Netgear WC9500 Reference Guide
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Reference Manual
May, 2013
202-11224-02
350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Support
Thank you for selecting NETGEAR products.
After installing your device, locate the serial number on the label of your product and use it to register your product
at https://my.netgear.com. You must register your product before you can use NETGEAR telephone support.
NETGEAR recommends registering your product through the NETGEAR website. For product updates and web
support, visit http://support.netgear.com.
Phone (US & Canada only): 1-888-NETGEAR.
Phone (Other Countries): Check the list of phone numbers at
http://support.netgear.com/general/contact/default.aspx.
Trademarks
NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, and Connect with Innovation are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of
NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Information is subject to change
without notice. © NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.
Revision History
Publication Part Number Publish Date Comments
202-11224-02 May 2013 Color correction and minor nontechnical edits
202-11224-01 April 2013 First publication
2
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
Key Features and Capabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Package Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Front Panel Ports, Slots, and LEDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Back Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Bottom Panel with Product Label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
WC9500 Wireless Controller System Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
NETGEAR ProSAFE Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
What Can You Do with the WC9500 Wireless Controller? . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Maintenance and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Basic and Advanced Setting Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Profile Group Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Basic Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Advanced Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
System Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Preinstallation Planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Before You Configure a Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
High-Level Configuration Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Single Controller Configuration with Basic Profile Group . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Single Controller Configuration with Advanced Profile Groups . . . . . . . 27
Management VLAN and Data VLAN Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
High-Level Deployment Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Scenario Example 1: Network with Single VLAN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Scenario Example 2: Advanced Network with VLANs and SSIDs. . . . . 31
Scenario Example 3: Advanced Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chapter 3 Installation and Configuration Overview
Initial Set up and Log in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Web Management Interface Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Roadmap for Initial Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Roadmap for Configuring Management of Your Wireless Network. . . . . . 43
Choose a Location for the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Deploy the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Table of Contents | 3
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Chapter 4 Configure the System and Network
Settings and Register the Licenses
Configure General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Manage the Time Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
IP and VLAN Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Management VLAN Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Untagged VLAN Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Configure the IP and VLAN Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Manage the DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Register Your Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Configure the License Server Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Register Your Licenses with the License Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Manage Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Configure Log, Syslog, Alarm Notification, and Email Settings . . . . . . . . .58
Configure Log Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Configure Syslog Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Configure Alarm Notification Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Configure the Email Notification Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Chapter 5 Manage Security Profiles and Profile Groups
Wireless Security Profile Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Small WLAN Networks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Larger WLAN Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Profile Naming Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Considerations Before You Configure Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Basic and Advanced Security Configuration Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Configure Security Profiles for the Basic Profile Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Configure Profiles in the Basic Profile Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Edit and Remove Profiles in the Basic Profile Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Configure Security Profiles for Advanced Profile Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Advanced Profile Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Configure Profiles in an Advanced Profile Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Edit and Remove Profiles in an Advanced Profile Group. . . . . . . . . . . .76
Network Authentication and Data Encryption Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Manage MAC Authentication and MAC Authentication Groups. . . . . . . . .81
Guidelines for External MAC Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Configure Basic Local MAC Authentication Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Configure Local MAC Authentication Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Manage Authentication Servers and Authentication Server Groups . . . . .85
Configure Basic Authentication Server Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Configure RADIUS Authentication Server Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Chapter 6 Discover and Manage Access Points
Access Point Discovery Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
General Discovery Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Layer 3 Discovery Guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
4
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Discover Access Points with the Discovery Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Access Points in Factory Default State and Access Points in
a Layer 2 Subnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Access Points Installed and Working in Standalone Mode in
Different Layer 3 Networks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
Manage the Managed AP List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
View the Managed AP List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Edit Access Point Information on the Managed AP List . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Remove Access Points from the Managed AP List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Assign Access Points to Advanced Profile Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Chapter 7 Manage Rogue Access Points,
Guest Network Access, and Users
Manage Rogue Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Configure Basic Rogue Detection Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Classify Rogue Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Import a List of Known Access Points from a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Manage Guest Network Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Portal Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Configure a Portal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Manage Users, Accounts, and Passwords. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Add a Management User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Add a WiFi Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Add a Captive Portal Account. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Add a Captive Portal User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Edit or Remove a User or Account. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Export a List of Users or Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Chapter 8 Configure Wireless and QoS Settings
