HP Wireless LAN Mobility System CLI Reference Guide

Download

Wireless LAN Mobility System

Wireless LAN Switch Manager Reference Manual

3CRWXR10095A, 3CRWX120695A, 3CRWX440095A

http://www.3com.com/

Part No. DQA-WXM10-AAA01 Published June 2005

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

Copyright © 2005, 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.

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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.

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

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CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Conventions 15 Documentation 16 Documentation Comments 17

1 INSTALLING 3WXM

Hardware Requirements 19

Hardware Requirements for 3WXM Client 19

Hardware Requirements for 3WXM Monitoring Service 20 Software Requirements 21 Preparing for Installation 21

User Privileges 22

Serial Number and License Key 22

HP OpenView Network Node Manager 22 Installing 3WXM 23

Unpacking Files 23

Using the Installation Wizard 24

Installing the HP OpenView Plug-In 27

Licensing 28 Installation Log File 30 Upgrading 3WXM 30 Uninstalling 3WXM 31

2 WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Overview 33 Menu Options in Main 3WXM Window 35 Organizer Panel 41

Details Checkbox 42

Displaying Additional Object Details 43

Policy Objects 43

Equipment Objects 46

Site Objects 49 Alerts Panel 50 Content Panel 52

Monitor Tab 52

Managed Devices Tab 60

Verification Tab 61

Events Tab 62

Rogue Detection Tab 63 Information Panel 64 Configuration Wizards 65 Reports 68 Copying and Pasting Objects 70

Copy and Paste 70

Copy and Paste Replace 71 Enabling Keyboard Shortcut Mnemonics (Windows XP Only) 72

3 GETTING STARTED

Starting 3WXM 75 Restricting Access to 3WXM 77

Creating an Administrator Account 78

Creating Provision or Monitor Accounts 79

Deleting 3WXM User Accounts 79

Disabling Access Control 80 Creating and Managing Network Plans 80

Creating a Network Plan 81

Managing Network Plans 82

Opening a Network Plan 84

Closing a Network Plan 86

Deleting a Network Plan 87

Sharing a Network Plan 88 Defining a Mobility Domain 90

Roaming Behavior 90

Traffic Ports Used by a Mobility Domain 91

Creating a Mobility Domain 92

4 PLANNING THE 3COM MOBILITY SYSTEM

Building Wizard Overview 95

Accessing the Building Wizard 95 Creating a Site 105 Creating or Modifying Buildings in a Site 107

Modifying Floor Defaults 109 Importing or Drawing Floor Details 110

Importing a Drawing of a Floor 111

Cropping the Paper Space 118

Adjusting the Origin Point 119

Adjusting the Scale of a Drawing 121

Working with Layers 122

Cleaning Up a Drawing 124

Drawing Floor Objects Manually 128

Changing an Individual Floor’s Properties 129 Specifying the RF Characteristics of a Floor 130

Recommendations 130

Converting Objects into RF Obstacles 130

Drawing RF Obstacles 133 Defining Wireless Coverage Areas 134

Accessing the Define Coverage Page 135

Creating a Wiring Closet 135

Defining a Coverage Area 137

Adding a Third-Party Access Point 149 Computing MAP Placement 152

Computing and Placing MAP Access Points for a Coverage Area 153

Assigning MAP Channels 162

Computing Optimal Power 165 Verifying the Wireless Network 168

Showing RF Coverage 168

Placing RF Measurement Points 169

Using RF Interactive Measurement Mode 171

Reading the RF Measurement Table 171 Generating RF Network Design Information 173

Accessing the Report Page 173

Reviewing Layout Information 174

Reviewing the MAP List 174

Generating a Work Order 175

Applying RF Auto-Tuning Settings to the Network Plan 176

5 CONFIGURING WX SYSTEM AND ADMINISTRATIVE PARAMETERS

WX Switch Wizard Overview 179

System and Administrative Page 182 Wireless Page 183 AAA Page 185

Adding a WX Switch to the Network Plan 186

To create a new WX switch based on a configured switch 186 To add a switch by uploading its basic configuration from the

network 187

To add a switch by importing a configuration file 187 Accessing the WX Switch Wizard 187 Configuring Basic WX Properties 188 Configuring VLANs 189

VLANs, IP Subnets, and IP Addressing 190

Users and VLANs 190

Traffic Forwarding 191

802.1Q Tagging 191

Creating a VLAN 192

Modifying VLANs 203

Deleting VLANs 203 Configuring the System IP Address 203 Configuring WX Management Services 204

Setting System Information 205

Enabling HTTPS 206

Configuring Telnet 207

Configuring SSH 207

Disabling or Reenabling WebAAA 208

Configuring SNMP 208

Configuring an SNMP V1 or V2c Community String 210

Configuring an SNMP V3 User 211

Configuring Logging 215

Setting the Timezone 220 Configuring Wired Authentication Ports 222 Configuring Network Ports 223

Configuring Load Sharing 225

Load Sharing 225 Link Redundancy 225 Configuration Changes Based on Port Groups 225 To configure load sharing 225

Configuring IP Services 226

Configuring Static Routes 226 Configuring IP Aliases 229 Configuring DNS 230 Configuring NTP 231 Configuring ARP 233

6 CONFIGURING WIRELESS PARAMETERS

Overview 235 Configuring an SSID 237 Configuring a Service Profile 238

Configuring Encryption 240 Mapping a Service Profile to a Radio Profile 245

Configuring a Radio Profile 245

To create a radio profile 246 To change 802.11 attributes 247 To configure RF Auto-Tuning 248 To map the radio profile to a service profile 250

Configuring Directly Connected MAP Access Points 251

To configure a directly connected MAP 251 To modify MAP attributes 252 To modify radio settings 254 To modify a MAP connection 257

Configuring Distributed MAP Access Points 258

To configure a distributed MAP 258

7 CONFIGURING AUTHENTICATION, AUTHORIZATION, AND

CCOUNTING PARAMETERS

Overview 263 Connecting to RADIUS Servers and Server Groups 264

Defining RADIUS Default Values 265 Defining RADIUS Servers 266

Defining RADIUS Server Groups 268 Creating and Managing Users in the Local User Database 269

Creating Named Users 270

Creating Named User Groups 271

Creating MAC Address Users 272

Creating MAC Address User Groups 273

Configuring User Authorization Attributes 274 Configuring and Managing Access Rules for Administrative Users 280

Using User Globs and MAC Address Globs 281

Creating Administrator and Console Access Rules 283

Managing Administrator and Console Access Rules 285 Configuring and Managing Access Rules for Network Users 286

Authentication 286

Authorization 291

Accounting 293

Configuring Authentication 293

Configuring Accounting 297

Changing the Order of Access Rules 298 Configuring Location Policies 299

About the Location Policy 299

Creating Location Policy Rules 300 Configuring AAA for Clients of Third-Party APs 303 Configuring Mobility Profiles 306 Using Access Control Lists for Security 307

Creating Access Control Lists 307

Adding ACEs to an ACL 315

Mapping ACLs 315 Configuring 802.1X Parameters 319

8 MANAGING WX SYSTEM IMAGES AND CONFIGURATIONS

Managing WX System Files 323 Uploading a WX Switch Configuration into 3WXM 325 Verifying Configuration Information 327

Toolbar Options 328

Filtering the Message List 329

Resolving an Error or Warning 329

Disabling a Rule from the Message List 330

Changing Verification Options 330 Disabling and Reenabling Rules 331

Synchronizing Local and Network Changes 333

Change Management Options 333 Toolbar Options 334 Managing WX switch Configuration Changes 335 Synchronizing When the Network and 3WXM Have Nonmatching

Changes 337 Modifying Configuration Change Polling Options 337

Deploying WX switches from a Network Plan to the Network 339

To deploy network plan changes to the network 339 To deploy WX switches from a network plan to the network 339

Distributing Image and Configuration Files 340

Using the Image Repository 340 Distributing System Images 341

Importing and Exporting WX switch Configuration Files 342

To import a configuration 343 To export a configuration 344

Configuring and Applying Policies 345

How Changes Are Managed 345 Policies Created When You Migrate a 3.x Network Plan to 4.0 345 Configuring a Policy 346 Reviewing and Applying Policy Settings 347

Rebooting WX Switches or MAP Access Points 348

9 MANAGING CERTIFICATES

Overview 349 Processing Certificates 350 Managing Certificates 351

Reviewing Certificate Details 351 Deleting Certificates 351

Distributing PKCS #12 Files 352

10 MONITORING THE NETWORK

Overview 353 Requirements for Monitoring 354 Accessing Monitored Data 354

Using the Explore Window 355

Toolbar Options 357

Threshold Flags 359

Displaying Object Details 361

Displaying 802.11 Coverage 362

Taking RF Measurements 364 Using the Status Summary Window 366 Using the Client Monitor Window 367

Toolbar Options 367

Refreshing Client Data 368

Displaying Client Activity Information 368

Displaying Client Session Information 379

Managing the Client Watch List 389

Displaying a Client’s Geographical Location 394

Terminating a Client’s Session 394 Using the RF Monitor Window 395

Displaying RF Neighborhood Information 396

Displaying the SSID-to-BSSID Mapping 397

Displaying the Activity Log 398

Displaying RF Environment Statistics 399 Using the RF Trends Window 400

Refreshing RF Trend Data 402 Accessing Realtime Performance Statistics 402

Viewing Performance Data 405 Accessing the Event Log 411

Displaying the event log 411

Toolbar Options 412

Refreshing the Data 412

Filtering the Messages 412

Reviewing Event Details 417

11 DETECTING AND COMBATTING ROGUE DEVICES

Overview 419

Rogue Access Points and Users 419

Ad Hoc Users 420

RF Detection Scans 420

Countermeasures 421

Rogue Detection Requirements 421 Rogue Detection Lists 423 Using the Rogue Detection Tab 425

