Introduction

CobraNet is a reliable and proven technology that enables transport of high quality, real-time digital audio over a standard Ethernet infrastructure.

Note: CobraNet is a technology developed and owned by Cirrus Logic, which sells and/or licenses the technology to third parties. The information contained in this section is subject to change without notice.

CobraNet is an isochronous data delivery system at its core but, Ethernet is not an isochronous data delivery system. Ethernet is a first come, first served, best effort system and will not even guarantee delivery of data. Knowing that, it is easy to see why CobraNet technology represents such an achievement and why certain constraints and operational parameters must be understood in provisioning the Ethernet that CobraNet uses. CobraNet uses Ethernet to perform tasks that Ethernet does not normally do. Therefore, real understanding and proper care are required to ensure consistently good performance.

The primary differences between a CobraNet network and a data network, that an IT professional should note, are as follows:

• Data network traffic is typically bursty, whereas CobraNet network traffic is largely consistent.
• CobraNet networks can use far more multicast traffic than normally seen on data networks.
• CobraNet is intolerant of data errors or bandwidth over-subscription that data networks can often tolerate.
• The CobraNet audio protocol itself is strictly layer 2 (Ethernet). It cannot be routed.
• Management functions used by CobraNet are implemented with high-level IP protocols, such as SNMP and TFTP.