includes the same configuration, performance monitoring, security, fault management, and accounting options that are used at the controller level and adds a graphical view of multiple controllers and managed access points. Figure is a representation of the complete functionality of Cisco WCS. Cisco WCS runs on Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms. Cisco WCS can run as a normal application or as a service, which runs continuously and resumes running after a reboot. The Cisco WCS user interface enables operators to control all permitted Cisco WLAN solution configuration, monitoring, and control functions through Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later. The administrator can define operator permissions using the Cisco WCS user interface Administration menu. This menu enables the administrator to manage user accounts and schedule periodic maintenance tasks. Cisco WCS simplifies controller configuration and monitoring while reducing data-entry errors with the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller autodiscovery algorithm. Cisco WCS uses SNMP to communicate with the controllers. Cisco WCS software is the industry-leading platform for WLAN planning, configuration, and management. The software provides a powerful foundation that IT managers can use to design, control, and monitor enterprise wireless networks from a centralized location, simplifying operations and reducing the total cost of ownership. Flexible and secure NMSs are made possible by an intuitive GUI with a browser that is accessible via HTTPS. Cisco WCS supports SNMP version 1 (SNMPv1), SNMPv2, and SNMPv3. Figure summarizes these points. Cisco provides a variety of options for efficiently tracking wireless devices, including Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), voice handsets, and mobile assets that are equipped with 802.11 transceivers. You can deploy Cisco WCS in any of the following three versions, illustrated in Figure :

• Cisco WCS Base: The base version of Cisco WCS can determine which access point a wireless device is associated with, giving IT managers a general approximation of where wireless devices are situated.
• Cisco WCS Location: Environments that require more granular location services can implement an optional version of Cisco WCS, called Cisco WCS Location that uses Cisco's patent-pending RF fingerprinting technology. This technology compares real-time client RSSI information to known RF building characteristics, making Cisco the only WLAN infrastructure with the ability to locate a wireless device accurately to within a few meters.
• Cisco Wireless Location Appliance: In addition, Cisco WCS Location can be deployed in conjunction with Cisco Wireless Location Appliance to track thousands of wireless clients in real time, simultaneously.

With these advanced location-tracking capabilities, the Cisco Unified Wireless Network is an ideal platform for helping to enable key business applications that take advantage of wireless mobility, such as asset tracking, inventory management, and enhanced 911 (e911) services for voice. By incorporating indoor location tracking into the wireless LAN infrastructure itself, Cisco reduces the complexities of wireless LAN deployment and minimizes total cost of ownership.

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Content 6.3 Managing WLANs 6.3.7 Cisco WCS Software Features The Cisco WCS operating system manages all data client, communications, and system administration functions, performs radio resource management (RRM) functions, manages system-wide mobility policies using the operating system security solution, and coordinates all security functions using the operating system security framework. Cisco WCS Base Software Features
Figure summarizes the features of Cisco WCS Base. Cisco WCS Base supports wireless client data access, rogue access point detection and containment functions (such as real-time location of rogue access points to the nearest Cisco access point and real-time and historical location of clients to the nearest Cisco access point), and Cisco WLAN solution monitoring and control. Cisco WCS software features include graphical views of the following:

• Autodiscovery of access points as the access points associate with controllers
• Autodiscovery and containment or notification of rogue access points
• Map-based organization of access point coverage areas, which is helpful when the enterprise spans more than one geographical area
• User-supplied campus, building, and floor plan graphics, which show this information:
  • Locations and status of managed access points
  • Locations of rogue access points based on the signal strength received by the nearest managed Cisco access points
  • Coverage hole alarm information for access points based on the received signal strength from clients—appears in tabular rather than map format
  • RF coverage maps

Cisco WCS Base also provides system-wide control of the following:

• Configuration using customer-defined templates for controllers and managed access points
• Status and alarm monitoring of network, controllers, and managed access points
• Automated and manual data client monitoring and control functions
• Automated monitoring of rogue access points, coverage holes, security violations, controllers, and access points
• Full event logs for data clients, rogue access points, coverage holes, security violations, controllers, and access points
• Automatic channel and power level assignment by RRM
• User-defined automatic controller status audits, missed trap polling, configuration backups, and policy cleanups

Cisco WCS Location Software Features
Figure summarizes the features of Cisco WCS Location. Cisco WCS Location includes all the features of Cisco WCS Base as well as these enhancements:

• On-demand location of rogue access points to within 33 feet (10 meters)
• On-demand location of clients to within 33 feet
• The ability to use location appliances to collect and return historical location data that you can view in the Cisco WCS Location user interface

The Cisco Wireless Location Appliance can be used to improve the functionality of Cisco WCS Location. The Cisco Wireless Location Appliance performs location computations based on the RSSI information that arrives from Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers. The Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers that gather the RSSI information must be associated with the Cisco Wireless Location Appliance. You can use the Cisco 2710 Series Location Appliance (explained later in this lesson) as a Cisco Wireless Location Appliance. Cisco WCS Deployment
Figure represents a deployment of Cisco WCS. The Cisco WLAN solution consists of Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers and their associated lightweight access points controlled by the operating system, all concurrently managed by any or all of the operating system user interfaces. The following user interfaces exist:

• An HTTPS full-featured web user interface hosted by Cisco controllers can be used to configure and monitor individual controllers.
• A full-featured CLI can be used to configure and monitor individual controllers.
• Cisco WCS can be used to configure and monitor one or more controllers and associated access points. Cisco WCS has tools to facilitate large-system monitoring and control.
• An industry-standard SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3 interface can be used with any SNMP-compliant third-party network management system.

Minimum Client Server Requirements for Cisco WCS
Cisco WCS is supported under Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows 2003, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES v.3 servers as either a normal application or a service. There are some minimum server requirements:

• Windows 2000 Service Pack (SP) 4 or greater, Windows 2003 SP1 or greater, or Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES v.3
• Up to 500 access points: 2.4-GHz Pentium with 1-GB RAM
• More than 500 access points: dual processors (at least 2.4 GHz each) with