This guide covers the full chain for networking & IT infrastructure: FOH production network, stage/backstage connectivity, switches/routers, servers/storage, and security/latency management. It’s written for real-world setups from small clubs to mid-size venues. No frameworks required—just copy/paste.

1) Front of House (FOH) Production Network

Core Components

• Input sources: consoles (audio/lx/video), media servers, lighting desks, encoders, and show-control hosts.
• Console: core switch handling VLANs, QoS, IGMP snooping/querier, and PoE for edge devices.
• Signal distribution: fiber trunks, copper home-runs, stage boxes, and network patch panels.
• Processing: DHCP/DNS for production VLANs, NTP/PTP time, and multicast management.
• Displays: operator PCs, KVM, and dashboards (monitoring/telemetry/multiview over IP).

Design & Coverage

• Audience area first: map cable paths to avoid walkways; use ramps and protected routes for FOH to stage.
• Topology: spine/leaf or star with the FOH core at the spine; avoid single long daisy-chains.
• Segmentation: VLANs per department (Audio, Lighting, Video/NDI, Control, Admin) with ACLs between them.
• Timing domains: isolate PTP (AES67/Dante/Timecode) from general data; designate boundary clocks.
• Uplink planning: use fiber (1/10 GbE) for trunks; reserve bandwidth for video and audio-over-IP.

System Setup (Order of Operations)

1. Physical placement of core/edge switches, fiber runs, and patch bays; label both ends.
2. Polarity check equivalent: verify fiber polarity/connector types and copper pinout; test PoE on intended ports only.
3. Time alignment:
   • Stand up NTP/PTP; choose one grandmaster for AoIP; sync show-control machines.
   • Total latency budget: End-to-end (ms) ≈ device buffer + switch queue + protocol overhead.
4. System EQ (network policy, not audio):
   • Enable QoS for AoIP/video; prioritize PTP, then RTP, then control, then best-effort.
   • Enable IGMP snooping/querier on video/AoIP VLANs to constrain multicast floods.
5. Limiters: set storm control/broadcast limits; rate-limit guest VLAN uplinks to protect production.

Headroom & Reliability

• Target ≤70% link utilization at show peak to preserve jitter budget.
• Reserve CPU/TCAM headroom on switches; avoid enabling unnecessary L3 features on low-end gear.
• Keep critical links redundant (LACP/MLAG or ring with rapid convergence).

Typical Routing Starting Points

• Production VLANs: inter-VLAN via core with tight ACLs (no Internet by default).
• Guest/FOH Wi-Fi: separate SSIDs/VLANs; captive portal; rate limits.
• Mgmt: out-of-band network for switch/AP/UPS management only.

Noise, EMI & Interference Prevention

• Use fiber where possible near dimmers/LED processors; shield copper where required.
• Separate power for networking from lighting power; avoid sharing with high-noise loads.
• Maintain bonding/ground; proper rack earth to reduce induced noise on copper runs.

FOH Network Check Checklist

• Ping/NTP/PTP status green; verified DHCP/DNS for production hosts.
• Walk the room; confirm link lights, label accuracy, and no crushed cables.
• Confirm QoS, IGMP, and ACL policies active on the right VLANs.

2) Stage & Backstage Connectivity (Wired & Wireless)

Choosing System Type

• Wired: primary for reliability (audio-over-IP, control, LED processors).
• Wireless: crew tablets, setlist/lyrics, fallback comms; requires careful RF/Wi-Fi design.
• Out-of-band: small unmanaged link for emergency access to core if control plane fails.

Stage System Design

• Mix count: enough edge ports per riser; separate drops for audio, lighting, and video boxes.
• Placement: mount edge switches high, away from spills and stomp zones; short patch leads to devices.
• Ambient capture: network drops for ambience mics/encoders if using IP audio paths.
• RF planning (Wi-Fi): channel plan 5 GHz/6 GHz; directional antennas for coverage from FOH to stage.

