3com 3CWXMUPA User Manual

Wireless LAN Mobility System

Wireless LAN Switch Manager Reference Manual

WX4400 3CRWX440095A WX1200 3CRWX120695A WXR100 3CRWXR10095A

http://www.3com.com/

Part No. 10015082 Published April 2006

3Com Corporation 350 Campus Drive Marlborough, MA USA 01752-3064

Copyright © 2006, 3Com Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this documentation may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative work (such as translation, transformation, or adaptation) without written permission from 3Com Corporation.

3Com Corporation reserves the right to revise this documentation and to make changes in content from time to time without obligation on the part of 3Com Corporation to provide notification of such revision or change.

3Com Corporation provides this documentation without warranty, term, or condition of any kind, either implied or expressed, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties, terms or conditions of merchantability, satisfactory quality, and fitness for a particular purpose. 3Com may make improvements or changes in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this documentation at any time.

If there is any software on removable media described in this documentation, it is furnished under a license agreement included with the product as a separate document, in the hard copy documentation, or on the removable media in a directory file named LICENSE.TXT or !LICENSE.TXT. If you are unable to locate a copy, please contact 3Com and a copy will be provided to you.

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LEGEND

If you are a United States government agency, then this documentation and the software described herein are provided to you subject to the following:

All technical data and computer software are commercial in nature and developed solely at private expense. Software is delivered as “Commercial Computer Software” as defined in DFARS 252.227-7014 (June 1995) or as a “commercial item” as defined in FAR 2.101(a) and as such is provided with only such rights as are provided in 3Com’s standard commercial license for the Software. Technical data is provided with limited rights only as provided in DFAR 252.227-7015 (Nov 1995) or FAR 52.227-14 (June 1987), whichever is applicable. You agree not to remove or deface any portion of any legend provided on any licensed program or documentation contained in, or delivered to you in conjunction with, this User Guide.

Unless otherwise indicated, 3Com registered trademarks are registered in the United States and may or may not be registered in other countries.

3Com is a registered trademark of 3Com Corporation. The 3Com logo is a trademark of 3Com Corporation.

Mobility Domain, Mobility Point, Mobility Profile, Mobility System, Mobility System Software, MP, MSS, and SentrySweep are trademarks of Trapeze Networks, Inc.

Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, Windows XP, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT

It is the policy of 3Com Corporation to be environmentally-friendly in all operations. To uphold our policy, we are committed to:

Establishing environmental performance standards that comply with national legislation and regulations.

Conserving energy, materials and natural resources in all operations.

Reducing the waste generated by all operations. Ensuring that all waste conforms to recognized environmental standards. Maximizing the recyclable and reusable content of all products.

Ensuring that all products can be recycled, reused and disposed of safely.

Ensuring that all products are labelled according to recognized environmental standards.

Improving our environmental record on a continual basis.

End of Life Statement

3Com processes allow for the recovery, reclamation and safe disposal of all end-of-life electronic components.

Regulated Materials Statement

3Com products do not contain any hazardous or ozone-depleting material.

Environmental Statement about the Documentation

The documentation for this product is printed on paper that comes from sustainable, managed forests; it is fully biodegradable and recyclable, and is completely chlorine-free. The varnish is environmentally-friendly, and the inks are vegetable-based with a low heavy-metal content.

CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Conventions 17 Documentation 18 Documentation Comments 19

1 INSTALLING 3WXM

Hardware Requirements 21

Hardware Requirements for 3WXM Client 21

Hardware Requirements for 3WXM Monitoring Service 22 Software Requirements 23 Preparing for Installation 23

User Privileges 23

Serial Number and License Key 24 Installing 3WXM 24 Installation Log File 26 Upgrading 3WXM 26 Uninstalling 3WXM 26

2 WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Overview 29 Display Panels 30

Organizer Panel 30

Alerts Panel 32

Content Panel 33

Task List Panel 35

Resizing a Display Panel 37 Menu Bar Options 37 Tool Bar Options 39 Copying, Pasting, and Deleting Objects 42

