates a loop and will stop Pandad functioning. Node details must only be reported from one instance of Pandad to another, but not in the reverse direction as well. Generally, we recommend configuring Pandad to contact remote nodes, rather than NWare PCs, to avoid this issue.
• We do not recommend that you deploy a project through a remote connection. A better solution would be to use a virtual desktop software package to connect to a computer on the remote subnet and then initiate project deployment.
• If two instances of Pandad are separated by a firewall, you will need to open port 4000 on the firewall to ensure they can communicate.

Tip: As an alternative to configuring Pandad to contact other instances of Pandad on the network, you can use a MediaMatrix Subnet Bridge device in NWare. For more information, see MediaMatrix Subnet Bridge in the NWare Device Reference.