Edge Processing

• Port profiles (trunk/access) per VLAN; disable unused ports, BPDU guard/root guard.
• mDNS/LLMNR control to reduce chatty traffic; allow only where needed (consoles/apps).
• LLDP enabled for topology; document neighbors for support.

Cabling Tips

• Prefer fiber for long FOH–stage runs; use rugged tactical cable and proper strain relief.
• Use solid-core for installs and stranded for patch; respect bend radii and avoid pinch points.
• Color-code and label both ends; QR to a patch map helps changeovers.

Network Workflow

1. Confirm VLAN map & port profiles; label clearly.
2. Bring up grandmaster clock; verify PTP lock on AoIP devices.
3. Validate multicast routes with test streams before doors.

3) Switches & Routers (Layer 2/Layer 3)

Input Fundamentals

• PoE budgeting for APs, cameras, and intercom panels; track inrush and total class limits.
• Buffering and cut-through vs. store-and-forward behavior for low-latency paths.
• Multicast: IGMP snooping/querier, PIM if routing multicast between VLANs.

Bus Architecture & Routing

• Program/Preview equivalents: dedicated QoS classes for AoIP/NDI vs. control.
• Aux: separate uplinks for vendor networks (rental LED/processors) with ACLs.
• Router: NAT only for specific services (stream encoders, updates) via allow-list.

IP/Networked Advantages

• 10 GbE fiber trunks reduce congestion for video and recording traffic.
• Remote management via VPN for support; disable public management exposure.
• APIs for automation (showfile load, tally, monitoring dashboards).

Legacy/Temporary Considerations

• Isolate unmanaged switches to a single access VLAN; avoid loops (enable loop guard).
• Document patchbay and emergency bypass paths if the core fails.

Festival/Changeover Workflow

1. Advance IPs & VLAN plan; build a generic switch template.
2. Color-code ports/pages; maintain clear naming on interfaces and cables.
3. Line check fast: verify PoE power, PTP lock, and multicast flows; refine during first song.

4) Servers & Storage (Control, Recording, Services)

Control/Services

• Directory/DHCP/DNS for production; separate from guest services.
• NTP/PTP time sources; GPS-backed if available.
• Monitoring: syslog, SNMP, flow stats with alerting to dashboard/email.

Recording & Media

• Use fast SSD/NVMe for ingest; RAID or mirrored drives for resilience.
• Throughput planning for multitrack audio/NDI/SRT ISO records.
• Offload policy: daily offload to NAS and portable backup after show.

Virtualization/Containers

• Run lightweight VMs for services (monitoring, ticketing dashboards) with resource limits.
• Keep show-critical services on bare metal or dedicated hosts.

5) Security & Access Control

Network Essentials

• Least privilege: ACLs between VLANs; block lateral movement from guest to production.
• 802.1X or MAC allow-lists on production ports where practical.
• Management plane: SSH with keys, disable legacy protocols, separate mgmt VLAN.

Identity & Logging

• Per-user accounts on controllers; no shared admin passwords.
• Centralize logs and keep time in sync to correlate incidents.

Isolation (Guest & Tenants)

• Guest Wi-Fi rate limits, client isolation, and schedule-based access.
• Vendor/artist VLAN with egress-only Internet if requested; no production access.
• HVAC/Facilities: put BMS/IoT on a separate, firewalled network.

Noise Management & Regulations

• Monitor RF/Wi-Fi noise floor, channel utilization, and retries.
• Establish acceptable use and content policies for guest Internet.

6) Practical Workflows & Quick Recipes

Fast Festival Network Check (5–10 min)

1. Verify VLAN/ACL map on core/edges; label clearly.
2. Check PTP lock for AoIP; validate Dante/AES67 routes.
3. Confirm multicast flows for NDI/stream preview; review switch CPU/jitter.
4. Bring up APs; test crew tablets on production SSID; guest SSID rate-limited.
5. Run dashboard burn-in: pings, throughput, and packet loss alarms.