Toolbar Options 426 Filtering the Rogue List 426

Displaying Rogue Details 428 Displaying a Rogue’s Geographical Location 430 Ignoring Friendly Third-Party Devices 431 Adding a Device to the Attack List 431 Converting a Rogue into a Third Party AP 432

To convert a rogue into a third-party AP 432

To display the list 432

To remove a third-party AP 432 Adding a Rogue’s Clients to the Black List 433 Configuring RF Detection Options from the Organizer Panel 433

12 GENERATING REPORTS

Overview 438 Generating an Inventory Report 439 Generating a Mobility Domain Configuration Report 440 Generating a WX Configuration Report 441 Generating a Client Summary Report 442 Generating a Client Details Report 443 Generating a Client Errors Report 445 Generating a Watch List Client Report 446 Generating a Network Usage Report 447 Generating an RF Summary Report 448 Generating a Radio Details Report 449 Generating a Rogue Details Report 450 Generating a Rogue Summary Report 451 Generating a Site Survey Order 452 Generating a Work Order 453

13 OPTIMIZING A NETWORK PLAN

Importing RF Measurements 455

Importing the Measurements 455

Applying the RF Measurements to the Floor Plan 458

Locating and Fixing Coverage Holes 459

Locating a Coverage Hole 459 Fixing a Coverage Hole 460 Computing and Placing New MAPs 461 Adding New MAPs that Are Already Installed to the Network Plan 461

A USING 3WXM WITH HP OPENVIEW

Preparing to Use HP OpenView and 3WXM 463 Starting 3WXM from Network Node Manager 463

B CHANGING 3WXM PREFERENCES

Overview 465 Resetting Preferences Values 466 Changing Network Synchronization Options 466 Changing User Interface Options 468 Changing Persistence Options 469 Changing Tools Options 469 Changing Certificate Management Options 470 Changing Options for RF Planning 471

Configuring the Typical Client’s Transmit Power 471 Changing Colors 472

Changing 3WXM Logging Options 477

C CHANGING 3WXM SERVICES PREFERENCES

Overview 479 Starting or Stopping the 3WXM Services 481 Connecting to 3WXM Services 482

Certificate Check 483

Completing the connection 484 Verifying that the 3WXM Client is Receiving Service Data 485 Changing Service Settings 485 Changing WX Connection Settings 487 Changing Monitoring Settings 489

To change monitoring settings 490 Accessing the 3WXM Services Log 492 Managing Network Plans 492

Backing Up a Plan 493 Changing Backup Settings 493 Restoring a Plan from a Backup 494 Copying a Plan Backup from One Server to Another 494 Deleting a Plan Backup 495

D OBTAINING SUPPORT FOR YOUR PRODUCT

Register Your Product 497 Purchase Value-Added Services 497 Troubleshoot Online 497 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

16 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 17

 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 Installation and Basic

Configuration Guide

This guide provides instructions and specifications for installing a WX wireless switch in a Mobility System WLAN, and basic instructions for deploying a secure IEEE 802.11 wireless service.

 Wireless LAN Switch and Controller Configuration Guide

Documentation Comments

This guide provides instructions for configuring and managing the system through the Mobility System Software (MSS) CLI.

 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)

18 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.

INSTALLING 3WXM

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

Hardware Requirements

Hardware

Requirements for

3WXM Client

3WXM can be utilized with a client/server deployment or both client and monitoring services can be run on the same machine. The monitoring service is used for collecting historical data and for managing the network. The client requires communication with the monitoring service for managing the network. Larger installations needing multiple management clients should utilize the client/server approach with 3WXM clients communicating with a separate monitoring service. When combining client and monitoring services on the same machine, please use the requirements indicated for the monitoring service.

The monitoring service is not required to configure and manage WX switches. However, data provided by the monitoring service (in the Monitor tab) is not available if the monitoring service is not installed.

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

20 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 21

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:

 HP OpenView Network Node Manager 6.4 or later—Must be installed

prior to 3WXM if you plan to use 3WXM in your HP OpenView environment.

 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 22 for more information.

If you plan to install the HP OpenView plug-in for 3WXM, which allows you to integrate 3WXM into an HP OpenView environment, make sure that HP OpenView is already installed.

If you are installing an evaluation copy, you still need to obtain an activation key from 3Com after installation.

22 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING 3WXM

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.

Serial Number and

License Key

HP OpenView

Network Node

Manager

3WXM comes with a base license key, which is provided on the CD cover. To use 3WXM, 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 start 3WXM, it checks the license information. If the product is not licensed, the License wizard is displayed.

If you want to integrate 3WXM into your HP OpenView environment, you have the option of installing the HP OpenView plug-in required to use Network Node Manager with 3Com products. Make sure that HP OpenView is already installed before installing 3WXM with the plug-in.

Installing 3WXM Installing 3WXM involves the following tasks:

 Unpack files. (See “Unpacking Files” on page 23.)

 Use the installation wizard. (See “Using the Installation Wizard” on

page 24.)

 Install the HP OpenView plug-in (optional). (See “Installing the HP

OpenView Plug-In” on page 27.)

 Perform the licensing steps. (See “Licensing” on page 28.)

The installation wizard for the 3WXM client has an option to install the monitoring service on the same machine. You must install the client in order to install the monitoring service. You cannot install the monitoring service separately.

Unpacking Files To unpack files on your Windows system, follow these steps.

1 Insert the 3WXM CD in the CD-ROM drive. If Autorun is enabled, wait

briefly for the install program to start. For more information about using the installation wizard, see “Using the Installation Wizard” on page 24.

Installing 3WXM 23

If Autorun is disabled, follow these steps:

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

b In the Windows\VM directory, double-click install.exe.

The Introduction page of the 3WXM installation wizard appears.

2 Go to “Using the Installation Wizard” on page 24.

24 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING 3WXM

Using the Installation

Wizard

To use the installation wizard:

1 On the Choose Installation Type page, choose one of the following:

 To install both 3WXM Services and the client, click the 3WXM Services

icon.

 To install only the 3WXM client, click the 3WXM client icon.

On Windows systems, the monitoring service is started automatically when you complete installation and starts automatically whenever you restart your system.

2 Click Next. The Select Plug-in page appears. To install the plug-in, select

the checkbox, then go to “Installing the HP OpenView Plug-In” on page 27.

If you do not want to install the plug-in, leave the box unchecked and go to step 3.

3 Click Next. The License Agreement page appears. After reading the

3WXM license agreement, select whether to accept the terms of the agreement. (If you choose not to accept the terms of the license agreement, you cannot proceed with the installation.)

4 Click Next. The Choose Install Folder page appears.

Installing 3WXM 25

5 Type the name of the directory in which to install 3WXM, or accept the

default.

The default installation directory is C:\Program Files\3Com\Wireless Switch Manager.

You can also type a directory name in the box, or select a directory by clicking Choose and browsing the filesystem. To revert to the default installation directory, click Restore Default Folder.

6 Click Next. The Pre-Installation Summary page appears.

7 Check the installation summary information. Click Previous to make any

changes to previous pages.

8 Click Install.

The installer installs 3WXM. The monitoring service also is installed, if you selected this option.

When installation is complete, you see a page similar to the following, which reports that the installation was successful and identifies the directory in which 3WXM was installed.

26 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING 3WXM

If this page contains options for rebooting your system, you must reboot to complete the installation. Generally, a reboot is required only if another instance of 3WXM is running while you perform the installation of this instance. Select one of the reboot options.

If the Database Export Failed page appears, this indicates that the installer was unable to upgrade an existing database created by an earlier version of 3WXM. Select Install to complete the installation, then use the dbtools.exe command to manually upgrade the database. (See “Restoring a Plan from a Backup” on page 494.)

9 Click Done.

See “Getting Started” on page 75 for more information on getting started with 3WXM.

Installing 3WXM 27

Installing the HP

OpenView Plug-In

To install the HP OpenView plug-in:

1 Complete step 9 of the procedure in “Using the Installation Wizard” on

page 24.

2 Click Next. The Select Plug-in page appears.

3 Select the HPOV checkbox and click Next.

The License Agreement page appears. After reading the 3WXM license agreement, select whether to accept the terms of the agreement. (If you choose not to accept the terms of the license agreement, you cannot proceed with the installation.)

4 Click Next.

5 To specify the directory in which HP OpenView Network Node Manager is

installed, click Choose.

Network Node Manager must be already be installed on the system. You must specify the correct directory for Network Node Manager for the HP OpenView plug-in to be installed correctly. The default Network Node Manager installation directory is C:\Program Files\HP OpenView\NNM.

Click Restore Default Folder to reset the directory to the default value.

6 Click Next to display the Pre-Installation Summary page.

7 Check the installation summary information. Click Previous to make any

changes to previous pages.

8 Click Install.

When installation is complete, a page is displayed to report that the installation was successful. The page also identifies the directory in which 3WXM was installed.

9 Click Done.

See “Getting Started” on page 75 for more information on getting started with 3WXM. For more information about using HP OpenView with 3Com products, see “Using 3WXM With HP OpenView” on page 463.

28 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING 3WXM

Licensing Each time you start 3WXM, it checks the license information. If the

product is not licensed, the following dialog is displayed.

1 If you are installing a licensed copy, select Standard Base Product and

click Next. Go to step 2.

If you are installing an evaluation copy, select Time Limited Evaluation and click Next. Go to Step 3.

2 Type the license key that was supplied with the 3WXM CD, and click

Next.

Installing 3WXM 29

3 Click Get Activation Key.

A 3Com web page appears. Enter your registration information (and the license key, if you are licensing a purchased copy) in order to obtain an activation key.