Copy and Paste in the Organizer Panel 42

Copy and Paste Replace in the Organizer Panel 43

Copy and Paste in the Content Panel 43

Enabling Keyboard Shortcut Mnemonics (Windows XP Only) 44

3 GETTING STARTED

Starting 3WXM 47 Restricting Access to 3WXM 50

Creating an Administrator Account 51 Creating Provision or Monitor Accounts 52 Deleting 3WXM User Accounts 52 Disabling Access Control 52

4 WORKING WITH NETWORK PLANS

Creating a Network Plan 54 Managing Network Plans 55

Saving a Network Plan 55 Opening a Network Plan 56 Importing a Network Plan 57 Closing a Network Plan 58 Deleting a Network Plan 58 Sharing a Network Plan 59

Defining a Mobility Domain 60

Roaming Behavior 60 Traffic Ports Used by a Mobility Domain 62

Creating a Mobility Domain 62 Creating a WX Switch 63 Creating a Third-Party AP 63 Changing the Country Code 65 Applying the Network’s RF Auto-Tuning Settings to the Network Plan 65 Uploading a WX Switch into the Network Plan 66 Converting Auto DAPs into Statically Configured APs 67 Creating a Network Domain 67

5 PLANNING THE 3COM MOBILITY SYSTEM

RF Planning Overview 69

Accessing the RF Planning Tools 70 Creating or Modifying a Site 72

Creating or Modifying Buildings in a Site 74 Creating or Modifying Floors 77 Importing or Drawing Floor Details 78

Importing a Drawing of a Floor 78 File Recommendations 79 Preparing a Drawing Before Importing It 79 Cropping the Paper Space 84 Adjusting the Scale of a Drawing 85 Adjusting the Origin Point 86 Working with Layers 87 Cleaning Up a Drawing 89 Drawing Floor Objects Manually 93

Specifying the RF Characteristics of a Floor 94

Recommendations 94 Converting Objects into RF Obstacles 95 Drawing RF Obstacles 97 Importing RF Obstacle Data from a Site Survey 98

Defining Wireless Coverage Areas 110

Creating a Wiring Closet 111 Defining a Coverage Area 113 Editing Coverage Areas 125

Placing Third-Party Access Points 130

Moving a Third-Party AP Icon to its Floor Location 130

Creating and Placing an Icon for a Third-Party Access Point 131 Placing Installed and Auto-Configured MAPs 134 Computing MAP Placement 135

Computing and Placing MAP Access Points for a Coverage Area 135

Assigning MAP Channels 143

Computing Optimal Power 145 Verifying the Wireless Network 148

Showing RF Coverage 148

Placing RF Measurement Points 149

Using RF Interactive Measurement Mode 151

Reading the RF Measurement Table 151 Generating RF Network Design Information 153

6 CONFIGURING WX SYSTEM PARAMETERS

WX Switch Configuration Objects 155 Adding a WX Switch to the Network Plan 159

Creating a WX Switch as Part of RF Planning 159 Creating a WX Switch Using the Create Wireless Switch Wizard 159 Creating a New WX Switch Based on a Configured Switch in the Network

Plan 160 Adding a Switch by Uploading its Configuration from the Network 161

Adding a Switch by Importing a Configuration File 161 Configuring Basic and Advanced Settings 162 Reviewing and Deploying Changes 162

Reviewing Changes 162

Deploying Changes 163 Using the Create Wireless Switch Wizard 163 Setting Up a Switch 165 Modifying Basic Switch Parameters 168

Changing the WX Software Version 170

Changing the WX Model 170

Changing Timezone Properties 170

Changing System Information 171

Converting Auto DAPs into Statically Configured DAPs 172

Deleting Auto DAPs 173

Launching a Telnet Management Session with the Switch 173

Launching a Web Management Session with the Switch 173 Viewing and Changing Port Settings 174

Viewing Port Settings 174

Changing Port Settings 174

Configuring a Port for a Directly Connected AP 176

Configure a Port for Wired Authentication 177 Viewing and Changing Port Groups 182

