Zio Networking Considerations

Introduction
This document provides high-level networking considerations for RGB Spectrum’s Zio AV-over-IP product line.
Please refer to the Technical Reference Guide for detailed instructions on configuring Zio devices.

Description
Peer-to-peer architecture
Zio utilizes a peer-to-peer architecture. In most cases, this eliminates the need for dedicated servers, which
prevents the risk of a single point of failure. Instead, each Zio cluster automatically elects a master device that
performs coordination activities, and secondary devices if the master goes offline. This all happens automatically
but can also be manually configured.
IT requirements, Network topology
Zio administrators can configure Zio devices to accommodate a wide range of IT requirements and network
topologies. Settings include dynamic/static IP addressing (dynamic IP addressing is strongly recommended),
unicast/multicast, etc. On Zio encoders, additional settings include target bit rate, frame rate, and GOP length.
Syslog
Zio supports the syslog standard for system message logging. System administrators can use syslog to collect,
process, and store messages of interest in a centralized location.
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), Active Directory (AD)
Zio supports LDAP and AD authentication services.
Note: When using a Zio 4000 as the master device, the Zio Plus Software option is required for LDAP/AD support.

Control interfaces
The following interfaces can be used to control Zio devices:

Device/Network-
Interface Port Protocols Additional Info
level control1

Graphical User Drag & drop HTML 5 browser interface for

8080 HTTP, WS Network level
Interface (GUI) Windows and MacOS systems and tablets

Command Line Commonly used interface for third-party

8000 Telnet Network level
Interface (CLI) controllers - Zio 2000 series only

Command Line Commonly used interface for third-party

8088 Telnet Network level
Interface (CLI) controllers

Unified Management
8001 HTTP, WS Network level Zio API
Protocol (UMP)

Serial Interface (SI) N/A RS-232 serial Device level Direct, device-level control of a Zio device

Note: Network-level control provides the ability to control all devices in a Zio cluster from a single connection. Device-level control
requires a separate connection for each device under control.

Recommendations
A/V traffic isolation
Separating AV-over-IP from other network traffic, while not required, is an industry-standard best practice that can
result in the following benefits:
• A/V and non-A/V packets aren’t competing for the same network resources.

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• QoS services don’t have to filter through non-A/V packets.

• A/V packet routes and destinations are predetermined allowing bad packets to be more easily detected.
Switch type recommendations
• Layer 3 managed switch (or Layer 2 managed switch with IGMP snooping support) with at least 1GbE ports.
IP transmission methods
Zio supports two IP transmission methods
• Unicast (default): Recommended for most installations (simplified networking, less risk of network
disruptions).
• Multicast: Recommended for sites that need to frequently stream the same source to ~10 or more
destinations simultaneously.

Time servers
Time servers are used to synchronize the clocks of network devices. The two major time server protocols are
NTP (Network Time Protocol) and PTP (Precision Time Protocol) and both use UDP (User Datagram Protocol) for
communication. Time server configuration:
• Zio 2000 series:
o NTP server1: time.gpsonextra.net (not configurable)
o PTP server2: Configured via Zio GUI (time server must reside on the local subnet)
• Zio 2100, 3000, 5000, R4/60003 series & QV/SV IPX:
o NTP server: Configured via Zio CLI command NTPconfig
• Zio 4000 series:
o NTP server: Configured via Windows OS
Notes: When using a PoE switch, ensure enough power is supplied for each device since some PoE switches cannot provide PoE on all ports
simultaneously.
1On a closed network, a local PTP server can substitute for a NTP server (Zio 2000 series only)
2PTP server required for synchronized playback (Zio D2000 series only)
3NTP server required for recording & playback using a Media Server. The Media Server, source devices, and playback devices should all sync to

the NTP server.

Power
All RGB products come with either internal or external power supplies. Additionally, the following products offer
PoE++ support:
• PoE+: Zio 2000 series
• PoE++: QuadView/SuperView IPX series, Zio 2100 series & Zio 5000 series
Notes: When using a PoE switch, ensure enough power is supplied for each device.

