Users Guide

579| Secure Enterprise Mesh Dell Networking W-Series ArubaOS 6.5.x| User Guide
provides the best path to the mesh portal. Mesh portals and mesh points are also known as mesh nodes, a
generic term used to describe APs configured for mesh.
A mesh radio’s bandwidth can be shared between mesh-backhaul traffic and client traffic. You can, however,
configure a radio for mesh services only. If you have a dual-radio AP, a mesh node can be configured to deliver
client services on one radio, and both mesh and WLAN services to clients on the other. If you configure a single-
radio AP to deliver mesh services only (by disabling the mesh radio in its 802.11a or 802.11g radio profile) that
mesh node can not deliver WLAN services to its clients.
For mesh and traditional thin AP deployments, the Dell controller provides centralized provisioning,
configuration, policy definition, ongoing network management, and wireless and security services. However,
unlike the traditional thin AP case, mesh nodes also perform network traffic encryption and decryption, and
packet forwarding over wired and wireless links.
You configure the AP for mesh on the controller using either the WebUI or the CLI. All mesh related
configuration parameters are grouped into mesh profiles that you can apply as needed to an AP group or to
individual APs.
APs operate as thin APs by default; their primary function is to receive and transmit electromagnetic signals;
other WLAN processing is left to the controller. When planning a mesh network, you manually configure APs to
operate in mesh portal or mesh point roles. Unlike a traditional WLAN environment, local mesh nodes provide
encryption and traffic forwarding for mesh links in a mesh environment. Virtual APs are still applied to non-
mesh radios.
Provisioning mesh APs is similar to thin APs; however, there are some key differences. Thin APs establish a
channel to the controller from which they receive the configuration for each radio interface. Mesh nodes, in
contrast, get their radio interfaces up and running before making contact with the controller. This requires a
minimum set of parameters from the AP group and mesh cluster so the mesh node discovers a neighbor, and
creates a mesh link and subsequent channel with the controller. To do this, you must first define and configure
the mesh cluster profile before configuring an AP to operate as a mesh node. This chapter first describes how
to configure the mesh profile, then describes how to configure APs to operate in mesh mode. If you have
already configured a complete mesh profile, continue to “Ethernet Ports for Mesh” or “Provisioning Mesh
Nodes”.
Mesh Portals
The mesh portal (MPP) is the gateway between the wireless mesh network and the enterprise wired LAN. You
configure a Dell AP to perform the mesh portal role, which uses its wired interface to establish a link to the
wired LAN. You can deploy multiple mesh portals to support redundant mesh paths (mesh links between
neighboring mesh points that establish the best path to the mesh portal) from the wireless mesh network to
the wired LAN.
The mesh portal broadcasts the configured mesh service set identifier (MSSID/mesh cluster name), and
advertises the mesh network service to available mesh points. Neighboring mesh points that have been
provisioned with the same MSSID authenticate to the portal and establish a secure mesh link over which traffic
is forwarded. The authentication process requires secure key negotiation, common to all APs, and the mesh
link is established and secured using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption. Mesh portals also
propagate channel information, including CSAs.
Mesh Points
The mesh point (MP) is a Dell AP configured for mesh and assigned the mesh point role. Depending on the AP
model, configuration parameters, and how it was provisioned, the mesh point can perform multiple tasks. The
mesh point provides traditional Dell WLAN services (such as client connectivity, intrusion detection system
(IDS) capabilities, user role association, LAN-to-LAN bridging, and Quality of Service (QoS) for LAN-to-mesh
communication) to clients and performs mesh backhaul/network connectivity. A mesh radio can be configured