Telestra App Note

Sharing ACENet devices between multiple Telestra servers (#107)

This is somewhat of an obscure feature in that it doesn't come up in most applications. But in some circumstances, it can be really useful:

An ACENet device can be shared between multiple Telestra servers.

An ACENet device can be shared between multiple Telestra servers. For example, two Telestras can share the same ACE-RIU. One Telestra will use channels A and B, while the other uses channels C and D.

In effect, each Telestra is using "half" of the ACE-RIU as a separate, independent ACENet device.

When would that be a useful thing to do? Here's one example. There is a customer with an application that has two Instructors on an ACE-RIU. The application has separate Telestra servers for the IOS and the Aircraft crew simulation. In one training scenario, one of the instructors becomes a pilot role player, acting as one of the crew. For the role player to share sidetone and crypto tones with the crew, he must be able to transmit and receive on the crew radios. Because these are simulated on the aircraft/crew Telestra, the role player must use an ACE-RIU channel that is connected to this server. Normally, this ACE-RIU is reserved for instructors and used only by the IOS Telestra. However, in this scenario it is split between instructor and role player, and thus shared between the two Telestra servers.

By sharing the ACE-RIU between the two Telestras, we can create a layout where the role player position is connected to the Crew Telestra, and the instructor next to him is connected to the IOS Telestra. Both will use the same ACE-RIU. When you change layouts to support another scenario, both operators on that ACE-RIU are connected to the IOS Telestra.

It's subject to some restrictions, though:

• ACE-RIUs can only be shared in pairs of channels, ie. A&B connected to one Telestra, and C&D connected to another Telestra.
• ACU2s can be shared on an individual channel basis.
• The ACENet network is physically shared in this configuration.
• You need recent versions of firmware for the ACENet devices, and recent versions of software for the Telestra, as this feature was not always supported.
• On a shared ACENet network, you can only have one Telestra server that is using Crown Amplifiers.

Note that this is a Telestra feature only. It's not supported in Voisus.