Viewing Port Groups 182

Creating a Port Group 182

Changing a Port Group 183 Viewing and Changing Management Settings 184

Viewing Management Service Settings 184

Changing Management Service Settings 184

Configuring SNMP 185

Viewing and Setting Log and Trace Settings 195

Viewing Log Settings 196 Changing Log Settings 196

Viewing and Configuring IP Services Settings 199

Viewing IP Services Setting 199 Creating a Static Route 199 Create an IP Alias 200 Configuring DNS 201 Configuring NTP 202 Configuring ARP 202

Viewing and Configuring VLANs 204

Viewing VLANs 205 Creating a VLAN 205 Changing VLAN Membership 207 Changing VLAN Spanning Tree Settings 208 Changing VLAN IGMP Settings 212 Restricting Layer 2 Traffic Among Clients in a VLAN 214 Restricting Layer 3 Traffic Among Clients in a VLAN 215 Changing a VLAN’s Tunnel Affinity 216 Configuring the MSS DHCP Server 216 Changing the Aging Time for FDB Entries 217

Viewing and Configuring ACLs 218

Viewing ACLs 219 Creating an ACL 219 Configuring Advanced ACL Settings 223 Adding a New ACE to a Configured ACL 226 Mapping an ACL 226 Deleting an ACL 228 Deleting an Individual ACE from an ACL 228

Viewing and Changing CoS Mappings 229

Viewing CoS Mappings 229 Changing a DSCP-to-CoS Mapping 230 Changing a CoS-to-DSCP Mapping 230 Setting a Range of DSCP Values to a Single CoS Value 231 Resetting CoS Mapping to their Default Values 231

7 CONFIGURING WIRELESS PARAMETERS

Viewing and Configuring Wireless Services 233

Wireless Service Parameters 234

Viewing Wireless Services 239

Configuring an 802.1X Wireless Service 240

Configuring a Voice over Wireless Service 241

Configuring a Web-Portal (WebAAA) Service 244

Configuring an Open Access Service 246

Configuring a Custom Service 248

Modifying Service Profile Settings 248

Viewing SSID Encryption Settings and Access Rules 250

Modifying SSID Encryption Settings and Access Rules 251 Viewing and Configuring Radio Profiles 254

Viewing Radio Profile Settings 254

Creating a Radio Profile 255

Moving Radios Back to the Default Radio Profile 255

Configuring Advanced Radio Profile Settings 256 Viewing and Changing the Auto-DAP Profile 260

Viewing Auto-DAP Profile Settings 260

Changing Auto-DAP Profile Settings 261

Converting Auto DAPs into Statically Configured DAPs 262

Deleting Auto DAPs 262 Viewing and Configuring MAPs 263

Viewing the Configured MAPs 264

Creating a Distributed MAP 264

Configuring a Directly Connected MAP 266

Changing the MAP-WX Security Mode 268

Configuring Advanced MAP Settings 268 Viewing and Changing Radio Settings 272

Viewing Radio Settings 272

Changing Radio Settings 272 Viewing and Changing RF Detection Settings 273

Viewing RF Detection Settings 273

Adding an Entry to the Permitted Vendor OUI List 273

Adding an Entry to the Permitted SSID List 274

Adding an Entry to the Ignore List 274

Adding an Entry to the Rogue List 275

Adding an Entry to the Client Black List 275 Enabling Countermeasures 275 Enabling MAP Signatures 276

8 CONFIGURING AUTHENTICATION, AUTHORIZATION, AND

CCOUNTING PARAMETERS

Creating and Managing Users in the Local User Database 277

Viewing Users and Groups in the Local Database 278 Creating a Named User 279 Creating a User Group and Assigning Users To It 280 Creating a MAC User 281 Creating a MAC User Group and Assigning Users To It 282 Authorization Attributes 283

Viewing and Configuring RADIUS Settings 288

Viewing RADIUS Settings, Servers, and Server Groups 289 Creating a RADIUS Server 289 Creating a RADIUS Server Group 290 Changing Default RADIUS Settings 291

Viewing and Configuring Global 802.1X Settings 293

Viewing Global 802.1X Settings 293 Changing Global 802.1X Settings 293

Viewing and Configuring 802.1X Network Access Rules 296

Viewing 802.1X Network Access Rules 296 Creating an 802.1X Network Access Rule 296

