or Cisco Aironet client devices for the Cisco
Unified Wireless Network. With over 90 percent of client
devices certified as Cisco Compatible, almost any client device
that you select is likely to be certified. Cisco Compatible
client devices interoperate with and support innovative and
unique Cisco Unified Wireless Network features such as Fast
Secure Roaming, integrated IPS, location services, and a
variety of extensible authentication types.
Mobility platform: Cisco offers access points and
bridges for the carpeted enterprise, rugged environments, and
challenging environments, including the outdoors. Cisco Aironet
lightweight access points are dynamically configured and
managed through Lightweight Access Point Protocol (LWAPP).
Cisco Aironet autonomous access points that have been converted
to operate as lightweight access points running LWAPP are
supported. Network unification: The Cisco
Unified Wireless Network leverages existing wired networks and
the investment in Cisco products. This solution supports a
seamless network infrastructure across a range of platforms.
Wired and wireless unification occurs with the Cisco 4400 and
2000 Series Wireless LAN Controllers. Excellent
network management: Cisco delivers an excellent network
management system (NMS) that visualizes and helps secure your
air space. Cisco WCS supports WLAN planning and design, RF
management, location tracking, IPS, and WLAN systems
configuration, monitoring, and management. This platform easily
manages multiple controllers and their associated lightweight
access points. Unified advanced services:
Cisco provides unified support of leading-edge applications.
Cisco’s advanced services are industry leading, innovative, and
comprehensive. The Cisco Unified Wireless Network advanced
services are delivered by wireless lightweight access points,
Cisco Wireless Location Appliances, and wireless IP
phones.
Content 6.3
Managing WLANs 6.3.2 Cisco WLAN Implementation
and Components Cisco offers two WLAN implementations as
shown in Figure : - Autonomous WLAN: The
autonomous WLAN solution uses autonomous access points.
- Lightweight WLAN: The lightweight WLAN solution
uses lightweight access points and wireless LAN
controllers.
The available WLAN components are
listed in Figure : - Wireless clients connected to the
network (for example, notebooks or IP phones).
- Access
points build the WLAN infrastructure.
- Autonomous
access points are configured independently.
-
Lightweight access points are configured through LAN
controllers.
- Radio monitoring and control
is provided as follows:
- Autonomous access points
aggregate information through Wireless Domain Services (WDS)
that in turn forward the information to a CiscoWorks Wireless
LAN Solution Engine (WLSE).
- Lightweight access points
use LWAPP encapsulation to forward information independently to
the access points’ respective WLAN controllers.
- WLAN management administers and monitors large
deployments of WLANs as follows:
- Autonomous access
points use CiscoWorks WLSE management.
- Lightweight
access points use Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS)
management.
- The network infrastructure
includes switches and routers to connect access points,
controllers, management, and servers.
- Network
services such as DHCP, DNS, and AAA are required both for the
wireless network and the user.
- Cisco Aironet bridges
operate at the MAC address layer (data link layer).
Comparison of the WLAN Solutions
Figure compares
autonomous and lightweight WLAN solutions by characteristics
and advantages: - Autonomous access points:
Autonomous access points are configured per access point. Their
Cisco IOS software operates independently. CiscoWorks WLSE
performs centralized configuration, monitoring, and management.
WDS facilitates radio monitoring and management communication
between the autonomous access points and CiscoWorks WLSE. WDS
is a feature that is enabled in any access point that forwards
aggregated RF information from a grouping of access points to
CiscoWorks WLSE.
- Lightweight access points:
You configure lightweight access points by using the Cisco
Wireless LAN Controller. The access points usually depend on
the controller for control and data transmission. Only in
Remote-Edge Access Point (REAP) mode does a lightweight access
point not depend on the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller for data
transmission. The controller implements monitoring and
security. Centralized configuration, monitoring, and management
can be performed through Cisco WCS. Cisco Wireless LAN
Controllers can be installed with redundancy within wireless
LAN controller groups.
Content
6.3 Managing WLANs 6.3.3
CiscoWorks WLSE for the Autonomous WLAN Solution
CiscoWorks WLSE is a systems-level solution for managing the
entire Cisco Aironet WLAN infrastructure based on autonomous
access points. The RF and device-management features of
CiscoWorks WLSE simplify the everyday operation of WLANs,
helping to ensure smooth deployment of security and network
availability while reducing deployment and operating expense.
CiscoWorks WLSE operates by gathering fault, performance, and
configuration information about Cisco devices that CiscoWorks
WLSE discovers in the network. You must configure the access
points, WDS, switches, and routers with Cisco Discovery
Protocol (CDP) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to
provide information to CiscoWorks WLSE for the access point
discovery process. After WLSE discovers devices, you decide
which devices to manage with CiscoWorks WLSE. CiscoWorks WLSE
is a core component of the WLAN autonomous access-point
solution. CiscoWorks WLSE has these major features, summarized
in Figure : - Configuration: Allows you to apply
configuration changes to access points. Up to 2500 access
points can be supported from a single CiscoWorks WLSE console.
All Cisco Aironet access points are supported.
-
Fault and policy monitoring: Monitors device fault and
performance conditions, Lightweight Extensible Authentication
Protocol (LEAP) server responses, and policy
misconfigurations.
- Reporting: Allows you to
track device, client, and security information. You can e-mail,
print, and export reports.
- Firmware: Allows
you to upgrade the firmware on access points and bridges.
- Radio management: Helps you manage your WLAN radio
environment.
- CiscoWorks WLSE administration:
Manages CiscoWorks WLSE software, including software upgrades,
monitoring CiscoWorks WLSE, backing up data, and using two
CiscoWorks WLSE devices as a redundant, highly available WLAN
management solution. CiscoWorks WLSE supports warm-standby
redundancy. A backup server can take over wireless management
if there is a primary CiscoWorks WLSE failure.
-
Deployment wizard: Configures and discovers access
points that are used in a Cisco Unified Wireless Network.
CiscoWorks WLSE Key Benefits
Using CiscoWorks
WLSE to manage autonomous access points provides many benefits.
CiscoWorks WLSE provides centralized management and RF
visibility for Cisco Aironet autonomous access points and
bridges. This solution gives users many benefits as listed in
Figure : - Improved WLAN security: Wireless IDS
for rogue access points, ad hoc networks, excess 802.11
management frames that signal denial-of-service (DoS) attacks
and man-in-the-middle attacks
- Simplified access
point deployment: Configuration policies that are created
using Deployment Wizard are automatically applied to new access
points
- RF visibility: RF coverage, received
signal strength indicator (RSSI) displays, rogue access point
location, and roaming boundaries
- Dynamic RF