4 Copy the activation key from the web page and paste it into the

Activation Key box of the Activation Key page.

5 If you plan to manage 10 or fewer wireless LAN switches, click Finish.

You are through with this procedure.

If you are activating an evaluation copy, you can manage up to 10 wireless LAN switches. Click Finish to complete this procedure.

If you plan to manage more than 10 wireless LAN switches, click Next to display the following page and go to step 6.

30 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING 3WXM

6 Type the upgrade license key in the License Key box and click Next.

7 Click Get Activation Key to access the product activation key for your

upgrade license. Register your upgrade license in order to obtain its activation key.

8 Copy the evaluation key for the upgrade license from the web page and

paste it into the Activation Key box of the Activation Key page.

9 Click Finish.

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

created and placed on the desktop. 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 xml directory in the 3WXM installation directory. As a best practice, back up the xml 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 do not delete the serial number.

Uninstalling 3WXM 31

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.

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.

32 CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING 3WXM

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.

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

The monitoring service and HP OpenView plug-in are uninstalled automatically.

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 A network plan is the workspace in 3WXM you use to design a 3Com

network. In a network plan, you define components of the network (WX switches, MAP access points, and optionally third-party access points). Regardless of whether you intend to use physical planning features, you must create a network plan before you can configure or manage WX switches or monitor network data.

After you have created or opened a network plan, the main 3WXM window is organized into panels, as shown in the following figure.

34 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Organizer panel

Toolbar

Content panel

Alerts panel

Object Details panel (hidden by default)

Network Activity icon

The main 3WXM window contains a toolbar with menu categories. Underneath the categories are icons for frequently used menu options. The window also contains panels for navigating to and displaying information.

The main 3WXM window contains the following panels. (See the previous figure.)

 Organizer panel — Provides a tree-like display of objects and quick

access to them. The Organizer panel is located on the left side of the

main window.

 Content panel — Displays monitored data for objects. The Content

panel is located to the right of the Organizer panel.

Menu Options in Main 3WXM Window 35

 Alerts panel — Displays summary statistics for configuration changes

or errors and for rogue access points detected in the 3Com Mobility Domain.

 Object Details panel — Displays details for an object selected in the

Organizer panel. When displayed, the Object Details panel is located under the Content panel. This panel is hidden by default.

You can resize a panel by clicking and dragging the panel’s border. You also can hide or redisplay the Information and Alerts panels by selecting View > Object Details or View > Alerts from the main toolbar.

Panel sizes and window arrangements are associated with 3WXM usernames. When you close 3WXM, 3WXM remembers the panel sizes and window arrangements you assigned and restores them the next time you run 3WXM.

The Network Activity icon displays statistics for management traffic between 3WXM and the WX switches in the network plan. You can click on the icon to display more details.

Menu Options in Main 3WXM Window

The Lock icon indicates whether the network plan has been locked. When you make changes to a network plan, 3WXM locks it on the server. The lock prevents other clients who open the network plan from modifying it while you are making changes. The network plan remains locked until you save your changes, after which the lock is released

Table 6 lists the options available from the menu at the top of the main 3WXM window. Click on a menu category to display the options for that category. Most of the options have icons.

By default, icons for commonly used options on the File, Edit, View, Config, Manage, Monitor, and Tools menus are displayed in the row under the main 3WXM menu bar. To add or remove icons in this row, select View > Toolbars. Icons for categories indicated with a checkmark in the menu are available in the row under the categories. Selecting a category toggles whether its icons are available.

36 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Tab le 6 3WXM Menu Options

Menu Menu Option Description

File (New) Create a new network plan.

(Open) Open a network plan.

Close Close a network plan.

(Switch Network

Plan)

(Delete Network Plan)

(Save) Save a network plan.

(Save As) Save a copy of a network plan under a new

Refresh Refresh the network plan with the most

(Import) Import a WX configuration file.

(Export) Export a WX configuration file.

(Exit) Close 3WXM.

Edit (Copy) Copy the selected object.

(Paste) Create a new copy of the object you copied

Select a different network plan to edit.

Delete a network plan.

name.

current data from the server.

If another user has made changes to the network plan and saved them on the server, this option is available to update your display with the changes

under the parent object selected in the Organizer panel.

(Paste Replace) Replace the object that is selected in the

Organizer panel with the object you copied.

View (Object Details) Open the Information panel.

The Information panel appears under the Content panel.

Menu Options in Main 3WXM Window 37

Tab le 6 3WXM Menu Options (continued)

(Alerts) Open the Alerts panel.

(Toolbars) Toggle display of toolbar icons.

Icons for selected toolbar categories are displayed under the row of toolbar categories.

Config (Insert) Add an object.

This option displays a wizard to a child object to the selected object in the Organizer panel. For example, if a Mobility Domain name is selected, Config > Insert displays the Create Wireless Switch wizard to add a WX switch.

(Edit) Edit the selected object(s).

This option displays a wizard to modify the object(s) currently selected in the Organizer panel.

(View) View the properties of the selected object(s).

This option displays a wizard that shows the properties of the object(s) currently selected in the Organizer panel. The View option does not allow you to edit the object’s properties.

(Delete) Delete the selected object(s).

Manage (Managed Devices) Display a list of managed WX switches.

(Upload) Upload a WX configuration into 3WXM.

(Verification) Verify the configuration of a WX switch to

(Deploy) Deploy WX switch configurations to the

(Policy Manager) Synchronize the parameter settings in

(Distribute Images

& Configuration)

resolve warnings or errors.

network.

Domain Policies with the settings on individual switches.

Distribute a system image and configuration information to WX switches.

38 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Tab le 6 3WXM Menu Options (continued)

(Distribute

Certificates)

(Reboot WX/MAP

Devices)

(Apply Auto-Tune Settings)

Monitor (New Monitor) View monitored data for the object selected

(Events) View log messages.

(Rogue Detection) View rogue detection scan results.

(Performance) Display Ethernet or radio statistics.

Reports (Inventory Report) Generate an inventory report of 3Com

Distribute certificates to WX switches.

Reboot WX switches or MAP access points.

Apply channel and power settings from live radios to their counterparts in the network plan to update the plan.

For example, if RF Auto-Tuning causes radio configuration changes, you can easily synchronize the network plan with the changes using this option.

in the Organizer panel.

This opens the Monitor tab in the Content panel. The content of the windows in the Monitor tab changes based on the object that is selected in the Organizer panel.

equipment.

(Mobility Domain

Configuration)

(WX

Configuration)

(Client Summary) Generate a report of summary data for client

(Client Details) Generate a report of detailed client session

Generate a report of the major configuration parameters of all the WX switches in the Mobility Domain.

Generate a report of the configuration parameters of a specific WX switch.

sessions.

information.

Menu Options in Main 3WXM Window 39

Tab le 6 3WXM Menu Options (continued)

(Client Errors) Generate a trend report on client-related

(Watch List Client) Generate a report of detailed information

(Network Usage) Generate a report on network resource

(RF Summary) Generate a report on overall network health

(Radio Details) Generate a detailed report of statistical

(Rogue Details) Generate a report of current and historical

(Rogue Summary) Generate a report of all rogues detected

health in the network. For example, this report can indicate areas of the network where clients have been experiencing high association failure rates.

for a client on the watch list. (For more information about the client watch list, see “Managing the Client Watch List” on page 389.)

usage and client activity.

using selected radio statistics. You can use the report to compare RF environments across the network and isolate potential problem areas.

information for each radio in a specific MAP access point.

information for a specific rogue access point.

within a specific time period.

(Site Survey Order) Generate a site survey order to prepare for

conducting a site survey.

(Work Order) Generate a work order for installing 3Com

equipment.

To ol s (Preferences) Change 3WXM user preferences.

(Certificate

Management)

(Image

Repository)

(3WXM Services

Setup)

Manage certificates.

Open the system image repository.

Configure preferences for the 3WXM monitoring service.

40 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Tab le 6 3WXM Menu Options (continued)

(3WXM Services

Backup/Restore)

Configure settings for backing up the database used by 3WXM services, as well as restore a previously backed-up version of the database.

(3WXM Services

Lock Management)

Display information about the lock placed on the network plan and/or delete the lock.

(Launch Telnet) Open a Telnet connection to a selected

device.

(Launch Browser) Open a Web connection to a selected

device.

Window (Close All) Close all tabs or windows that are open in

the Content panel.

This menu also has an additional option for each tab open in the Content panel. Selecting one of these options places the selected tab in the foreground, but does not close other tabs or windows.

Help (3WXM Help) Open the 3Com 3WXM Administrator’s

Guide. (This book.) You can also open this guide by pressing the F1 key.

(Licensing) Open the License Information dialog box.

(Report Problem) Report a problem to 3Com Technical

Support.

(About 3WXM) About 3WXM:

 3WXM version information

 3WXM serial number and license key

 3WXM release notes

 Memory usage

 Java garbage collection (Force GC)

Organizer Panel 41

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

and site data managed by 3WXM.

The Organizer panel contains the following sections:

 Policies — The set of policies included in your network plan.

 Equipment — The set of devices in your network plan. This includes

Mobility Domains, 3Com switches and MAP access points, as well as third-party access points that 3WXM needs to be aware of while planning or monitoring the network

 Sites — Named sets of buildings and floors where 3Com equipment

is deployed.

The Equipment section is expanded by default.

42 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

To display the objects in a section of the Organizer panel, click on the right arrow next to the section name. For example, to display the objects in the Sites section, click next to Sites. The section is expanded to display the site names.

To expand the view of an object in the Policies, Equipment, or Sites panel and display its contents, click on the plus sign next to the object. For example, to display the buildings in a site, click on the plus sign next to the site name. To display the floors in the building, click next to the building name, and so on.

