inferno-windows

Windows port of Inferno — an unofficial open-source implementation of the Dante AoIP protocol.

Receive Dante AoIP audio and play via Windows (RX mode) or capture Windows audio and transmit as Dante AoIP (TX mode).

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• SYSVAD (Windows Virtual Audio Device Driver) — required for TX mode
  • See SETUP.md for installation instructions
• VB-Cable (optional) — virtual audio bridge for routing Dante audio to apps
  • Download: https://vb-audio.com/Cable/

1. Build

cargo build --release -p inferno_wasapi

2. Open Firewall (Admin)

Run with the --setup-firewall flag to auto-configure netsh rules:

.\target\release\inferno_wasapi.exe --setup-firewall

Alternatively, use the legacy script:

.\scripts\open-firewall-admin.ps1

3. RX Mode (Receive Dante → Play Audio)

# Play directly through default speakers
.\target\release\inferno_wasapi.exe

# Route through VB-Cable virtual device (apps see "CABLE Output")
.\target\release\inferno_wasapi.exe --virtual-device

# Use specific device
.\target\release\inferno_wasapi.exe --device "CABLE Input"

# List available WASAPI devices
.\target\release\inferno_wasapi.exe --list-devices

Connect in Dante Controller and route TX channels from Dante devices to your RX channels.

4. TX Mode (Capture Windows Audio → Transmit as Dante)

# Capture Windows audio and transmit
.\target\release\inferno_wasapi.exe --tx

# Use specific loopback device
.\target\release\inferno_wasapi.exe --tx --tx-device "Stereo Mix"

# List available TX devices
.\target\release\inferno_wasapi.exe --list-tx-devices

5. Use in Windows Apps (RX)

Select "CABLE Output" in OBS, Audacity, browser, DAW, etc. to receive Dante audio.

CLI Reference

Discovery & Listing

Flag	Purpose
--list-devices	List WASAPI output devices
--list-tx-devices	List WASAPI render devices for TX loopback
--list-dante-devices	Discover Dante devices via mDNS
--list-interfaces	List network interfaces with IPs

Setup & Admin

Flag	Purpose
--setup-firewall	Configure Windows Firewall rules for Dante ports and exit

RX Mode Options

Flag	Description
--device <NAME>	WASAPI device name (substring match)
--channels <N>	Number of RX channels (default: 2)
--sample-rate <HZ>	Sample rate (default: 48000)
--virtual-device	Route to VB-Cable virtual device
--lock	Lock device from Dante Controller changes

TX Mode Options

Flag	Description
--tx	Enable TX mode (capture Windows audio)
--tx-device <NAME>	TX loopback source device (substring match)
--tx-channels <N>	TX channel count
--virtual-device	Route output to VB-Cable

Dante Controller

Flag	Description
--name <NAME>	Device name shown in Dante Controller (default: hostname)
--lock / --unlock	Lock/unlock device from Controller changes

GUI & Service

Flag	Description
--tray	Show system tray icon
--install-service	Install as Windows Service (requires admin)
--uninstall-service	Uninstall Windows Service
--service	Run as service (internal use)

GUI: inferno_gui.exe — Win32 status window, IPC-connected, no GPU required

Utilities

Tool	Purpose
inferno2pipe.exe	Pipe Dante audio to stdout as raw PCM

Configuration & Logging

Config file: %LOCALAPPDATA%\inferno_aoip\config.toml (auto-created on first run)

Supported sample rates:

• 44100 Hz
• 48000 Hz (default)
• 96000 Hz (⚠️ Dante hardware limit: max 32 channels at 96kHz; see NOTES.md for details)

Logs: %LOCALAPPDATA%\inferno_aoip\logs\inferno.log (daily rolling)

Metrics: Prometheus metrics on http://localhost:9090/metrics

Environment Variables

RUST_LOG=debug                  # Log level (debug, info, warn, error)
DANTE_DEBUG_PACKETS=1           # Hex dump RTP packets
CLOCK_OFFSET_NS=N               # Manual clock trim in nanoseconds
DANTE_BITS_PER_SAMPLE=24        # Bit depth (16/24/32)
DANTE_MAX_FLOWS=8               # Max parallel flows (1-64)

Architecture

RX Path:
  Dante network (UDP RTP) → inferno_aoip (protocol stack)
    → inferno_wasapi (WASAPI renderer) → speakers / VB-Cable / app input

TX Path:
  Windows audio (WASAPI loopback) → inferno_wasapi (capture)
    → inferno_aoip (protocol stack) → Dante network (UDP RTP)

GUI:
  inferno_gui.exe ↔ inferno_wasapi (IPC) — Win32 status window

Service:
  Windows Service wrapper → inferno_wasapi (--service flag)

Prometheus:
  :9090/metrics endpoint — metrics, alerts, monitoring

Troubleshooting

No audio output (RX mode)

• Verify Dante devices are on the network: --list-dante-devices
• Check network connectivity: --list-interfaces
• Enable debug logging: RUST_LOG=debug
• Verify Dante Controller routing

TX mode fails or no audio transmitted

• SYSVAD driver must be installed (see SETUP.md)
• List TX devices: --list-tx-devices
• Try explicit device: --tx --tx-device "Stereo Mix"
• Check Windows device settings for loopback capture

VB-Cable not detected

• Install from https://vb-audio.com/Cable/ and reboot
• Check device name: --list-devices
• Use explicit name: --device "CABLE Input"

High latency or clock drift

• See NOTES.md for PTP synchronization details
• Manual trim: CLOCK_OFFSET_NS=<value>
• Verify network stability and Dante device clock sources

Service won't start

• Check logs: %LOCALAPPDATA%\inferno_aoip\logs\inferno.log
• Re-run with --install-service (admin required)
• Verify user account has audio device permissions

Firewall issues

• Run firewall script: .\scripts\open-firewall-admin.ps1
• Or manually allow UDP 5353 (mDNS), RTP/PTP ranges

See Also

• SETUP.md — SYSVAD installation and driver setup
• NOTES.md — Known issues, PTP clock sync, performance tuning