Basic and Advanced Wireless and QoS Configuration Concepts . . . . . .125
Configure the Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Configure the Radio for the Basic Profile Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Configure the Radio for an Advanced Profile Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Configure Wireless Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Configure Wireless Settings for the Basic Profile Group . . . . . . . . . . .128
Override Channel and Transmission Power in the Basic Profile Group131
Configure Wireless Settings for an Advanced Profile Group . . . . . . . .133
Override Channel and Transmission Power in an Advanced
Profile Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Configure Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
Specify RF Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
WLAN Healing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
RF Management for the Basic Profile Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
RF Management for an Advanced Profile Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
Configure QoS for Advanced Profile Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
Configure Load Balancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Configure Rate Limiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
5
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Rate Limiting for the Basic Profile Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Rate Limiting for an Advanced Profile Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
Chapter 9 Maintain the Wireless Controller and Access Points
Manage the Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
Back Up the Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
Restore the Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Upgrade the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153
Reboot or Reset the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
Manage Remote Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Specify Session Time-Outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
View Alerts and Events and Save the Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Query the System Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
View Alerts and Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
Manage Licenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
View Your Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Retrieve Your Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
Reboot Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
Configure Multicast Firmware Upgrade for Access Points. . . . . . . . . . . .168
Change the Multicast Firmware Upgrade Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Disable Multicast Firmware Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Chapter 10 Monitor the Wireless Network and Its Components
Common Tasks on the Monitoring Screens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Monitor the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
View the Wireless Controller Summary Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
View Wireless Controller Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
View Access Points Managed by the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . .176
View Clients Managed by the Wireless Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180
View Neighboring Clients Detected by the Wireless Controller . . . . . .184
View Neighboring Access Points Detected by the Wireless Controller 185
View Security Profiles Managed by the Wireless Controller. . . . . . . . .186
View DHCP Leases Provided by the Wireless Controller. . . . . . . . . . .187
View Captive Portal Users Managed by the Wireless Controller . . . . .188
Monitor the SSIDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
Monitor Local Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193
Chapter 11 Troubleshooting
Troubleshoot Basic Functioning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198
Power LED Is Not Lit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198
Status LED Never Turns Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198
Ethernet Port LEDs Are Not Lit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
Troubleshoot the Web Management Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
Ethernet Cabling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
IP Address Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
Internet Browser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
6
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Troubleshoot a TCP/IP Network Using the Ping Utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
Use the Reset Button to Restore Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201
Problems with Date and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
Problems with Access Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
Discovery Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202
Connection Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
Network Performance and Rogue Access Point Detection . . . . . . . . .203
Use the Diagnostic Tools on the Wireless Controller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
Appendix A Factory Default Settings and Technical Specifications
Factory Default Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Technical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Password Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
Index
7
1. Introduction
This chapter includes the following sections:
• Key Features and Capabilities
• Package Contents
• Hardware Features
• WC9500 Wireless Controller System Components
• NETGEAR ProSAFE Access Points
• What Can You Do with the WC9500 Wireless Controller?
• Licenses
• Maintenance and Support
Note: For more information about the topics covered in this manual, visit
the support website at http://support.netgear.com.
1
Note: Firmware updates with new features and bug fixes are made
available from time to time on downloadcenter.netgear.com. Some
products can regularly check the site and download new firmware,
or you can check for and download new firmware manually
features or behavior of your product do not match what is described
in this guide, you might need to update your firmware.
8
. If the
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Key Features and Capabilities
The NETGEAR ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500 is a high-capacity, secured wireless
controller intended for medium- to large-sized businesses, higher education institutions,
hospitals, and hotels.
One wireless controller with the appropriate licenses can support up to 600 access points
(APs) with up to 6,000 users. In a stacked configuration (supported in a future release), a
stack of three wireless controllers can support up to 18,000 users. The wireless controller
supports the IEEE 802.1
wireless controller allows you to manage your wireless network from a central point,
implement security features centrally, support Layer 2 and Layer 3 fast roaming, configure a
guest access captive portal, and support voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi).
The wireless controller is equipped with two 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) slots with standard
SFP+ form factor for optional 10GBASE or 1000BASE GBICs. One RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet
port is available to access the wireless controller for management and for data and control
communications between the wireless controller and the access points.
1a/b/g/n protocols and is 802.11ac ready for future deployment. The
The wireless controller provides the following key features and capabilities:
• Scalable architecture
- Purchased licenses in increments of 10, 50, or 100 access points allow for support of
up to a maximum number of 200 access points on a single wireless controller.
single license for 200 access points is also available.