Details Checkbox In the Equipment and Sites sections, the Details checkbox controls the

level of detail displayed. When Details is enabled, all objects in the Mobility Domain or site can be displayed. When Details is disabled, the display is restricted to objects for which you can display data in the Monitor tab of the Content panel.

 Mobility Domains — The display is restricted to switches and their

port connections, including connections to MAP access points. Rogue

Detection objects are not displayed. The only objects listed under the

WX switches are for physical port connections and Distributed MAP

connections.

 Sites — The display is restricted to coverage areas. Objects for

individual access points are not displayed, although you can expand a

coverage area to list the individual 3Com radios in the coverage area.

However, regardless of whether Details is enabled, you can drill down to display details at the most granular level if needed.

Organizer Panel 43

Displaying Additional

Object Details

Select an object

To display details for an object in the Organizer panel, select the object. Details about the object appear in the Information panel, located at the bottom right of the main 3WXM window. For example, select a Mobility Domain to display the system IP address and system name of the seed switch for the domain.

Details are displayed here

In addition, monitored data for the object selected in the Organizer panel can be displayed in separate monitoring windows in the Content panel. To open the Monitor tab and display monitored information for an object, right-click on the object in the Organizer panel and select

New Monitor.

Policy Objects Policies are configuration parameters that you define once in 3WXM and

then can apply to multiple WX switches. You define policies in the Policies section of the Organizer panel.

44 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

To edit configuration parameters for an object, right-click on the object’s icon and select Edit. To display parameters for an object, right-click on the object’s icon and select View. To create a new instance of an object (where applicable), right-click on the object’s icon and select Insert. You also can create objects by copying and pasting. (See “Copying and Pasting Objects” on page 70.)

Table 7 lists the objects for a policy. These objects control configuration parameters for all WX switches to which the policy is applied.

Tab le 7 Policy Objects

Object Description

Management Services

Settings for the following management services:

 System Information, including contact and location

information, CLI prompt, and message of the day.

 HTTPS—Controls Web Manager management access to the

WX switches.

 Telnet—Controls Telnet management access to the WX

switches.

 SSH—Controls Secure Shell (SSH) management access to the

WX switches.

 Web Portal—Controls web-based login of network users

(clients).

 SNMP—Configures traps, communities, and trap receivers.

 Log—Controls log and trace settings.

 Timezone—Controls local offsets to Universal Mean Time

(UMT).

ACLs Access Control Lists (ACLs) to filter traffic.

IP Services Settings for IP parameters:

 IP routes to the default gateway

 IP aliases

 Domain Name Service (DNS) settings

 Network Time Protocol (NTP) settings

 Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) settings

RADIUS Settings for RADIUS servers and server groups.

Tab le 7 Policy Objects (continued)

Object Description

Organizer Panel 45

Admin Access Rules

Network Access Rules

Rules for securing Admin access and console access to the WX switch.

Rules for authenticating users attempting to access the network. You can create rules for the following authentication types:

 IEEE 802.1X

 MAC authentication

 Web AAA

 Last-resort

RF Detection Settings for RF detection scans. RF detection scans can discover

third-party transmitters, in addition to other 3Com radios.

VLANs Groups of physical ports configured as a distinct Layer 2

broadcast domain. Each VLAN has its own Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) settings. Optionally, a VLAN can be associated with an IP interface.

Spanning Tree

Settings for optional STP fast convergence features.

Properties

Service Profiles Sets of encryption parameters associated with an SSID and with

radio profiles.

Radio Profiles Sets of radio parameters that can be applied to multiple radios,

including the beacon interval, RF Auto-Tuning settings, and service profiles. (Service profiles associate SSIDs with the radios.)

Mobility Profiles Attributes for Mobility Profiles. Mobility Profile attributes allow

or deny access to the network for a specific user or group of users. When you create a Mobility Profile, you specify which MAP ports, Distributed MAPs, or wired authentication ports are to be included.

Local User Database

Settings for the local user database on the WX switch. You can use the local database to create users and authenticate them, or you can use the local database in conjunction with a RADIUS server.

Location Policy Settings for location policy rules. Location policies allow you to

locally override VLAN or security ACLs assigned to a user by a RADIUS server.

46 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Equipment Objects The Equipment section of the Organizer panel contains configuration

objects for Mobility Domains, WX switches, and third-party APs. At the top level of the hierarchy, the Equipment section of the Organizer panel can contain the following types of objects:

Mobility Domain—Configuration parameters for a Mobility Domain. You can configure parameters for the WX switches within a Mobility Domain.

WX switches—Configuration parameters for WX switches not in a Mobility Domain.

Third-Party APs—Configuration parameters for third-party (non-3Com) APs.

An example Equipment section is shown below. The example shows a network plan with a Mobility Domain called 3ComAir. The 3ComAir Mobility Domain contains five WX switch objects.

Individual WX switches can be added to a Mobility Domain by 3WXM as part of network planning. You also can add a switch running in the live network by uploading it into 3WXM, or you can create a new switch with the WX Switch wizard.

WX switches do not need to be configured under a Mobility Domain. The example shows objects for two WX switches, WX1200-bottom and WX1200-top, that do not belong to the 3ComAir Mobility Domain. The example also shows an object for third-party APs.

Organizer Panel 47

Table 8 lists the objects that can appear under a Mobility Domain. These objects control configuration parameters for devices in the Mobility Domain.

Tab le 8 Mobility Domain Objects

Object Description

WX switch Configuration parameters for the WX switches within a Mobility

Domain. See Table 9 for a description of the configurable objects for a WX switch.

Rogue Detection Configuration parameters for rogue detection and

countermeasures.

Table 9 lists the objects that can appear under a WX switch, either within a Mobility Domain or outside of a Mobility Domain. These objects control configuration parameters for an individual WX switch

Tab le 9 WX Switch Objects

Object Description

Management Services

Settings for the following management services:

 System Information, including contact and location

information, CLI prompt, and message of the day.

 HTTPS—Controls Web Manager management access to the

WX switches.

 Telnet—Controls Telnet management access to the WX

switches.

 SSH—Controls Secure Shell (SSH) management access to the

WX switches.

 Web Portal—Controls web-based login of network users

(clients).

 SNMP—Configures traps, communities, and trap receivers.

 Log—Controls log and trace settings.

 Timezone—Controls local offsets to Universal Mean Time

(UMT).

SSIDs Service Set Identifier (SSID) names and the network access rules

and service profiles associated with each SSID.

48 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Tab le 9 WX Switch Objects (continued)

Radio Profiles Sets of radio parameters that can be applied to multiple radios,

including the beacon interval, RF Auto-Tuning settings, and service profiles. (Service profiles associate SSIDs with the radios.)

Service Profiles Sets of encryption parameters associated with an SSID and with

radio profiles.

Ports/MAPs Settings for individual ports and for directly connected access

points.

Distributed MAPs Settings for MAP access points that are indirectly connected to

the switch, through the network.

Load Sharing Groups of physical ports that function as a single logical link.

VLANs Groups of physical ports configured as a distinct Layer 2

broadcast domain. Each VLAN has its own Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) settings. Optionally, a VLAN can be associated with an IP interface.

Spanning Tree

Settings for optional STP fast convergence features.

Properties

AAA Settings for Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting

(AAA) parameters:

 RADIUS servers

 Local user database (configured on the WX switch instead of

on the RADIUS server)

 Access rules for administrative access to WX switches

 Access rules for user access to the network

 Location policies to locally override VLAN or security ACLs

assigned to a user by a RADIUS server.

802.1X Settings for 802.1X.

ACLs Access Control Lists (ACLs) to filter traffic.

Mobility Profiles Attributes for Mobility Profiles. Mobility Profile attributes allow

Organizer Panel 49

Tab le 9 WX Switch Objects (continued)

IP Services Settings for IP parameters:

 IP routes to the default gateway

 IP aliases

 Domain Name Service (DNS) settings

 Network Time Protocol (NTP) settings

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) settings

Table 10 lists the object that can appear under Third Party APs.

Table 10 Third Party AP Objects

Object Description

AP: name Configuration parameters for a third-party (non-3Com) AP.

3WXM takes these third-party access points into consideration when calculating MAP access point placement, channel settings, and power settings. In addition, WX switches do not issue countermeasures against these access points

Site Objects The Sites section of the Organizer panel contains objects for the buildings

where you want to deploy 3Com equipment. A site can contain one or more buildings and each building can contain one or more floors. Each floor contains objects for wiring closets, coverage areas, MAP access points, and third-party access points.

Table 11 lists the objects in a site.

Table 11 Third Party AP Objects

Object Description

Building Building in the selected site.

Floor Floor in the selected building.

Wiring Closet Wiring closet (switching closet) on the selected floor. During

planning for 3Com equipment placement, 3WXM places WX switches in the wiring closets.

50 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Table 11 Third Party AP Objects (continued)

Coverage Area Wireless coverage area on the selected floor. Coverage areas

MAP Access Point MAP access point on the selected floor. MSP access points

Third-party access point

contain radios.

Third-party access point on the selected floor

Alerts Panel The Alerts panel provides brief configuration and rogue detection status.

You can click on a statistic in the Alerts section to open a tab in the Content panel with more details.

When the Alerts panel is minimized, a flag on the panel’s title appears to alert you when a new warning or error condition occurs. Warnings are indicated with a yellow flag and errors are indicated with a red flag. Here is an example of the warning flag.

To navigate to more information and correct the warning or error, click on the arrow to expand the panel, then click on the statistic to open the corresponding tab in the Content panel.

Alerts Panel 51

Table 12 lists the types of alerts displayed in the Alerts panel.

Table 12 Alerts

Alert Category Description

Configuration Lists the number of configuration errors and warnings

Network Lists the number of configuration differences between all

Rogue Detection Lists the total number of rogues detected by 3Com radios

Local Changes Lists the number of WX switch configuration changes that

Network Changes Lists the number of WX switch configuration changes that

encountered when 3WXM verifies WX switch configurations in the network plan.