Low-Latency AoIP Recipe

1. Dedicated VLAN for AoIP; QoS EF/priority queue for PTP/RTP.
2. Disable EEE/green Ethernet on AoIP ports; fixed link speeds if unstable.
3. Boundary clock at FOH core; lock endpoints and verify jitter < 1 ms.

Stable Wi-Fi Recipe

1. 5 GHz/6 GHz preferred; set non-overlapping channels; disable 2.4 GHz for production SSID.
2. Minimum RSSI and band steering enabled; fast roaming for crew devices.
3. AP transmit power tuned to reduce co-channel interference.

7) Safety, Redundancy & Best Practices

• Cable safety: protect fiber/copper with ramps; keep patch lengths sensible; no tight bends.
• Redundancy: spare SFPs, switches, APs; dual cores or rapid-failover topology.
• Power: UPS for core/edges/APs/servers; monitor runtime and battery health.
• Documentation: IP plan, VLAN map, port profiles, credentials escrow, and change logs.

8) Minimal VLAN/IP Plan Template

VLAN10 Audio AoIP   | 10.10.10.0/24 | QoS High | PTP GM: 10.10.10.1
VLAN20 Lighting     | 10.10.20.0/24 | QoS Med  | Control Only
VLAN30 Video/NDI    | 10.10.30.0/23 | QoS High | Multicast Enabled
VLAN40 Control/SC   | 10.10.40.0/24 | QoS Med  | Show Control
VLAN50 Management   | 10.10.50.0/24 | QoS Low  | OOB Only
VLAN60 Guest Wi-Fi  | 10.10.60.0/22 | Rate-Lim | Internet Egress

Add/trim VLANs to fit the rig. Color-code and group to trunks/access ports.

9) Quick Troubleshooting

• No link: bad cable/SFP, wrong fiber polarity, PoE class mismatch.
• High latency/jitter: QoS not applied, congested trunk, EEE on, spanning-tree reconverging.
• Multicast flood: IGMP querier missing; snooping disabled; rogue sender.
• PTP not locking: multiple grandmasters, VLAN mismatch, boundary clock misconfig.
• Wi-Fi drops: co-channel interference, AP power too high, sticky clients; adjust channels/power.

10) Pre-Show & Post-Show Checklists

Pre-Show

• Power-up sequence: core/UPS → edges/APs → servers/services → endpoints last.
• Validate VLANs/QoS/ACLs; confirm NTP/PTP and DHCP scopes.
• Load monitoring dashboards; simulate traffic and failover.
• Spare SFPs, patch leads, labels, and tools staged.

Post-Show

• Export configs and logs; snapshot monitoring graphs for records.
• Power-down reverse order: endpoints → services → edges/APs → core.
• Coil and test cables; note any ports with errors; update documentation.

11) Reducing Costs & Finding the Best Suppliers with AI

Smart Purchasing Strategies

• Use AI-driven procurement tools to compare switches, APs, SFPs, and fiber prices across distributors in real time.
• Analyze historical pricing—AI can predict sale cycles for 10 GbE gear, NAS, and UPS units.
• Leverage chat-based AI to automate quote requests for managed switches and structured cabling.
• Bundle purchases (e.g., SFPs, patch panels, keystones) to unlock bulk discounts—AI can recommend optimal kits based on your VLAN map.

Supplier Evaluation

• AI can assess supplier reliability by scraping reviews, RMA rates, and delivery performance.
• Use sentiment analysis to identify vendors with consistent firmware/support quality.
• Track supply chain stability—AI alerts can warn of SFP/switch shortages or shipping delays before show day.
• Cross-reference suppliers for counterfeit risk detection, especially when buying optics, fiber, and PoE injectors.

Operational Optimization

• Integrate AI inventory tracking to predict when to service APs, replace cables, or update firmware—reducing downtime.
• AI budgeting tools can simulate ROI: buy vs. rent core switches, leasing options for AP fleets, or cross-venue sharing.
• Predictive maintenance models reduce repair costs by identifying failing ports, optics, or UPS batteries before the next tour leg.
• Use AI to schedule network changes/windows—minimizing overtime while maintaining uptime.