Viewing and Configuring MAC Network Access Rules 300

Viewing MAC Network Access Rules 300 Creating a MAC Network Access Rule 300

Viewing and Configuring WebAAA Network Access Rules 303

Viewing Web AAA Network Access Rules 303 Creating a Web AAA Network Access Rule 304

Viewing and Configuring Last-Resort Network Access Rules 306

Viewing Last-Resort Network Access Rules 306 Creating a Last-Resort Network Access Rule 306

Viewing and Configuring WX Administrator Access Rules 308

Viewing WX Administrator Access Rules 308 Creating an Access Rule for Console Access 309 Creating an Access Rule for Telnet or SSH Access 310

Viewing and Configuring AAA Support for Third-Party AP Users 312

Viewing Settings for Third-Party AP AAA Support 312

Creating a Proxy Access Rule 312

Configuring a RADIUS Proxy for a Client 314

Specifying the WX Port Connected to the Third-Party AP 314 Viewing and Changing Location Policy Rules 315

Viewing Location Policy Rules 315

Creating a Location Policy Rule 316 Viewing and Changing Mobility Profiles 318

Viewing Mobility Profiles 318

Creating a Mobility Profile 318

9 CONFIGURING WX SWITCHES REMOTELY

How Remote WX Configuration Works 322

Drop Ship (WXR100 Only) 322

Staged WX 324 3WXM Requirements 325 Staging a WX Switch for Configuration by 3WXM 326

Example 1: Deployment Site Has DHCP and Local DNS 326

Example 2: Deployment Site Has No DHCP and No DNS 327

Example 3: Deployment Site Has DNS But No DHCP 329

Example 4: Deployment Site Has DHCP But Local DNS Domain Differs

From Corporate DNS Domain 330 Preconfiguring a Switch in 3WXM 331

Uploading a Partially Configured Switch and Completing its

Configuration with 3WXM 332 Replacing a Switch and Reusing its Configuration 333

Requirements 333

How Switch Replacement Works 334

Enabling Replacement of Remote Switches 335

Replacing a Switch 335

10 MANAGING WX SYSTEM IMAGES AND CONFIGURATIONS

WX File Management Options 337 Devices Tab 338

Task List Options 339

Toolbar Options 342

Synchronizing Local and Network Changes 342

Reviewing Switch Configuration Changes 342 Accepting Network Changes 343 Undoing Local or Network Changes 343 Deploying Switch Configuration Changes 344 Synchronizing When the Network and 3WXM Have Nonmatching

Changes 345

Distributing System Images 346

Using the Image Repository 346

Distributing System Images 347 Rebooting WX Switches or MAP Access Points 348 Enabling or Disabling Management of a Switch by 3WXM 349 Viewing the Operation Log 350 Canceling a Scheduled Operation 350 Importing and Exporting Switch Configuration Files 351 Modifying Configuration Change Polling Options 353

11 VERIFYING CONFIGURATION CHANGES

Verification Tabs 355

Toolbar Options 356

Filtering the Message List 356 Resolving an Error or Warning 356

Disabling a Rule from the Message List 357

Changing Verification Options 358

Disabling and Reenabling Rules 359

12 MANAGING CERTIFICATES

Overview 361 Processing Certificates 362 Managing Certificates 363

Reviewing Certificate Details 363

Deleting Certificates 363 Distributing Certificates to WX Switches 364

13 CONFIGURING AND APPLYING POLICIES

How Changes Are Managed 365

Policies Created When You Migrate a 3.x Network Plan to 4.1 365 Viewing Policies 366 Creating a Policy 366 Configuring Feature Settings in a Policy 367 Applying Policy Changes to Switches 367

14 USING THE EVENT LOG

Displaying the Event Log 369

Toolbar Options 369 Refreshing Event Data 370 Reviewing Event Details 370 Filtering Event Messages 370