- Support of 802.11a, 802.1
1b, 802.11g, and 802.11n modes. Ready for 802.11ac
mode for future deployment.
- Support for an extra power supply.
• Autodiscovery of access points
- Autodiscovery of access points in the same Layer 2 domain.
- Autodiscovery of access points across a Layer 3 domain.
- Automatic download of wireless controller–based firmware to discovered access
points that are added to the managed access point list.
• Centralized management
- Single point of management for the entire wireless network.
- Automatic firmware upgrade to all managed access points.
- DHCP server for IP address provisioning.
- Configurable management VLAN.
• Security
- Identity-based security authentication with an external RADIUS or LDAP (Active
Directory) server
- Support for nine access point profile groups
, or with an internal authentication server
1
(one basic and eight advanced) on one
.
wireless controller.
A
1. Number of profile groups depends on the access point model used with the wireless controller.
Introduction
9
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
- Up to eight profiles per access point profile group and eight profiles per radio
(therefore, dual-band access points can support up to 16 profiles in one access point
profile group).
- Support for up to 144 profiles
1
on one wireless controller (eight profiles per access
point group and eight groups per radio). Each profile supports settings for SSID,
network authentication, data encryption, client separation, VLAN, MAC ACL, and
wireless QoS.
- Rogue access point detection and classification.
- Guest access and captive portal access with cost and expiration accounting.
- Scheduled wireless on/of
f times.
• Wi-Fi Multimedia Quality of Service and advanced wireless features
- Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) support for video, audio, and voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi).
- WMM power save option.
- Automatic WLAN healing mechanism ensures seamless coverage for wireless users.
- Layer 2 and Layer 3 seamless roaming support.
- Local Layer 2 traf
fic switching and Layer 3 traf
fic processing at access point level for
fast processing.
• RF management
- Automatic control of access point transmit power and channel allocation to reduce
interference.
- Automatic load balancing of clients across access points.
- Rate limiting per profile.
• Monitoring and reporting
- Monitoring of the status of the network, wireless controllers, WLANs, and clients, and
network usage statistics.
- Specific health monitoring of access points.
- Logging and emailing of system events, RF events, load-balancing events, and
rate-limiting events.
For a list of all features and capabilities of the wireless controller, see the datasheet that you
can download from http://support.netgear.com/product/WC9500.
1. Number of profiles depends on the access point model used with the wireless controller.
Introduction
10
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Package Contents
The ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500 product package contains the following items:
• ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500 appliance
• One
• Rubber feet (four) with adhesive backing
• One rack-mount kit
• Straight-through Category 5 Ethernet cable
• ProSAFE W
AC power cable
ireless Controller WC9500 Installation Guide
If any of the parts are incorrect, missing, or damaged, contact your NETGEAR dealer
the carton, including the original packing materials, in case you need to return the product for
repair.
Hardware Features
The front panel ports, slots, and LEDs, back panel components, and bottom label of the
wireless controller are described in this section.
Front Panel Ports, Slots, and LEDs
The following figure shows the front panel of the wireless controller.
Figure 1. Front panel
The following figure shows a close-up of the left side of the front panel.
. Keep
USB port
Reset
Power
Status
Fan
Stack
Master
ID
USB
Digital access point counter
LED Mode:
Green= Link at 10G, Blink Green=10G Active,
Yellow=Link at 1G, Blink Yellow=1G Active
Reset button
LEDs (top to bottom):
Power, Status, Fan, Stack Master
Figure 2. Front panel close-up
Slots and LEDs
for optional
SFP GBIC modules
Introduction
11
LED Mode:
Left LED: Green=Link at 1G E,
Yellow=Link at 10/100M
Right LED:Green=Link,
Green Blink=Active
Ethernet port and LEDs
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
From left to right, the wireless controller’s front panel shows the following counter, LEDs,
button, ports, and slots:
• Digital counter. Displays the number of connected access points that are in a healthy
state.
• From top to bottom:
- Power LED
- Status LED
- Fan LED
- Stack Master LED
These LEDs are described in Table 1 on page 12.
• Reset button. Using a sharp object, press and hold this button for about 10 seconds until
the Status LED flashes and the wireless controller returns to factory default settings. If
you reset the wireless controller, all configuration settings are lost and the default
password is restored.