3WXM compares a switch’s configuration to a set of configuration rules, and flags the items that must (error) or should (warning) be corrected before deploying the switch configuration from the network plan to the live network.

Select this alert to open the Config Verification tab of the Verification tab in the Content panel. You can use this tab to correct configuration errors or disable rules.

WX switches in the network and their counterparts in the network plan.

Select this alert to open the Network Verification tab of the Verification tab in the Content panel. You can use this tab to edit configuration items or disable rules.

and still operating in the Mobility Domain(s) defined in the network plan.

Select this alert to open the Rogue Detection tab in the Control panel. You can use this tab to list information about non-3Com wireless devices detected in the network.

have occurred in 3WXM (in the network plan) since the last time the switches in the network were synchronized with their counterparts in 3WXM.

Select this alert to open the Managed Devices tab in the Content panel. You can use this tab to review the local changes and deploy them to the network.

have occurred in the live network since the last time the switches in the network were synchronized with their counterparts in 3WXM.

Select this alert to open the Managed Devices tab in the Content panel. You can use this tab to review the network changes and upload them to 3WXM.

52 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Content Panel The Content panel displays information for objects selected in the

Organizer panel, or for options selected from the Manage or Monitor toolbar option of the main 3WXM window.

Information is displayed in the following tabs:

 Monitor

 Managed Devices

 Verification

 Events

 Rogue Detection

 Performance Statistics

Clicking on a statistic in the Alerts panel also opens one of these tabs. (The following sections provide more information.)

To close a tab, right-click on the tab title and select Close Selected Tab.

Monitor Tab The Monitor tab displays information retrieved from the monitoring

service. Information is presented in the following windows within the Monitor tab:

 Explore — Shows the operational status of 3Com equipment: WX

switches, MAP access points, and radios.

 Status Summary — Shows tables of basic information for the 3Com

equipment.

 Client Monitor — Shows activity, errors, and session information for

network clients. Additionally, you can configure a watch list of clients

and track their activity and session histories over time, up to 30 days.

 RF Monitor — Shows RF information for radios, including power and

channel information.

 RF Trends — Shows current and past statistics for radios. You can

view statistics up to 30 days old, and display graphs of data trends.

The Select a View drop-down list on the Monitor tab has options to navigate to the tabs listed above.

Content Panel 53

Drop-Down

List

The scope of the data displayed depends on the object that is selected. For example, if you select a Mobility Domain, the information applies to all the WX switches, MAP access points, and radios in the Mobility Domain. If you select an individual radio, the information applies only to that radio.

To open the Monitor tab, select an object in the Organizer panel, then do one of the following:

 Select Monitor > New Monitor from the main 3WXM toolbar.

 Right-click on the object, then select New Monitor from the menu.

Monitor Tab — Explore Window

The Explore window shows the status of 3Com equipment within the scope of the object selected in the Equipment or Sites section of the Organizer panel.

 If you select a Mobility Domain or WX switch, 3WXM presents a

link-based view of the equipment. You can hide or redisplay the MAP access point connections on a WX switch by clicking on the minus sign or plus sign in the right corner of the object. Likewise, you can hide or redisplay the WX switches in a Mobility Domain.

54 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

 If you select a MAP access point or a radio, the floor plan containing

the MAP or radio is displayed. The floor plan also is displayed if you

select the floor or you select a wiring closet, coverage area, MAP, or

radio on the floor.

Content Panel 55

Floor views are available only if you add the floor to the site information in the network plan.

In either view, the operational status of 3Com equipment is indicated by the following colors:

 Green — Up

 Yel lo w — Up (but with minor service degradation)

 Orange — Up (but with major service degradation)

 Red — Down

 Blue — Unknown

You can double-click on an object to drill down to more detailed information about the object.

56 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

You can edit configuration parameters for an object displayed in the Explore window by right-clicking on the object’s icon and selecting Edit. To create a new instance of an object (where applicable), right-click on the object’s icon and select Insert.

Monitor Tab — Status Summary Window

The Status Summary window shows the operational status of 3Com equipment (WX switches, their MAP access points, and MAP radios). The Status column shows the equipment status, using the same colors as the Explore window. Additional information is displayed for each equipment type.

You can double-click on a row in the Status Summary window to display more information about the object in the Explore window:

 Double-click on a row in the Wireless Switches tab to display the

switch and its MAP access points.

 Double-click on a row in the Managed Access Points or Radios tab to

display the floor plan where the MAP or radio is located, and the

operational status of each MAP on that floor.

Content Panel 57

Monitor Tab — Client Monitor Window

The Client Monitor window shows detailed information about client activity on the network.

Client information is displayed in the following tabs:

 Client Activity — displays association and 802.1X information for

the clients

 Client Sessions — lists bandwidth, signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), and

received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information for client sessions

 Client Watch List — lists the clients 3WXM is tracking. You can set

up a watch list of clients you want 3WXM to track. 3WXM collects session and roaming information for the clients.

58 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Monitor Tab — RF Monitor Window

The RF monitor window shows detailed RF information for each radio.

Radio information is displayed in the following tabs:

 RF Neighborhood — lists the other transmitting devices that the

radio can hear.

 SSID-BSSID Mapping — lists the MAC address associated with each

SSID the radio can hear

 Activity — lists log messages for the radio

 RF Environment — lists 802.11 statistics for the radio

Content Panel 59

Monitor Tab — RF Trends Window

The RF trends window shows current and historical 802.11 statistics and shows graphs of the data. You can graph absolute values or deltas from previous values.

60 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Managed Devices Tab The Managed Devices tab enables you to examine and reconcile

configuration differences between WX switches in the live network and their counterparts in a network plan.

You can display this tab in the following ways:

 Click on Local Changes or Network Changes in the alerts section of

the Organizer panel.

 Select Manage > Managed Devices from the main 3WXM toolbar.

Content Panel 61

Verification Tab The Verification tab enables you to troubleshoot configuration issues on

WX switches in the network plan or in the live network. Warning or error messages are displayed to indicate issues.

Warning and error messages

Resolutions

Error/Warning Details

You can fix configuration errors and verify the results. If you want to instead disregard specific error or warning messages, you can disable the messages.

The verification tab has two pages — a Config Verification page and a Network Verification page. The Config Verification page checks the configuration of 3Com equipment in the network plan. The Network Verification page checks the configuration of 3Com equipment running in the network.

62 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Events Tab The Events tab displays log messages for 3WXM, the monitoring service,

and for WX switches.

To display the Events tab, select Monitor > Events from the main 3WXM toolbar.

Content Panel 63

Rogue Detection Tab The Rogue Detection tab lists information about non-3Com wireless

devices detected in the Mobility Domain. The Mobility System Software (MSS) running on WX switches continually performs RF scans to detect rogue access points. Normally, if a scan detects a third-party access point, MSS assumes the access point is a rogue and issues countermeasures against it. You can identify friendly access points and prevent countermeasures from being used against them by adding them to the third-party APs section.

Unless you identify a third-party wireless device as a known device or third-party AP, WX switches consider the device to be a rogue AP and issue countermeasures against the device to prevent clients from being able to use it.

You can display data about rogues that are currently in operation as well as currently inactive rogues that were detected in the past. You can even display the estimated physical location of a rogue.

To display the Rogue Detection tab, select Monitor > Rogue Detection from the main 3WXM toolbar.

64 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Information Panel The Information panel displays details about the object selected in the

Organizer panel. For example, if a WX switch is selected, details about the switch are displayed.

Information panel

Configuration Wizards 65

Configuration Wizards

3WXM provides configuration wizards for configuring site information and 3Com equipment. The wizards provide a general workflow for configuration and enable you to easily set or change the parameters for an object.

You display the configuration wizard for an object by selecting the object in the Organizer panel, then right-clicking and selecting Insert (to create a new one) or Edit (to edit the one that is selected).

For example, to edit RADIUS configuration settings for a WX switch, select RADUIS (under AAA), then right-click and select Edit. The Modify RADUIS wizard appears.

Wizard pages. Workflow is from left to right.

Most wizards contain multiple pages, and buttons at the top of the wizard to allow direct access to the pages. You also can click the Next and Previous buttons at the bottom of the wizard to navigate among the wizard’s pages.

The Finish button saves the changes you make in the wizard.

66 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

CAUTION: None of the information you enter in a wizard is saved until you click Finish. If you want to stop working in a wizard and return to finish later, click Finish to save your work before closing the wizard.

Some pages have buttons that open additional wizards. For example, the RADIUS Server page contains buttons to add, change, copy and paste, or delete a RADIUS server.

Clicking the New RADIUS Server button opens the Create RADIUS Server wizard.

Configuration Wizards 67

The Modify RADIUS Server wizard remains open in the background. After you enter information in the Create RADIUS Server wizard and click Finish, the Modify RADIUS Server returns to the foreground. The new server added with the Create RADIUS Server wizard appears in the server list.

68 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Most of the configuration wizards in 3WXM are similar to the Modify RADIUS Server wizard. Two of the wizards are more complex:

 Building wizard — Enables you to import or create floor drawings,

characterize RF obstacles, plan wireless coverage, and generate work

orders for 3Com equipment installation. (See “Planning the 3Com

Mobility System” on page 95.)

 WX Switch wizard — Enables you to modify a switch’s configuration

parameters. (See “Configuring WX System and Administrative

Parameters” on page 179.)

Each of these wizards contains options that display other wizards such as the Modify RADIUS Server wizard.

Reports The Reports option of the main toolbar enables you to generate reports

for network clients, RF usage, rogue devices, and 3Com equipment.

