User's Manual

Fortress ES-Series CLI Guide: Networking and Radio Configuration
27
Chapter 3
Networking and Radio Configuration
CAUTION: All
Mesh Points in a
mesh network must run
the same software ver-
sion.
3.1 Network Interfaces
Multiple Mesh Points can be connected through their wired
and/or wireless interfaces to form fixed or mobile tactical mesh
networks and to bridge or extend the reach and availability of
conventional hierarchical networks.
NOTE: Incoming
IGMP (Internet
Group Management
Protocol) and Multicast
Listener Discovery
(MLD) multicast traffic
requires administrative
access. If the adminis-
trative IP address ACL
(disabled by default) is
enabled, it must include
the relevant IP
addresses. See Section
2.2.5 for more detail.
Traffic is also affected
by the per-interface
packet filters. If config-
ured, per-interface
packet filters must
include filters to permit
IGMP and MLD traffic
to and from the FMP.
See Section 4.6.3 for
more detail.
Different models of Fortress Mesh Point chassis feature
varying numbers of user-configurable Ethernet ports. Fortress
Mesh Points can be additionally equipped with one to four
independent internal radios supporting various capabilities
defined in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers) 802.11-2007 standard, or with no radios.
On each radio internal to a Mesh Point, up to four independent
wireless interfaces, or Basic Service Sets (BSSs), can be
configured. The maximum number of bridging BSSs supported
on any Mesh Point is eight, even on a four-radio ES2440. The
single-radio ES210 can support of a maximum of four BSSs
without regard to their function.
Alternatively, an ES210 Mesh Point can be dedicated to act as
a wireless client by configuring a single station (STA) interface
on its single internal radio.
Compare your Mesh Point’s model number to Table 3.1 on
page 38 to determine the number of Ethernet ports with which
the Mesh Point you are configuring is equipped and the
number and type(s) of radio(s) installed in it.
Fortress Mesh Point radios can connect to the radios of remote
Fortress Mesh Points to form mesh networks and, on separate
BSSs, serve as access points (APs) or access interfaces to
connect compatibly configured wireless devices to a wireless
LAN (WLAN) or to an FP Mesh access network.
On Mesh Points with more than one radio, the higher power
radio(s) dedicated to the higher frequency band (5 GHz,
standard equipment, or 4.4 GHz) will generally be the better
choice for network bridging (or backhaul) links. In Mesh Points
with two radios (ES520, ES820 and dual radio ES2440s),