• USB port.
Allows for external storage for floor heat maps, which will be supported in a
future release.
• SFP slots
. T
wo SFP slots for optional 10GE SFP+ or 1G SFP gigabit interface converters
(GBICs), each slot with an LED.
• Ethernet port. One 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN Ethernet port with an RJ-45 connector, left
LED, and right LED.
The Ethernet port provides switched N-way, automatic speed
negotiating, auto MDI/MDIX technology.
• Console port. RS232 port for connecting to an optional console terminal. The port has a
DB9 male connector
. The default baud rate is 9600 K. The configuration is 8 bits, no
parity, and 1 stop bit. The console port is for debugging under guidance of NETGEAR
technical support only.
The function of each LED is described in the following table:
Table 1. LED functions
LED Status Description
Power LED Green The green Power LED should be lit when the wireless controller is on.
Off If the power LED is not lit when the wireless controller is on, check the
connections and check to see if the power outlet is controlled by a wall
switch that is turned off (see
Status LED Yellow The wireless controller is initializing. After approximately two minutes, when
the wireless controller has completed its initialization, the Status LED turns
green. If the Status LED remains yellow
Status LED Never T
urns Off on page 198).
Power LED Is Not Lit on page 198).
, the initialization has failed (see
Green The wireless controller has completed its initialization successfully. The
Status LED should be steady green during normal operation.
Introduction
12
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Table 1. LED functions (continued)
LED Status Description
Status LED
(continued)
Fan LED Green The fans are functioning correctly.
Stack Master
LED
SFP slot LEDs Green The slot is operating at 10G.
Left Ethernet
port LED
Off The wireless controller does not have power.
Blinking yellow Firmware is being upgraded.
Yellow One or more fans are not functioning correctly.
Green The wireless controller functions as the primary controller (master) in a stack.
(Stacking will be supported in a future release.)
Yellow The wireless controller functions as a secondary controller (slave) in a stack.
(Stacking will be supported in a future release.)
Blinking green Data is being transmitted or received at 10G.
Yellow The slot is operating at 1G.
Blinking yellow Data is being transmitted or received at 1G.
Off The port has no physical link, that is, no Ethernet cable is plugged into the
wireless controller (see Ethernet Port LEDs Are Not Lit on page 199).
Green The port has detected a link with a connected Ethernet device.
Blinking green Data is being transmitted or received by the port.
Right Ethernet
port LED
Off The port has no physical link, that is, no Ethernet cable is plugged into the
wireless controller (see Ethernet Port LEDs Are Not Lit on page 199).
Green The port is operating at 1000 Mbps.
Yellow The port is operating at 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps.
Back Panel Features
The wireless controller comes with a single internal power supply but supports an optional
second power supply for power redundancy. The power supplies are hot-swappable.
The following figure shows the back panel components of the wireless controller with a single
power supply.
Power supply
Figure 3. Back panel
Slot for an optional
second power supply
Introduction
13
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
From left to right, the wireless controller’s back panel components are:
• Power supply. 100–240V, 5A, 47–63 Hz power supply, which includes the following
external components:
- AC power socket. Attach the power cord to this socket. (There is no separate on/off
power switch.)
- Handle
- LED. The LED is lit green when the power supply functions correctly
power is not supplied to the power supply, or there is a problem.
• Fans
. The handle allows for easy removal and insertion.
. If the LED is off,
. Two double fans, each of which can be easily exchanged.
Bottom Panel with Product Label
The product label on the bottom of the wireless controller’s enclosure displays the default IP
address, default user name, and default password, as well as regulatory compliance, input
power, and other information.
Figure 4. Product label
WC9500 Wireless Controller System Components
A WC9500 wireless controller system consists of one or more wireless controllers and a
collection of access points that are organized into groups based on location or network
access.
The wireless controller system can include a single wireless controller, a single wireless
controller with a backup wireless controller for N:1 redundancy, or a group of up to three
stacked wireless controllers, with or without a redundant wireless controller. Redundancy and
stacking will be supported in a future release.
