User's Manual

Overview of the Controller, Access Points and Convergence Software solution
hwc_intro.fm
Controller, Access Points and Convergence Software and your network
A31003-W1050-U100-2-7619
, March 2008
22 HiPath Wireless Controller, Access Points and Convergence Software V5 R1 , C20/C2400 User Guide
• Provides accounting services – Logs wireless user sessions, user group
activity, and other activity reporting, enabling the generation of consolidated
billing records.
• Offers troubleshooting capability – Logs system and session activity and
provides reports to aid in troubleshooting analysis.
• Offers dynamic RF management – Automatically selects channels and
adjusts Radio Frequency (RF) signal propagation and power levels without
user intervention.
2.3 Controller, Access Points and Convergence Software and your network
This section is a summary of the components of the Controller, Access Points and
Convergence Software solution on your enterprise network. The following are
described in detail in this guide, unless otherwise stated:
• HiPath Wireless Controller – A rack-mountable network device that
provides centralized control over all access points (both Wireless APs and
third-party access points) and manages the network assignment of wireless
device clients associating through access points.
• Wireless AP – A wireless LAN fit access point (IEEE 802.11) that
communicates only with a HiPath Wireless Controller. A Wireless AP can also
be configured as a sensor, which monitors and interdicts intrusions by rogue
APs and rogue clients.
• HiPath Wireless Manager – An optional component of the solution, the
HiPath Wireless Manager monitors the performance and health of the
wireless network. The HiPath Wireless Manager is particularly valuable for
installations that incorporate more than one HiPath Wireless Controller. For
more information, see the HiPath Wireless Manager User Guide.
• RADIUS Server (Remote Access Dial-In User Service) (RFC2865), or other
authentication server – An authentication server that assigns and manages
ID and Password protection throughout the network. Used for authentication
of the wireless users in either 802.1x or Captive Portal security modes. The
RADIUS Server system can be set up for certain standard attributes, such as
filter ID, and for the Vendor Specific Attributes (VSAs). In addition, Radius
Disconnect (RFC3576) which permits dynamic adjustment of user policy
(user disconnect) is supported.
• DHCP Server (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) (RFC2131) – A server
that assigns IP addresses, gateways, and subnet masks dynamically. IP
address assignment for clients can be done by the DHCP server internal to
the HiPath Wireless Controller, or by existing servers using DHCP relay. It is
also used by the Wireless APs to discover the location of the HiPath Wireless