Glossary

The practice of using virtual networks to keep critical lighting control data completely isolated from corporate, guest, or administrative network traffic.

Codified as ANSI E1.17, ACN is a suite of network protocols for distributing control data for entertainment lighting, audio, and special effects.

Also known as ACN, Architecture for Control Networks, ANSI E1.17

ANSI E1.11 is the primary asynchronous serial digital data transmission standard used for controlling entertainment lighting equipment and accessories.

Also known as ANSI E1.11, DMX512-A, DMX512

RDM is an extension to DMX512 that allows bidirectional communication between a controller and attached responders over the same data pair.

Also known as ANSI E1.20, RDM, Remote Device Management

sACN is a protocol used to stream DMX512 data over IP networks using a multicast architecture.

Also known as ANSI E1.31, sACN, Streaming ACN

RDMnet extends RDM functionality across wide-area high-speed Ethernet networks for large-scale monitoring and configuration.

Also known as ANSI E1.33, RDMnet

Art-Net is a royalty-free communications protocol that transmits DMX512 and RDM data within Ethernet networks using UDP.

Also known as Art-Net, Art-Net 4

Art-Net 4 uses a 15-bit Port-Address structure to manage high universe counts through Net, Sub-Net, and Universe groupings.

Also known as Art-Net Addressing, Port-Address, Net, Sub-Net

The native discovery packet used by the Art-Net protocol to locate and identify nodes and fixtures on a network.

Binary Tree Search is the process used during RDM discovery to identify fixtures on a data line when collisions occur.

Also known as RDM Discovery, Binary Tree Search

A network transmission method where data packets are sent from a single source to all devices on a local network segment simultaneously.

A mandatory certification mark indicating that a product sold in the European Economic Area (EEA) meets essential health, safety, and environmental standards.

Also known as CE, CE marking, CE mark

CoAP is a specialized web transfer protocol designed for resource-constrained devices to communicate with very low overhead.

Also known as CoAP, Constrained Application Protocol, RFC 7252

Conformity Assessment is the EU Cyber Resilience Act process used to demonstrate that a product meets mandatory cybersecurity requirements.

Also known as Conformity Assessment

A networked hardware or software product engineered to meet the mandatory security requirements of the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) before the December 2027 deadline.

An IP addressing error that occurs when multiple DHCP servers exist on the same local subnet.

A network protocol that dynamically assigns IP addresses and other network configuration parameters to devices on a network.

A set of IEEE standards designed to reduce network switch power consumption during periods of low data activity by putting physical ports into a low power sleep mode.

ENISA is the agency responsible for high-level cybersecurity across the EU.

Also known as ENISA, European Union Agency for Cybersecurity

The standard physical and link-layer technology used for local area networks (LANs).

The CRA is Regulation EU 2024/2847 and mandates cybersecurity requirements for networked products, including entertainment lighting nodes and gateways.

Also known as CRA, Cyber Resilience Act, EU Cyber Resilience Act, Regulation EU 2024/2847

An IT networking term referring to the specific routing device (typically a managed router) that serves as the exit point for forwarding IP packets to external subnets or the public internet.

HTP is control logic, typically for intensity channels, where the highest received value wins.

Also known as HTP, Highest Takes Precedence

A critical network failure state that occurs when the number of active multicast groups exceeds the hardware capacity of a network switch's multicast forwarding table.

Also known as IGMP exhaustion, IGMP Exhaustion

A communication protocol used by IPv4 hosts and adjacent multicast routers to dynamically register and manage IP multicast group memberships.

The designated device (typically a managed network switch) responsible for sending periodic queries to the network to ask connected devices which multicast groups they wish to remain subscribed to.

IGMP Snooping is a switch feature that prevents multicast traffic such as sACN from flooding every port on a network.

Also known as IGMP Snooping

A unique numerical identifier assigned to every device connected to an IP network.

The fundamental set of rules governing how data packets are addressed and routed across local networks or the internet.

LLRP is a recovery protocol defined in ANSI E1.33 that helps discover and configure devices with unknown or invalid IP addresses.

Also known as LLRP, Low Level Recovery Protocol

LTP is control logic used for non-intensity attributes where the most recent instruction wins.

Also known as LTP, Latest Takes Precedence

The real-time tracking of system parameters, device statuses, and physical attributes (such as temperature, fan speeds, or voltage levels) across a production rig.

Multicast is a network communication method where data is sent from one source to a specific group of recipients simultaneously.

Also known as Multicast

The undesirable transmission of multicast data packets to network ports that have not requested them.

An interconnected group of computer systems, nodes, and devices that can communicate and share resources with one another.

The systematic, continuous observation and analysis of a network to verify its health, track performance, and detect anomalies.

A hierarchical set of software layers that allows a device to communicate over a network by processing data through specific protocols in a structured sequence.

Also known as network stack, stack, protocol stack, QubiCore, implementation

A DMX node is a hardware device that converts DMX512 data to or from Ethernet protocols such as Art-Net or sACN.

Also known as Node, DMX Gateway, Gateway

A formatted unit of data carried by a packet-switched network.

Phantom Power is a 48V DC signal used in audio systems and is the primary reason 3-pin XLR connectors are prohibited for DMX512.

Also known as Phantom Power, 48V Phantom Power

The practice of maintaining an entertainment lighting network on completely separate physical hardware, including dedicated switches and cabling, with no connection to any other local network or the public internet.

PoE allows networking cables to carry both data and electrical power to devices.

Also known as PoE, Power over Ethernet

PWM regulates LED brightness by rapidly switching power on and off.

Also known as PWM, Pulse Width Modulation

A professional, licensable network protocol library designed specifically for manufacturers of entertainment lighting hardware and software.

A proactive network monitoring and system management application designed for contemporary entertainment lighting networks.

A standardized protocol extension within the RDM suite (defined in ANSI E1.37-4) that provides a method for transmitting binary files across an RDM communication line.

An RDMnet Scope is a text string used to logically partition a lighting network into different zones or systems.

Also known as Scope, RDMnet Scope

An SBOM is a comprehensive nested list of all software components, libraries, and dependencies used within a product.

Also known as SBOM, Software Bill of Materials

Security by Design and Security by Default are CRA requirements that embed cybersecurity into development and ship products in the most secure configuration.

Also known as Security by Design, Security by Default

Sig-Net is a royalty-free secure communication framework designed to succeed Art-Net and sACN.

Also known as Sig-Net

SK6812 is an addressable LED often preferred in professional entertainment lighting due to its high 1.2 kHz PWM frequency and dedicated white channel.

Also known as SK6812, RGBW LED

A 32-bit number that defines the division between the network address and the host address within an IP network.

A terminator is a 120 Ohm resistor connected across the final device in a DMX daisy chain to prevent signal reflections.

Also known as Terminator, 120 Ohm Terminator

Unicast is a network communication method where data is sent from one source to a single specific destination IP address.

Also known as Unicast

A universe is the fundamental unit of DMX512 control and consists of 512 channels or slots of data.

Also known as Universe, DMX Universe

Automated security assessments, typically utilizing tools like Nessus, Qualys, or Nmap, run by IT departments to scan networks for security risks and software vulnerabilities.

A VLAN logically separates a physical network into multiple distinct segments.

Also known as VLAN, Virtual Local Area Network

WS2812B is a common addressable RGB LED with a lower PWM frequency than SK6812 and greater sensitivity to voltage drops over long cable runs.

Also known as WS2812B