Introduction
14
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
The WC9500 wireless controller system supports the following access point models:
• NETGEAR WNAP210v2 ProSAFE Wireless-N Access Point
• NETGEAR WNAP320 ProSAFE Wireless-N Access Point
• NETGEAR WNDAP350 ProSAFE Dual Band Wireless-N Access Point
• NETGEAR WNDAP360 ProSAFE Dual Band Wireless-N Access Point
• NETGEAR WNDAP380R ProSAFE Dual Band Wireless-N Access Point with RFID
support
Future releases might support additional access point models.
NETGEAR ProSAFE Access Points
Y ou can connect access points to the wireless controller either directly with an Ethernet cable
through a router or switch, or remotely through an IP network. After you have used the
automatic discovery process and added access points to the managed access point list on
the wireless controller, the wireless controller converts the standard access points to
dependent access points by pushing firmware to the access points. From then on, you can
centrally manage and monitor the access points.
A WC9500 wireless controller system can support the following access points:
• WNAP210v2 ProSAFE W
- Supports 802.11b, 802.1
- Supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) with a power consumption of up to 5.8W.
- All WNAP210v2 firmware versions are supported.
For product documentation and firmware, see
http://downloadcenter
Note: The WNAP210v1 (also referred to as just the WNAP210 without a
version number) cannot function in a WC9500 wireless controller system, but
the WNAP210v2 can.
• WNAP320 ProSAFE W
- Supports 802.11b, 802.1
- Supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) with a power consumption of up to 5.8W.
- Accepts optional antennas.
- Requires minimum firmware version 2.1.1 or a newer version.
For product documentation and firmware, see
http://downloadcenter
ireless-N
1g, and 802.11n network devices.
.netgear.com/en/product/WNAP210.
ireless-N
1g, and 802.11n network devices.
.netgear.com/en/product/WNAP320.
Access Point
Access Point
• WNDAP350 ProSAFE Dual Band W
- Supports 802.11a, 802.1
- Supports PoE with a power consumption of up to 10.75W.
1b, 802.11g, and 802.11n network devices.
ireless-N
Introduction
15
Access Point
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
- Concurrent operation in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio band while in 802.11n mode.
- Accepts optional antennas.
- Requires minimum firmware version 2.1.7 or a newer version.
For product documentation and firmware, see
http://support.netgear.com/product/WNDAP350.
• WNDAP360 ProSAFE Dual Band W
- Supports 802.11a, 802.1
- Supports PoE with a power consumption of up to 10.51W.
- Concurrent operation in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio band while in 802.11n mode.
- Accepts optional antennas.
- Requires minimum firmware version 2.1.6 or a newer version.
For product documentation and firmware, see
http://support.netgear
• WNDAP380R ProSAFE Dual Band W
- Supports 802.11a, 802.1
- Supports PoE with a power consumption of up to 10.51W.
- Concurrent operation in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio band while in 802.11n mode.
- Can integrate an RFID module for support of RFID devices and tags.
- All WNDAP380R firmware versions are supported.
For product documentation and firmware, see
http://support.netgear
.com/product/WNDAP360.
.com/product/WNDAP380R.
1b, 802.11g, and 802.11n network devices.
1b, 802.11g, and 802.11n network devices.
ireless-N
ireless-N
Access Point
Access Point with RFID support
What Can You Do with the WC9500 Wireless Controller?
These are some of the tasks that you can perform with a WC9500 wireless controller:
• Organize the Network
- Create access point profiles. Organize access points in profiles to dif
between SSIDs, client authentication, authentication settings, and wireless QoS
settings.
- Create access point profile
profile groups to differentiate between buildings, floors, businesses, business
divisions, and so on. Easily assign access points to profile groups or change
assignments.
For more information, see
Chapter 5, Manage Security Profiles and Profile Groups.
groups. Organize access point profiles in access point
Introduction
ferentiate
16
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
• Discover Access Points in the Network and Provision IP Addresses and Firmware
- Discover access points in the network. The access points can be in factory default
state or functioning in standalone mode, but after discovery by the wireless controller
and addition to the managed access point list, the access points become dependent
(managed) access points.
- Provision IP addresses to the access points. Use the internal DHCP server to
provision IP addresses to all or selected managed access points in the network.
- Upgrade access point firmware. Update and synchronize new firmware versions to
all managed access points in the network.
For more information, see Chapter 6, Discover and Manage Access Points.
• Centrally Manage Security in the Network
- Manage secure access to the network and secure data transmission. Manage
client authentication, encryption, wireless client security separation, and MAC
authentication in access point profiles.