 3Com equipment reports:

 Inventory Report

 Mobility Domain Configuration

 WX Configuration

 Network client reports:

 Client Summary

 Client Details

 Client Errors

 Watch List Client

 RF reports:

 Network Usage

 RF Summary

 Radio Details

 Rogue reports:

 Rogue Details

 Rogue Summary

 Work order

Reports 69

When you generate a report, you can specify the scope of the report and the location where 3WXM saves the report. Some reports also have additional options. 3WXM saves the reports in HTML format.

Here is an example of a client summary report.

70 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

Copying and Pasting Objects

Copy and Paste To create a new object with the copy and paste options:

3WXM allows you to duplicate objects, using the copy, paste, and paste replace options.

 Use the copy and paste options to create a new object.

 Use the copy and paste replace options to replace an object with a

copy of another instance of the same type of object.

You can copy and paste objects selected in the Organizer panel or in the Building wizard.

When pasting or replacing an object, the wizard for the new object is automatically started so that you can edit object properties. To successfully create the object, you must change its unique attributes (for example, WX name). If the object is a parent of other objects, all the child objects are also created or replaced (depending on the paste action). After an object is copied into the buffer, the object can be pasted or replaced as many times as required.

1 Select the object you want to copy in the Organizer panel.

2 Right-click on the object and select Copy, or select Edit > Copy from the

main toolbar.

3 Select the parent object where you want the copy to go.

4 Right-click on the parent object and select Paste, or select Edit > Paste

from the main toolbar.

The new copy of the object appears under the parent object.

For example, to create a new WX switch in a Mobility Domain:

1 Expand the view of a Mobility Domain in the Organizer panel to display

the WX switches in the Mobility Domain.

2 Select the switch you want to copy, then right-click on the switch and

select Copy.

3 Select the Mobility Domain where you want the copy to appear, then

right-click and select Paste.

Copying and Pasting Objects 71

Copy and Paste

Replace

To replace an object with the copy and paste replace options:

1 Select the object you want to copy in the Organizer panel.

2 Right-click on the object and select Copy, or select Edit > Copy from the

main toolbar.

3 Select the object you want to replace.

4 Right-click on the parent object and select Paste Replace, or select Edit

> Paste Replace from the main toolbar.

The configuration wizard for the new copy appears.

5 Make configuration changes to the new object if required, then click

Finish to close the wizard and save the changes. (Generally, you will

need to make some configuration changes in order to make the object unique. Otherwise, 3WXM cannot complete the paste operation.)

After you click Finish to close the configuration wizard, the new object appears.

For example, to copy a RADIUS server from one WX switch to another:

1 Expand the view of a Mobility Domain in the Organizer panel to display

the WX switches in the Mobility Domain.

2 Select the switch you want to copy, then right-click on the switch and

select Copy.

3 Select the Mobility Domain where you want the copy to appear, then

right-click and select Paste Replace.

The Modify WX switch wizard appears.

4 Edit the switch name and other parameters as needed. (For example, you

will need to modify the switch name as well as its IP interfaces and system IP address.) Then click Finish to close the wizard and complete the copy.

The new switch appears under the Mobility Domain.

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Enabling Keyboard Shortcut Mnemonics (Windows XP Only)

Keyboard shortcut mnemonics (also called action mnemonics) in 3WXM underline shortcut characters in action names in toolbars and menus. When a character is underlined, you can press the corresponding letter key on the keyboard to display the toolbar menu or perform the menu action. Depending on your Windows XP desktop setup, 3WXM might not show action mnemonics.

To enable action mnemonics:

1 Right-click on the desktop, and select Properties.

2 Click the Appearance tab. The Display Properties dialog box appears.

3 Click Effects.

Enabling Keyboard Shortcut Mnemonics (Windows XP Only) 73

4 Clear the box labeled Hide underlined letters for keyboard

navigation until I press the Alt key.

Clearing this option allows programs to show the underlined character for mnemonics in 3WXM.

5 Click OK.

6 In the Display Properties dialog box, click OK.

74 CHAPTER 2: WORKING WITH THE 3WXM USER INTERFACE

GETTING STARTED

This chapter contains information about starting 3Com Wireless LAN Switch Manager (3WXM), restricting access to 3WXM, creating and managing network plans, and defining a Mobility Domain.

Starting 3WXM The following steps describe how to start 3WXM.

1 Select Start > Programs > 3Com > 3WXM > 3WXM, or double-click

the 3WXM icon on the desktop.

If you are starting 3WXM for the first time, or you have not entered license information previously, the License wizard appears.

2 If you are installing a licensed copy, select Standard Base Product and

click Next. Go to step 3.

If you are installing an evaluation copy, select Time Limited Evaluation and click Next. Go to step 4.

3 Type the license key that was supplied with the 3WXM CD, and click

Next.

4 Click the Get Activation Key. A 3Com web page appears. Enter your

registration information (and the license key, if you are licensing a purchased copy) in order to obtain an activation key.

5 Copy the activation key from the web page and paste it onto the

Activation Key box of the Activation Key page.

6 If you plan to manage 10 or fewer wireless LAN switches, click Finish and

go to step 11.

If you are activating an evaluation copy, you can manage up to 10 wireless LAN switches. Click Finish and go to step 11.

If you plan to manage more than 10 wireless LAN switches, click Next to display the following page and go to step 7.

76 CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED

7 Type the upgrade license key in the License Key box and click Next.

8 Click the Get Activation Key to access the product activation key for

your upgrade license. Register your upgrade license in order to obtain its activation key.

9 Copy the activation key for the upgrade license from the web page and

paste it into the Activation Key box of the Activation Key page.

10 Click Finish.

11 After you enter or skip the license information, the 3WXM main window

and the 3WXM Services Connection dialog box appear.

12 In the 3WXM Services Connection dialog box, enter the IP address of a

host running 3WXM Services (leave this as 127.0.0.1 if the services are being run on this host), and then click Next.

13 If the 3WXM Service is installed on the same machine as the one you are

using to run 3WXM, enter 127.0.0.1 as the IP address. This is a standard IP loopback address.

14 After a connection is established to the specified 3WXM Services host, do

one of the following:

 Edit the currently loaded network plan. The first time you start 3WXM,

a network plan called default is opened.

 Create a new network plan.

If you select this option, wizard pages guide you in setting up a

network plan. For more information, see “Creating and Managing

Network Plans” on page 80.

Restricting Access to 3WXM 77

 Switch to an existing network plan. You can open the sample plan

included with 3WXM or a plan that you or another 3WXM user has saved on the 3WXM Services host.

3WXM comes with a sample plan called 3ComStarterExample. This plan contains a two-floor building with two WX1200 switches and two AP2750 MAP access points on each switch. Each switch and its MAPs provide coverage for a floor. The 3Com equipment is configured to provide both clear (unencrypted) and secure (802.1X) wireless access.

To open an existing network plan, select File > Switch Network Plan and select the network plan from the list of available network plans. 3WXM connects to the 3WXM Services host and opens the specified network plan on the server. See “Opening a Network Plan” on page 84 for more information.

Restricting Access to 3WXM

This section describes how to restrict access to the 3WXM client application.

To restrict access to the 3WXM monitoring service, see “Verifying that the 3WXM Client is Receiving Service Data” on page 485.

By default, all users who have been successfully authenticated to a system with 3WXM installed on it can run 3WXM. You can restrict the users allowed to access 3WXM on a system and define their access privileges by creating three types of 3WXM user accounts:

 Administrator — This account can monitor the network, configure

the network, and administer 3WXM. When creating an administrator account, you must assign an administrator password, which you are required to provide the next time you configure access privileges.

 Provision — This account can configure and monitor the network.

 Monitor — This account can only monitor the network. When users

with a monitor account open a network plan, they can see configuration changes that have been deployed to the network. Any configuration changes that have not been deployed are not visible.

The 3WXM user accounts you create must also exist in the Windows domain or local operating system. Otherwise, those users cannot start 3WXM.

78 CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED

Creating an

Administrator

Account

Before you can restrict user access to 3WXM, you must create an administrator account. After creating an administrator account, you can create provision or monitor accounts.

To create an administrator account:

1 Select Tools > 3WXM Services Setup. The 3WXM Services Setup dialog

box appears.

2 In the Access Control section of the dialog box, de-select Allow all

users.

The Add Account dialog box appears. The name of the user currently logged in appears in the Account Name box.

Restricting Access to 3WXM 79

3 Type a new password for the administrator (1 to 80 alphanumeric

characters, with no spaces or tabs). The password is case-sensitive.

4 Type the administrator password again for verification.

5 Click OK.

6 In the 3WXM Services Setup dialog box, click Save to save the changes.

Creating Provision or

Monitor Accounts

Deleting 3WXM User

Accounts

After creating an administrator account, you can create a provision or monitor accounts.

To create a provision or monitor account:

1 Select Tools > 3WXM Services Setup. The 3WXM Services Setup dialog

box appears.

2 To add a provision user account, click Add Provision Account. To add a

monitor account, click Add Monitor Account. The Add Account dialog box appears.

3 Type the name of a user account that has access to the system.

4 Type a new password for the administrator (1 to 80 alphanumeric

characters, with no spaces or tabs). The password is case-sensitive.

5 Type the administrator password again for verification.

6 Click OK.

7 In the 3WXM Services Setup dialog box, click Save to save the changes.

To delete a 3WXM user account:

1 Select Tools > 3WXM Services Setup. The 3WXM Services Setup dialog

box appears.

2 Select a user account from the Authorized Users list.

3 Click Remove an Account. The account is deleted.

4 In the 3WXM Services Setup dialog box, click Save to save the changes.

80 CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED

Disabling Access

Control

Creating and Managing Network Plans

If you have enabled access control for 3WXM, you can disable access control. This allows all users who have successfully authenticated to the system on which 3WXM is installed to run 3WXM.