Cabling
• Cat 5e or Cat 6 cables are recommended.
• If PoE+ is employed, Cat 6a Screened Shielded Twisted Pair (SSTP) cables are required.
• Do not use crossover cables.

Device discovery
The Zio Device Discovery Protocol (ZDDP) uses Multicast IP addresses 226.16.1.17 & 226.16.1.18 to convey
information about device status and capabilities. Ensure that this address is not used for other purposes, as this
may interfere with the device discovery and master election processes. When configuring multiple Zio clusters on
the same multicast domain, contact RGB Spectrum Support for additional information.

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EEE
The EEE standard (IEEE802.3az, Energy Efficient Ethernet or 'Green Ethernet') does not always function
consistently and could detrimentally affect Zio system performance. Avoid switches that support the EEE standard
unless disabled on ports associated with Zio devices.

DHCP
Zio devices support DHCP addressing (strongly recommended). Use of a DHCP reservation table is advisable to
ensure that the Zio GUI URL is known and remains consistent.

Isolated networks
When using Zio devices on an isolated network, disable DNS Proxy functionality on the router to prevent Zio GUI
issues. Refer to router documentation for instructions on how to do this. Additionally, utilize the appropriate Zio
interface to specify the address of a local time server (see “Time servers” above).

QoS, DSCP
QoS is recommended on shared networks to avoid latency issues. Zio can make use of DiffServ QoS by tagging
packets allowing administrators to integrate these tags into an existing IT network QoS scheme as follows:

Priority Usage DSCP label Hex Decimal Binary

High Time critical PTP events and video CS7 0x38 56 111000

Medium PTP EF 0x2E 46 101110

Low (reserved) CS1 0x08 8 001000

None Other traffic Best Effort 0x00 0 000000

Ports
Ensure that the following IP ports are accessible on all Zio devices:

Port Port Application Scope

Protocol Function
Type Number
LAN WAN

FTP FTP Data Transfer (firmware upgrades) TCP 20

Required
FTP FTP Session Control (firmware upgrades) TCP 21

HTTP Zio Mobile Decoder App (notifications, 80 Optional

TCP
HTTPS licensing etc.) 4431 (Zio Mobile App support)

NTP Network Time Protocol TCP 1232 Required2

Recommended
Not
PTP Precision Time Protocol UDP 319, 320 (display sync
Applicable3
support)

LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol TCP/UDP 389 Optional (LDAP support)

Syslog Event Logging UDP 514 Optional (logging support)

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RTSP Zio A/V Stream Control TCP/UDP 554 Required

2703, Recommended
ZDDP Zio Device Discovery Protocol (Multicast) TCP/UDP Not
(auto
2704 Required
discovery)

ZDDP Zio Device Discovery Protocol (Unicast) TCP/UDP 2706 Required

RTCP RTCP Control Port TCP 5005

Required
RTSP Zio streaming TCP/UDP 5540

Optional (CLI support)

Telnet Zio Command Line Interface (CLI) – local node TCP 8000
Zio 2000 series only

WebSocket
Zio Coordinator Device Control TCP 8001
(WS)

WebSocket
Zio Coordinator Control via GUI TCP 8080 Required
(WS)

HTTP Remote Zio clusters, unconfigured devices TCP 8081

Zio Command Line Interface (CLI) – system-

Telnet TCP 8088 Optional (CLI support)
wide

WebSocket Source Preview from Zio S2000 Series Optional (GUI thumbnail
TCP 8103
(WS) Encoder support)

Simple Network Management Protocol GET Optional (SNMP query

SNMP UDP 8161
requests support)

Keyboard & Mouse Control Channel (Zio

ZKM TCP 24800 Optional (KM support)
S2000 Series <--> Zio D3000 Series)

Notes:
1The following URL must be whitelisted: https://zio-rgb.appspot.com/
2The following URL must be whitelisted (note: Zio devices use the following NTP server): time.gpsonextra.net

3Only applicable within a multicast domain (typically a LAN)

Zio Mobile app

To utilize the Zio mobile app, a network connection to the Zio cluster is required. This can be a local Wi-Fi
connection or a remote VPN connection. Using a VPN has the advantage of encrypting the data as well as
providing a remote network connection to the Zio cluster.

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