Using Predefined Event Filters 370

Filtering Events by Content 371

Filtering Events by Severity 373

Filtering Events by Facility 373

Creating and Saving Filters 374

Deleting Filters 374

Exporting Filtered Data 374

15 GENERATING REPORTS

Overview 376 Generating an Inventory Report 377 Generating a Mobility Domain Configuration Report 378 Generating a WX Configuration Report 379 Generating a Client Summary Report 380 Generating a Client Details Report 381 Generating a Client Errors Report 383 Generating a Watch List Client Report 384 Generating a Network Usage Report 385 Generating an RF Summary Report 386 Generating a Radio Details Report 387 Generating a Rogue Details Report 388 Generating a Rogue Summary Report 389

Generating a Site Survey Order 390 Generating a Work Order 391

16 MONITORING THE NETWORK

Overview 393 Requirements for Monitoring 394 Accessing Monitored Data 394 Using the Explore Window 395

Toolbar Options 397 Threshold Flags 399 Displaying Object Details 402 Displaying 802.11 Coverage 402

Taking RF Measurements 404 Using the Status Summary View 406 Using the Client Monitor View 407

Toolbar Options 407

Refreshing Client Data 408

Displaying Client Activity Information 408

Displaying Client Session Information 419

Managing the Client Watch List 426

Displaying a Client’s Geographical Location 431

Terminating a Client’s Session 433 Using the RF Monitor View 434

Displaying RF Neighborhood Information 435

Displaying the SSID-to-BSSID Mapping 436

Displaying the Activity Log 437

Displaying RF Environment Statistics 438 Using the RF Trends View 439

Refreshing RF Trend Data 441 Accessing Realtime Performance Statistics 441

Viewing Performance Data 443

17 DETECTING AND COMBATTING ROGUE DEVICES

Overview 449 Rogue Detection Requirements 450 Rogue Detection Lists 451 Using the Rogue Detection Screen 454

Toolbar Options 455 Filtering the Rogue List 456

Displaying Rogue Details 457 Displaying a Rogue’s Geographical Location 460 Ignoring Friendly Third-Party Devices 460 Adding a Device to the Attack List 461 Converting a Rogue into a Third Party AP 462

To convert a rogue into a third-party AP 462 Adding a Rogue’s Clients to the Black List 463 Configuring RF Detection Options from the Organizer Panel 464

18 OPTIMIZING A NETWORK PLAN

Importing RF Measurements 465

Importing the Measurements 465

Applying the RF Measurements to the Floor Plan 467 Locating and Fixing Coverage Holes 468

Locating a Coverage Hole 468

Fixing a Coverage Hole 470

Computing and Placing New MAPs 470

Adding New MAPs that Are Already Installed to the Network Plan 470

A CHANGING 3WXM PREFERENCES

Overview 471 Resetting Preferences Values 471 Changing Network Synchronization Options 472 Changing User Interface Options 472 Changing Persistence Options 473 Changing Tools Options 474 Changing Certificate Management Options 474 Changing Options for RF Planning 475

Configuring the Typical Client’s Transmit Power 475

Changing Colors 475 Changing 3WXM Logging Options 478

B CHANGING 3WXM SERVICES PREFERENCES

Overview 481 Starting or Stopping the 3WXM Services 483 Connecting to 3WXM Services 484

Certificate Check 485 Verifying that the 3WXM Client is Receiving Service Data 486 Changing Service Settings 487 Changing WX Connection Settings 488 Changing Monitoring Settings 490

To change monitoring settings 491 Accessing the 3WXM Services Log 492 Managing Network Plans 493

Backing Up a Plan 493

Changing Backup Settings 494

Restoring a Plan from a Backup 494

Copying a Plan Backup from One Server to Another 494

Deleting a Plan Backup 495

C OBTAINING SUPPORT FOR YOUR PRODUCT

Register Your Product 497 Purchase Value-Added Services 497 Troubleshoot Online 498 Access Software Downloads 498 Telephone Technical Support and Repair 498 Contact Us 499

INDEX

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

This manual shows you how to plan, configure, deploy, and manage a Mobility System wireless LAN (WLAN) using the 3Com Wireless LAN Switch Manager (3WXM).

Read this manual if you are a network administrator or a person responsible for managing a WLAN.

If release notes are shipped with your product and the information there differs from the information in this guide, follow the instructions in the release notes.