If you disable access control, the permissions and account types are deleted from 3WXM. These deletions have no effect on the Windows user accounts.

To disable access control:

1 Select Tools > 3WXM Services Setup. The 3WXM Services Setup dialog

box appears.

2 Click Allow all users. All 3WXM accounts that were created are deleted.

3 In the 3WXM Services Setup dialog box, click Save to save the changes.

A network plan is the workspace in 3WXM you use to design a 3Com network. In a network plan, you define components of the network (WX switches, MAP access points, and optionally third-party access points). You must create a network plan before you can configure or manage WX switches or monitor network data.

A network plan allows modular management of large networks based on organizational or geographical boundaries. For example, a network plan can represent a campuswide network. You also can define a physical representation of the network (sites, buildings, and floors). In this case, you can import drawings of your floor plans into the network plan or draw plan details manually. You can then identify the RF characteristics by identifying RF objects.

3Com recommends that you limit a network plan to a single campus or Mobility Domain.

Different countries have different regulatory limits for 802.11 radios. Setting the country code in the network plan automatically enforces the appropriate regulatory limits for all configured radios. The greatest geographical scope for a network plan is a country, because a network plan is based on one specific country code.

Creating and Managing Network Plans 81

Creating a Network

Plan

To create a network plan

1 From the main 3WXM window, select File > New. The Options wizard

appears.

2 In the Network Plan Name box, type a name for the network plan. You

can use 1 to 60 alphanumeric characters, with no spaces, tabs, or any of the following: slash (/), backslash (\), quotation marks (“ ”), asterisk (*), question mark (?), angle brackets (< >), or vertical bar (|).

3 In the Country Code list, select the country where the network is to be

deployed.

You must select a country code before continuing.

4 In the Channel Set list, select the set of operating channels for any

802.11b/g MAP radios you plan to use.

The choices in the list are dependent on the country code you chose in step 3. The channel numbers you select are used later in the planning process when you assign channels to 802.11b/g radios.

You might be able to select a set of overlapping channels. However, in some network layouts, using overlapping channels reduces network performance.

Channel numbers used for 802.11a radios do not overlap and are not listed at this stage of the planning process You can modify channel selections for 802.11a and 802.11b/g radios later in the planning process or allow WX switches to set the channels automatically.

82 CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED

5 If 3WXM detected third-party (non-3Com) APs, they appear in the Third

Party AP list. If you want to include any of the listed third-party APs in your network plan, click Choose Available and select the APs from the list.

6 Click Next to save the network plan on the server and open it in 3WXM.

7 Do one of the following:

 If you intend to use the physical planning features, click Next to

 If you intend to configure and manage WX switches without using the

configure Site information. Go to “Planning the 3Com Mobility

System” on page 95.

physical planning features, go to “Configuring WX System and

Administrative Parameters” on page 179.

Managing Network

Plans

After creating a network plan, you can save, close, open, or delete it. You can also share a network plan with others.

When you exit 3WXM or close a network plan, you are given the option to save the changes on the server (the host running the 3WXM service) or locally (the host on which you are working).

If you elect to save changes locally, the changes are not saved on the server. In this case, the next time you start 3WXM, the software checks whether your client still holds the lock for the network plan; if it does, then the network plan with the locally saved changes is opened in 3WXM.

Saving a Network Plan

When you save a network plan, a directory with the same name as the network plan is created in the config-db directory of the 3WXM installation directory. You should regularly back up the config-db directory so that you have additional copies of your network plans.

Creating and Managing Network Plans 83

To save a network plan:

1 In the main 3WXM window, select File > Save.

2 Click Finish.

You can also save a network plan with a new name.

84 CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED

Saving a Network Plan with a New Name

You can save a network plan with a new name by using the Save As feature.

To save a network plan with a new name:

1 In the main 3WXM window, select File > Save As. The Save As Network

Plan wizard appears.

Opening a Network

Plan

2 In Specify Plan Name, type a new network plan name.

Optionally, you can select an existing network plan name to replace it.

3 Click Next. You see the status of the save process.

4 Click Finish.

Network plans reside on a host running 3WXM services. You can open an existing network plan by connecting to the 3WXM services host where the plan resides, selecting File > Switch Network Plan, then specifying the plan’s name in the dialog.

When you exit 3WXM or close a network plan, you are given the option to save the changes on the server (the host running the 3WXM service) or locally (the host on which you are working).

If you had previously saved changes to a network plan to the local client (rather than to the server), then when you open the network plan, 3WXM checks whether your client still holds the lock for the network plan; if the client does, then 3WXM opens the network plan with the locally saved changes included.

Creating and Managing Network Plans 85

You can open a network plan created in a previous version of 3WXM with a later version of 3WXM. For example, if you created a network plan in 3WXM Version 2.1, you can open the plan in 3WXM Version 4.0. However, because a network plan created in 3WXM Version 2.1 manages WX switches running MSS Version 2.1, you cannot use new features available in MSS Version 4.0 unless you upgrade the WX to MSS Version 4.0.

To open a network plan:

1 Establish a connection to the 3WXM Services host on which the network

plan is saved.

You can do this by restarting 3WXM or selecting File > Open, and then entering the IP address of the 3WXM Services host in the 3WXM Services Connection dialog box.

2 After the connection is established with the 3WXM Services host, select

File > Switch Network Plan.

If any changes were made to the currently loaded network plan, you are prompted to save them and close the file. The Switch Network Plan dialog box appears.

3 Select the network plan you want to open and click Next.

3WXM establishes a connection to the host running 3WXM Services and loads the specified network plan.

86 CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED

Closing a Network

Plan

You can close a network plan at any time. If you have unsaved changes, you are asked whether you want to save the changes. You can save the changes on the server (the host running the 3WXM service) or locally (the host on which you are working).

To close a network plan:

1 In the main 3WXM window, select File > Close or File > Exit.

If the network plan has no unsaved changes, the network plan is closed. Otherwise, go to the next step.

2 Specify whether you want to save the changes since the network plan

was opened or cancel the close process.

If you choose to save the changes, you are prompted whether you want to send them to the server or save them locally.

3 Do one of the following:

 Select Send Changes to Server to save the network plan changes on

the host running the 3WXM service.

 Select Save Changes Locally to save the network plan changes on

the local host running the 3WXM client.

Creating and Managing Network Plans 87

If you select Save Changes Locally, the changes are not saved on the server. In this case, the next time you start 3WXM, the software checks whether your client still holds the lock for the network plan; if it does, then the network plan with the locally saved changes is opened in 3WXM.

4 Click Next to save and close the network plan.

Deleting a Network

Plan

You can delete a network plan at any time.

CAUTION: The Delete Network Plan wizard has a Next button, but this button does not lead on to any further deletion options. 3WXM deletes the plan as soon as you click Next.

You cannot delete the currently active plan. To delete the active plan, first use the File > Switch Network Plan option to select another plan to be active, then delete the plan

To delete a network plan:

1 In the main 3WXM window, select File > Delete Network Plan. The

Delete Network Plan wizard appears.

2 Select the network plan you want to delete from the list.

3 Click Next. The network plan is deleted.

4 Click Finish.

88 CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED

Sharing a Network

Plan

Since the 3WXM plan repository resides on a networked server (the host running 3WXM Services), you can easily share access to network plans among hosts running the 3WXM client.

When you make changes to a network plan, 3WXM locks it on the server. Other 3WXM clients can still open the network plan, but the lock prevents the other clients from modifying it while you are making changes. The network plan remains locked until you save your changes, after which the lock is released. Another client who has the network plan open can then retrieve the changes you made, make their own changes, and save the network plan on the server.

When a user with an administrator or provision account tries to open a plan that is already locked by another user, 3WXM displays the Lock Info page:

The Lock Info page indicates who has locked the network plan. You can optionally override the user’s lock. Note that only a user with Administrator privileges can override another user’s lock.

Creating and Managing Network Plans 89

To override another user’s lock

1 Select To ol s > 3WXM Services Lock Management. The 3WXM

Services Lock Management dialog box appears.

2 Select the lock you want to delete and click on Delete Lock. (Only an

Administrator can delete a lock.)

3 A message is displayed indicating that the user whose lock you selected

will not be able to save their changes when you delete their lock. Click Yes to confirm that you want to do this.

If you override the lock, 3WXM unlocks the network plan, and notifies the other 3WXM users about the lock change. From this point on, the former lock holder cannot save any current or future changes to the plan.

By default, 3WXM sends a message to all users who have the plan open with monitor access to inform them when changes are saved to the plan. In addition, when a plan is closed, 3WXM sends a message to each monitor user, so that one of them can then open the plan for edit.

To disable notification:

1 In the main 3WXM window, select Tools > Preferences.

2 Click the Persistence tab.

3 To disable change notification, clear Plan Change Notification.

4 Click Close.

90 CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED

Defining a Mobility Domain

A Mobility Domain is a collection of WX switches that work together to support roaming users. One of the WX switches is defined as a seed device, which distributes information to the other WX switches defined in the Mobility Domain.

A Mobility Domain allows users to roam geographically from one WX switch to another without losing network connectivity. Users connect as a member of a VLAN through their authorized identities. If the native VLAN for a user is not present on the WX to which the user connects, the WX creates a tunnel to that VLAN.

A network plan can contain more than one Mobility Domain. Standalone WX switches and third-party APs do not need to be configured within a Mobility Domain.

You use 3WXM to create a Mobility Domain and define its seed device and the other WX switches in the Mobility Domain. If you already have WX switches installed and configured, you can upload the configurations of the switches to 3WXM to have them included in a Mobility Domain.

