User's Manual

10
3. Wirefree Operation
Harmony Architecture
The Harmony Wirefree Infrastructure Family provides network connectivity to mobile
clients without the use of wires or cabling.
Each Harmony network must include at least one Access Point Controller. The AP
Controller centralizes the management, security, and filtering capabilities of a wirefree
LAN. In a traditional wirefree LAN, each Access Point duplicates this functionality
adding additional, unnecessary cost to the network infrastructure. By consolidating
these functions into a one or more AP Controllers, additional Access Points can easily
be added to the network as it grows. Also, as new wirefree standards are introduced in
the future, additional Access Points may be added at a lower cost than with a traditional
Access Point infrastructure.
On a Harmony network, each Access Point acts as an intermediary between its mobile
clients and the AP Controller, converting radio signals into Ethernet packets and vice
versa.
A single AP Controller can support up to ten Access Points. A network subnet can
support up to ten AP Controllers to form a Harmony system that can be managed using
a single user interface. The number of clients that can be supported by a one Access
Point depends on the amount of information that each client exchanges with the net-
work; this will vary based on the applications in use and how frequently network
information is accessed.
When a Harmony 802.11b Access Point is connected to the network for the first time,
the AP Controller automatically configures it with the AP AutoConfig default settings.
In addition, a Harmony 802.11b Access Point may be manually configured via the AP
Controller’s Wireless Network Management interface. Refer to the Harmony Access
Point Controller Model 7560 User’s Manual for information on how to access the
Wireless Network Management interface.