Most user guides and release notes are available in Adobe Acrobat Reader Portable Document Format (PDF) or HTML on the 3Com World Wide Web site:

http://www.3com.com/

Conventions Table 1 and Table 2 list conventions that are used throughout this guide.

Tab le 1 Notice Icons

Icon Notice Type Description

Information note Information that describes important features or

instructions

Caution Information that alerts you to potential loss of data or

potential damage to an application, system, or device

18 ABOUT THIS GUIDE

This manual uses the following text and syntax conventions:

Tab le 2 Text Conventions

Convention Description

Menu Name > Command

Monospace text Sets off command syntax or sample commands and system

Bold text Highlights commands that you enter or items you select.

Italic text Designates command variables that you replace with

[ ] (square brackets) Enclose optional parameters in command syntax.

{ } (curly brackets) Enclose mandatory parameters in command syntax.

| (vertical bar) Separates mutually exclusive options in command syntax.

Keyboard key names If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the key

Words in italics Italics are used to:

Indicates a menu item that you select. For example, File > New indicates that you select New from the File menu.

responses.

appropriate values, or highlights publication titles or words requiring special emphasis.

names are linked with a plus sign (+). Example:

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del

 Emphasize a point.

 Denote a new term at the place where it is defined in the

text.

 Highlight an example string, such as a username or SSID.

Documentation The 3WXM documentation set includes the following documents.

 Wireless LAN Switch Manager (3WXM) Release Notes

These notes provide information about the system software release, including new features and bug fixes.

 Wireless LAN Switch and Controller Release Notes

These notes provide information about the system software release, including new features and bug fixes.

 Wireless LAN Switch and Controller Quick Start Guide

This guide provides instructions for performing basic setup of secure (802.1X) and guest (WebAAA™) access, for configuring a Mobility Domain for roaming, and for accessing a sample network plan in 3WXM for advanced configuration and management.

Documentation Comments 19

 Wireless LAN Switch Manager Reference Manual

This manual shows you how to plan, configure, deploy, and manage a

Mobility System wireless LAN (WLAN) using the 3Com Wireless LAN

Switch Manager (3WXM).

 Wireless LAN Switch Manager User’s Guide

This guide shows you how to plan, configure, deploy, and manage a

Mobility System wireless LAN (WLAN) using the 3Com Wireless LAN

Switch Manager (3WXM). It contains information about

recommended system requirements you should meet for optimum

3WXM performance, installing 3WXM client and 3WXM Services

software, and an introduction to using the 3WXM interface.

 Wireless LAN Switch and Controller Hardware Installation Guide

This guide provides instructions and specifications for installing a WX

wireless switch in a Mobility System WLAN.

 Wireless LAN Switch and Controller Configuration Guide

This guide provides instructions for configuring and managing the

system through the Mobility System Software (MSS) CLI.

Documentation Comments

 Wireless LAN Switch and Controller Command Reference

This reference provides syntax information for all MSS commands

supported on WX switches.

Your suggestions are very important to us. They will help make our documentation more useful to you. Please e-mail comments about this document to 3Com at:

pddtechpubs_comments@3com.com

Please include the following information when contacting us:

 Document title

 Document part number and revision (on the title page)

 Page number (if appropriate)

20 ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Example:

 Wireless LAN Switch and Controller Configuration Guide

 Part number 730-9502-0071, Revision B

 Page 25

Please note that we can only respond to comments and questions about 3Com product documentation at this e-mail address. Questions related to Technical Support or sales should be directed in the first instance to your network supplier.

Hardware Requirements

INSTALLING 3WXM

This chapter describes how to install 3Com Wireless LAN Switch Manager (3WXM).

Hardware

Requirements for

3WXM Client

Table 3 shows the minimum and recommended requirements to run the 3WXM client.

Tab le 3 Hardware Requirements for Running 3WXM Client

Minimum Recommended

Processor Intel Pentium 4 2 GHz or

RAM 512 MB 1GB

Hard drive space available

Monitor resolution 1024x768 pixels, 24-bit color 1600x1200 pixels, 32-bit

CD-ROM drive CD-ROM or equivalent CD-ROM

equivalent

100 MB 200 MB

Intel Pentium 4 3 GHz or equivalent

color

22 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING 3WXM

Hardware

Requirements for

3WXM Monitoring

Service

Table 4 shows the minimum and recommended requirements to run the 3WXM monitoring service.