Roaming Behavior For a client session to be considered a roaming session (and not a new

session), the following criteria must be met:

 The client associates or reassociates with a MAP in the Mobility

Domain, and the client already has a session on a different MAP in the

Mobility Domain. The existing session can be in one of two states:

 Active—The normal state for a client that has left radio range

without sending a request to disassociate

 Deassociated—The state of a client that has sent an 802.11

disassociate frame, but has not roamed or aged out yet

 Mobility Domain communications are stable. Generally, the

communications required for roaming are the same as those required

for VLAN tunneling. Roaming between ports on a WX is possible even

if the Mobility Domain is down.

 Authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) on the MAP to

which the client roams is successful on the first attempt. An

authentication or authorization failure clears the client session.

Depending on when the failure occurs, roaming can be disqualified or

delayed.

Defining a Mobility Domain 91

 The client uses the same authorization parameters for the new session

as for the old session. For example, changing the Encryption-Type or VLAN-Name parameter might cause a new session to be recorded, rather than a roam within the same session.

A disassociated session has a grace period of 5 seconds in which the session history can be retrieved and forwarded. After 5 seconds, the session is cleared, and its accounting is stopped. You cannot configure the grace period.

If the client MAC address in a Mobility Domain is not found in 5 seconds, the session is considered new.

The 802.1X reauthentication timeout has little impact on roaming. If the timeout lapses, 802.1X processing is performed on the existing association. Accounting and roaming history are not affected if the reauthentication is successful, because the client is still associated with the same MAP. If reauthentication fails, the session is cleared, and it is not eligible for roaming. If the client associates to the same MAP, that is recorded as a new session.

Traffic Ports Used by

a Mobility Domain

Roaming creates the following effects:

 Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) accounting is

treated as a continuation of an existing session, rather than a new one.

 For tracked users, you can view roaming history in the Monitor tab.

See “Using the Client Monitor Window” on page 367.

 The old session is cleared from the WX, even if the client did not

explicitly disassociate from the MAP and the 802.1X reauthentication interval has not lapsed.

When deploying a Mobility Domain, you might attach the WX switches to subnets that have firewalls or access controls between them. Within a Mobility Domain, the WX switches exchange information and other types of traffic, depending on your configuration of AAA and various management services.

Table 13 provides a summary of the traffic ports typically used by a Mobility Domain and its associated AAA and management functions.

92 CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED

Table 13 Traffic Ports Used for AAA Servers and Management Servers

Protocol Port Function

IP/UDP (17) 1812 RADIUS authentication

IP/UDP (17) 1813 RADIUS accounting (default

IP/TCP (6) 443 Secure Sockets Layer

IP/TCP (6) 8889 SSL management using

IP/TCP (6) 23 Telnet management

IP/UDP (17) 161 SNMP get and set operations

IP/UDP (17) 162 SNMP traps

IP/ICMP (1) N/A Several types (for example,

IP/UDP (17) 123 Network Time Protocol (NTP)

IP/UDP (17) 53 Domain Name Service (DNS)

(default setting)

setting)

protocol (SSL) management using Web Manager

3WXM

ping)

Creating a Mobility

Domain

The traffic typically sent between WX switches within a Mobility Domain uses IP/UDP protocol 17 traffic on port 8817 for both source and destination. Roaming traffic uses IP protocol 4.

To create a mobility domain, follow these steps.

1 Access the Mobility Domain wizard by doing one of the following:

 In the main 3WXM window, select Config > Insert > Mobility

Domain.

 In the Equipment section of the Organizer panel, right click and select

Insert > Mobility Domain.

Defining a Mobility Domain 93

2 In the Mobility Domain Name box, type the name for the Mobility

Domain (1 to 16 characters, with no spaces or tabs).

3 In the Seed Member list, select the WX switch that is the seed member.

Only a WX in the Mobility Domain can be specified as a seed member. If the only value in the list is Not Assigned, you must create a WX switch and assign it a valid system IP address before completing the wizard.

4 Do one of the following:

 To close the wizard, click Finish.

 To create a WX switch and add it to the Mobility Domain, see

“Adding a WX Switch to the Network Plan” on page 186.

94 CHAPTER 3: GETTING STARTED

PLANNING THE 3COM MOBILITY SYSTEM

The 3Com Wireless LAN Switch Manager (3WXM) planning tools help you plan your mobility system. This chapter discusses the Building wizard and describes how to create a site, create or modify buildings, import or draw floor details, specify the RF characteristics of a floor, define a wireless coverage area, compute MAP placement, and generate RF network design information.

Building Wizard Overview

Accessing the

Building Wizard

The 3WXM planning tools calculate the 3Com equipment you need, how to configure it, and where to install it, all based on the information you provide about your wireless coverage needs.

You can display projected coverage, and even experiment with network changes. You can also optimize the plan based on RF measurements from the live network.

In addition, when you add the geographical information about your network to 3WXM, you can use 3WXM to visually find network clients or rogue devices.

The planning tools are provided by the Building wizard. To access the wizard, do one of the following:

 If you are creating a new site, navigate to the Building page in the Site

wizard, and either select Building1 and click Modify, or click New Building. (To create a site, see “Creating a Site” on page 105.)

 If you are modifying an existing site, right-click on a building name or

floor name under a site in the Sites section of the Organizer panel and select Edit.

96 CHAPTER 4: PLANNING THE 3COM MOBILITY SYSTEM

Depending on how you access the wizard, the wizard’s title can be Create Building, Modify Building, Create Floor, or Modify Floor. The wizard is the same regardless of the title.

The Building wizard contains the following pages:

 Setup

 Edit Content

 Plan RF Coverage

 Report

Building Wizard Overview 97

Building Wizard — Setup Page

The Setup page (shown above) enables you to configure basic building parameters including the building name, number of floors for which you want to plan wireless coverage, and default settings for unit of measurement and ceiling attenuation.

Table 14 lists the toolbar icons in the edit options area of the page.

Table 14 Toolbar Options on Setup Page

Option Description

Edit floor properties, including the name, level, and ceiling attenuation levels.

Copy the floor contents to create a new floor.

Paste the floor contents to create a new floor.

Replace the floor contents.

Import a CAD drawing.

Clear the contents of the floor plan.

98 CHAPTER 4: PLANNING THE 3COM MOBILITY SYSTEM

Building Wizard — Edit Content Page

The Edit Content page enables you to modify imported floor drawings or create new ones, and characterize RF obstacles. You can assign attenuation information to objects or import the information from a site survey data file.

The edit options area has icons for free-drawing objects and for inserting RF obstacles. These icons are described in “Drawing Floor Objects Manually” on page 128 and “Drawing RF Obstacles” on page 133.

Building Wizard Overview 99

Table 15 lists the toolbar icons at the top of the floor display area.

Table 15 Toolbar Options on Edit Content Page

Option Description

Adjust the paper space (crop the drawing).

Define the drawing scale.

Change the grid size.

Open the Information pane. The Information pane appears under the Floor display.

Show the zoom navigator pane.

Zoom in.

Zoom out.

Fit view in window.

Print the view displayed in the Floor display area.

Copy selected objects.

Paste selected objects.

Undo last change.

Redo last change.

Group selected objects.

Ungroup selected objects.

Select all visible objects.

Assign layers to selected objects.

Create RF obstacle.

Edit properties.

100 CHAPTER 4: PLANNING THE 3COM MOBILITY SYSTEM

Table 15 Toolbar Options on Edit Content Page (continued)

Option Description

Remove RF obstacle information.

Delete selected components.

View or change dimensions.

Building Wizard — Plan RF Coverage Page

The Plan RF Coverage page enables you to identify the wiring closet locations, draw and characterize the wireless coverage areas, insert third-party access points, and compute installation locations for WX switches and 3Com access points. You also can calculate channel and power settings, although 3Com access points are enabled to configure their own channel and power settings by default.

HP Wireless LAN Mobility System CLI Reference Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

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

Documentation The 3WXM documentation set includes the following documents.

Documentation Comments

INSTALLING 3WXM

Hardware Requirements

Software Requirements

Preparing for Installation

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

Installing 3WXM Installing 3WXM involves the following tasks:

Unpacking Files To unpack files on your Windows system, follow these steps.

Licensing Each time you start 3WXM, it checks the license information. If the

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

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

Uninstalling 3WXM 31

Overview A network plan is the workspace in 3WXM you use to design a 3Com

Menu Options in Main 3WXM Window

Organizer Panel 41

Details Checkbox In the Equipment and Sites sections, the Details checkbox controls the

Policy Objects Policies are configuration parameters that you define once in 3WXM and

Equipment Objects The Equipment section of the Organizer panel contains configuration

Site Objects The Sites section of the Organizer panel contains objects for the buildings

Alerts Panel The Alerts panel provides brief configuration and rogue detection status.

Content Panel The Content panel displays information for objects selected in the

Monitor Tab The Monitor tab displays information retrieved from the monitoring

Managed Devices Tab The Managed Devices tab enables you to examine and reconcile

Verification Tab The Verification tab enables you to troubleshoot configuration issues on

Events Tab The Events tab displays log messages for 3WXM, the monitoring service,

Rogue Detection Tab The Rogue Detection tab lists information about non-3Com wireless

Information panel

Configuration Wizards

Reports The Reports option of the main toolbar enables you to generate reports

Copying and Pasting Objects

Copy and Paste To create a new object with the copy and paste options:

Enabling Keyboard Shortcut Mnemonics (Windows XP Only)

GETTING STARTED

Starting 3WXM The following steps describe how to start 3WXM.

Restricting Access to 3WXM

Creating and Managing Network Plans

Saving a Network Plan

Saving a Network Plan with a New Name

Defining a Mobility Domain

Roaming Behavior For a client session to be considered a roaming session (and not a new

PLANNING THE 3COM MOBILITY SYSTEM

Building Wizard Overview