Datasheet

Page 3
With Enterasys Wireless, network administrators are able to create
WLAN services and policies, which together can dynamically assign
traffic forwarding rules to users and groups, limit data flows and control
admission on a per user and per SSID basis. With the flexibility to
provision services and enforce policies at the AP, wireless traffic can be
bi-directionally limited to user-defined thresholds, filtered, and locally
switched without the need to tunnel it back to the controller. In both
cases, unwanted traffic does not traverse costly WANs or aggregating
switches before being dropped at the controller. This is achieved by
the unique ability to perform packet inspection at the AP, where the
requested service and destination is identified and then used to filter,
switch, or rate limit accordingly. The result is optimized responsiveness
and performance for users and services. Easily adapted to diverse
customer network configurations whether they comprise single
building, local campus or routed remote offices, the Enterasys Wireless
solutions-oriented architecture simplifies deployment and reduces
implementation costs.
Survivable Branch Office
Administrators can cost-efficiently deliver WLAN services for users at
remote sites without the need to purchase or manage a local controller.
Combining built-in user-based policy management and captive portal
capabilities, branch users, including guests experience premium
performance with direct access to local resources such as Internet,
printers and other specialized services. Traffic filtering, rate limiting,
and exception handling of unauthorized users continues even when
connection to the controller is lost.
Dynamic Radio Management (DRM)
Each Enterasys Wireless Access Point supports DRM. Although DRM is
centrally managed and configured by the controller, DRM functions as a
fully distributed system managing channels and transmit power allowing
the WLAN infrastructure to adapt to RF interference (802.11 and
others), heavy channel utilization, and AP failures.
Flexible Client Access (FCA)
Flexible Client Access is an access technique that can significantly
improve the throughput for 802.11n clients in mixed a/b/g and n
environments. FCA operates by ensuring equal airtime for all clients in
environments with a mix of 802.11n and 802.11a/b/g devices. Network
administrators can step-wise adjust this capability on a per WLAN service
basis to improve responsiveness for all users and to maximize overall
throughput across the wireless link.
Full RF Survivability
To ensure uninterrupted access, Enterasys Wireless Access Points
automatically adjust their settings to continue to optimally service clients
when adjacent APs fail or when the link back to the controller is lost.
In addition, Enterasys Wireless APs can be configured to dynamically
redirect traffic to a secondary wireless controller if the primary wireless
controller fails. When the failover mode is enabled, APs automatically
register to both a primary and secondary wireless controller, ensuring high
availability of the WLAN service and robustness for real-time applications
Security
Enterasys Wireless APs provide strong encryption and authentication with
the use of 802.11i standards and captive portal.
Enterasys Wireless APs can be configured as part time or full time
sensors to detect rogue APs or to detect and contain security threats with
the Wireless Management Suite (WMS) Wireless Intrusion Prevention
System (WIPS).
In addition, each AP can be configured with a certificate enabling the AP
to authenticate to the wired network. The network is then fully protected
against attempted re-use of the Ethernet port by unplugging the AP and
connecting directly to the Ethernet cable, as a point of entry into the
corporate network.
Quality of Service (QoS)
Enterasys Wireless APs support extensive functionality to ensure the
best service for all multimedia applications. Enterasys Wireless APs use
IP DiffServ/Precedence/TOS and 802.11e WMM to differentiate and
prioritize wireless traffic. On the wired side, IP DiffServ/Precedence/TOS,
and 802.1p are used to differentiate and prioritize traffic.
For 802.11 traffic, Enterasys Wireless APs support additional QoS
features including 802.11e TSPEC (Call Admission Control) and U-APSD
(automatic power save) to ensure high quality and power efficient
services for voice, video, and data applications.
In addition, the original packet IP prioritization can be maintained on
both the wireless and wired networks by enabling the Adaptive QoS
mechanism. This feature allows tunneled and wireless packets to retain
their IP prioritization value end-to-end. Furthermore, Enterasys Wireless
APs allow IT managers to define custom mappings of different types of
prioritization schemes to ensure that user traffic is properly differentiated
when entering the wired network.
Bandwidth Control and Prioritized Service Delivery
Enterasys Wireless provides administrators with the means to control
bandwidth utilization and prioritize service delivery. Unique, granular
packet inspection capabilities at the AP continuously monitor and assess
user and service destinations. Based on topology, filter rules and data
rate thresholds defined in the user policy, a packet may be tunneled back
to the controller, switched at the AP, or dropped. A user who violates a
rate limit policy attribute could, for example, be directed to a quarantine
segment attached to local AP or further rate limited.
Enterasys RoamAbout Access Point Investment Protection
Previous investments in the Enterasys RoamAbout
®
4102 Access Points
can be leveraged through software upgrades that enable Enterasys
Wireless operation.