Tab le 4 Hardware Requirements for Running 3WXM Monitoring Service

Minimum Recommended

Processor Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz or

RAM 1GB 2GB

Hard drive space available

Monitor resolution 1024x768 pixels, 24-bit

CD-ROM drive CD-ROM or equivalent CD-ROM

equivalent

1GB 2GB

color

Intel Pentium 4 3.6 GHz or equivalent

1600x1200 pixels, 32-bit color

Table 5 contains general recommended guidelines for hardware requirements and memory allocation based on the number of radios and WX switches your server will support. A larger number of WX switches implies more connections and data processing, and consequently, more CPU is required. A larger number of radios implies more data (including client sessions) which requires more RAM and storage.

Tab le 5 Recommended Server Hardware Allocation

Number of Radios

1 – 1000 2.4 MHz P4

1 – 2000 2.4 MHz P4

1-25 WX Switches 25-50 WX Switches 50+ WX Switches

500 MB RAM

1 GB HD

1 GB RAM

2 GB HD

2.8 MHz P4

500 MB RAM

1 GB HD

3.0 GHz P4

1 GB RAM

2 GB HD

3.2 MHz Xeon

1 GB RAM

1 GB HD

3.6 GHz Xeon

2 GB RAM

2 GB HD

Software Requirements 23

Software Requirements

Preparing for Installation

3WXM client and 3WXM monitoring services are each supported on the following operating systems:

 Microsoft Windows Server 2003

 Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later

 Microsoft Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4

You must use the English version of the operating system you select. Operating system versions in other languages are not supported with 3WXM.

The following additional software is required for certain 3WXM features:

 Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.x or later (or plug-in)—For reading the

Wireless LAN Switch Manager Reference Manual and release notes.

 Web browser (for example, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x or 6.x or

Netscape Navigator 6.x or 7.x)—For displaying 3WXM work orders

and inventory reports.

A licensed copy of 3WXM comes with a base license key. Before you install 3WXM, make sure you have the appropriate administrative privileges on the system.

After you have installed 3WXM, you will need to register your license and the serial number with 3Com in order to obtain an activation key.

The base key along with its activation key enables you to manage up to 10 wireless LAN switches. To manage more than 10 wireless LAN switches, you also need an upgrade key and an additional activation key, which you obtain from 3Com. See “Serial Number and License Key” on page 24 for more information.

User Privileges Before you install 3WXM, make sure that you are logged in as a user who

has permission to install software, or as an administrator.

After you install 3WXM, you can configure 3WXM access privileges for the user accounts on the machine. Likewise, you can configure access privileges for the monitoring service, if installed. Access privileges for the 3WXM client are completely independent of access privileges for the monitoring service, and are configured separately.

24 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING 3WXM

Serial Number and

License Key

3WXM comes with a base license key, which is provided on the CD cover. To use 3WXM Services, you need to enter the base key and an activation key, which you obtain from 3Com. The base key and activation key enable you to manage up to 10 wireless LAN switches. To manage more than 10 wireless LAN switches, you also need an upgrade key and additional activation key, which you obtain from 3Com.

Each time you connect the 3WXM client to the 3WXM services, it checks the license information. If the product is not licensed, the License wizard is displayed.

Installing 3WXM To install the 3Com Wireless Switch Manager, follow the instructions

below.

The 3WXM install program installs either just the 3WXM client, or both the 3WXM client and Services. There is no option to install the 3WXM Services only.

1 Insert the 3WXM CD in the CD-ROM drive.

If Autorun is enabled, wait briefly for the install program to start.

If Autorun is disabled, follow these steps:

a In Windows Explorer, navigate to your CD-ROM drive.

b In the Software\3WXM directory, double-click install.exe.

The Introduction page of the 3Com Wireless Switch Manager installation wizard appears, and then the Contents screen appears, as shown below.

Installing 3WXM 25

2 Open the 3Com Wireless Switch Management folder.

3 Select 3Com Wireless Switch Manager.

4 Click the View button.

The 3Com Wireless LAN Switch Manager (3WXM) information screen appears.

5 Click the Install button.

The installation begins. During the installation, the 3Com Wireless Switch Manager installation wizard minimizes.

6 When the installation is complete, maximize the 3Com Wireless Switch

Manager installation wizard screen, and then press the Contents button.

7 Press the Exit button to close the wizard, or navigate to the other items

on the CD.

See “Getting Started” on page 47 for more information on getting started with 3WXM.

26 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING 3WXM

Installation Log File During installation, an installation log file, 3WXM_InstallLog.log, is

created and placed in the 3WXM installation folder. Double-click the log file’s icon to read the log file. Have this log file available if you need to contact 3Com Technical Support about an installation problem.

Upgrading 3WXM You can upgrade 3WXM by installing a newer version of 3WXM over a

previous version. You do not need to uninstall the previous version before installing a newer version. Before you upgrade, 3Com recommends that you make a backup of the config-db directory in the 3WXM installation directory. As a best practice, back up the config-db directory on a regular basis to ensure that you have copies of your network plans.

CAUTION: If you uninstall a previous version of 3WXM before upgrading, make sure you note the serial number and license key from the License Information dialog box, which you access by selecting Help>Licensing from the main 3WXM window.

You can also save a copy of the license information by starting 3WXM and clicking Save in the License Information dialog box.

Uninstalling 3WXM You uninstall 3WXM by using its Uninstall wizard. Access the Uninstall

wizard from the 3Com program list in the Windows Start menu or the Control Panel.

To uninstall 3WXM on Windows systems:

1 Access the Windows Control Panel, and select Add or Remove Programs.

2 Select 3WXM and click Change/Remove.

3 Click Uninstall.

The 3WXM Uninstall Options dialog appears.

Uninstalling 3WXM 27

By default, the following are removed when you uninstall the client application:

 Network plans

 Access control

If the monitoring service was also installed, the monitoring service’s database directory is also uninstalled by default. The database directory contains the data collected by the monitoring service.

CAUTION: Do not delete the serial number unless specifically asked to do so by 3Com Technical Support.

Your license(s) to use this software are registered against this serial number. If you delete the serial number, the software will generate a new serial number if it is ever reinstalled. You will then require new licenses to register against the new serial number. If you delete the serial number, the license information will also be deleted.

CAUTION: If you delete an item, the item is permanently lost. For example, if you delete the database directory, all data collected by the monitoring service is lost, including historical trend data.

28 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING 3WXM

To prevent an item from being uninstalled, click on the checkbox next to the item to remove the checkmark.

4 Click Continue.

The uninstall program reports its progress. When the uninstall process is complete, the uninstall program reports that the items were successfully deleted.

5 Click Done.

WORKING WITH THE 3WXM

USER INTERFACE

This chapter describes how to use the 3Com Wireless LAN Switch Manager (3WXM) interface.

Overview When you start 3WXM client and log into 3WXM Services, the network

plan you specified during login is displayed by the 3WXM client.

Organizer panel

Alerts panel

Content panel

Toolbar

Lock

icon

30 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

The network plan is the workspace in 3WXM you use to design and manage a 3Com network. The network plan defines the following:

 Network equipment (WX switches, MAPs, and third-party access

points)

 Network site, including floor plans, RF characteristics of the floors, and

radio coverage

You can use the planning tool to define the network site and add the equipment based on coverage and capacity needs. Alternatively, you can add new or existing switches and access points individually.

Planning and equipment configuration, and network management, are described in detail in other chapters of this manual. This chapter describes the 3WXM user interface.

Display Panels The main 3WXM window contains the following display panels. (Their

locations are shown in the previous figure on page 34.)

 Organizer panel

 Alerts panel

 Content panel

 Task List panel

The main 3WXM window also contains a tool bar to navigate to major features.

Organizer Panel The Organizer panel provides a tree-like view of the 3Com equipment

and site data managed by 3WXM.

+ 476 hidden pages