- Manage authentication servers for the network. Manage all internal and external
authentication servers for the entire network or for access point profile groups.
- Manage MAC authentication. Specify trusted and untrusted MAC addresses for the
entire network.
- Manage rogue access points. Manage rogue access points and their associated
clients in the network.
- Manage guest access. Manage guest access and captive portal access to the
network.
For more information, see Chapter 7, Manage Rogue Access Points, Guest Network
Access, and Users.
• Centrally Manage the W
ireless Settings for the Network
- Schedule the radios. Schedule the entire network to go offline, or schedule access
point profile groups to go of
fline.
- Manage wireless settings and channel allocation. Manage the wireless settings
such as wireless mode, data rate, and channel width for the entire network or for
access point profile groups, and manage channel allocation for the entire network.
- Manage QoS settings. Manage QoS queue settings for data, background, video,
and voice traffic for access point profile groups.
- Configure RF management settings. Configure WLAN healing and wireless
coverage hole detection for the entire network or for access point profile groups.
For more information, see
Chapter 8, Configure Wireless and QoS Settings.
• Monitor the Network and Its Components
- Monitor the status of all wireless devices. V
iew the status of the wireless
controllers, access points, clients, access point profiles, and the entire network, and
view network usage statistics.
- Monitor network health
. See which access points are healthy and which ones are
down or compromised.
Introduction
17
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
For more information, see Chapter 10, Monitor the Wireless Network and
Its Components.
Licenses
By default, the wireless controller comes with a trial license for five access points. You need
to purchase and register licenses for the access points in your network. You can purchase a
single 200–access point license or licenses in 10–, 50–, or 100–access point increments for
support of up to 200 access points on a single wireless controller:
• 10–AP license. WC10APL
• 50–AP license. WC50APL
• 100–AP license. WC100APL
• 200–AP license. WC200APL
Licenses are tied to the serial number of the wireless controller.
For more information, see the datasheet that you can download from
http://support.netgear.com/product/WC9500.
For information about how to register and manage your licenses, see Register Your Licenses
on page 54 and Manage Licenses on page 165.
Maintenance and Support
NETGEAR offers technical support seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Information about
support is available on the NETGEAR ProSupport website at
http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/212.
Introduction
18
2. System Planning and Deployment
Scenarios
This chapter includes the following sections:
• Basic and Advanced Setting Concepts
• Profile Group Concepts
• System Planning
• High-Level Configuration Examples
• Management VLAN and Data VLAN Strategies
• High-Level Deployment Scenarios
2
19
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Basic and Advanced Setting Concepts
Y ou can deploy the wireless controller in a small wireless network with 10 or 20 access points
or in a large wireless network with up to 600 access points. Small networks require a basic
configuration, but large networks can become very complex and require you to configure the
advanced features of the wireless controller.
Depending on your network configuration, use basic settings or advanced settings to manage
your access points:
• Basic settings for a typical network. The basic settings work with most common
network configurations. For example, all access points on the WLAN are for the same
organization or business and therefore adhere to the same policies and use a small
number of service set identifiers (SSIDs, or network names).
• Advanced settings for access point profile groups. If you have a large wireless
network, or if separate networks share a single WLAN, use the advanced settings to set
up multiple access point profile groups with multiple security profiles (SSIDs with
associated security settings). For example, a shopping mall might need several access
point profile groups if several businesses share a WLAN but each business has its own
network. Larger networks could require multiple access point profile groups to allow
ferent policies per building or department. The access points could have dif
dif
security profiles per building and department, for example, one for guests, one for
management, and one for sales.
ferent
Note: Access point profile groups are also referred to as just profile
groups.
Profiles, security profiles, and SSIDs (that is, SSIDs with associated
security settings) are terms that are interchangeable.
To accommodate all types of networks, almost all configuration menus of the web
management interface are divided into basic and advanced submenus. The following figure
shows an example of the Configuration > Security > Basic submenu on the left and the
Configuration > Security > Advanced submenu on the right:
Figure 5. Basic and advanced submenus
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
20
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Before you start the configuration of your wireless controller, decide whether you can use a
basic configuration (that is, follow the Basic submenus) or need to use an advanced
configuration (that is, follow the Advanced submenus). Once you have made your choice,
configuring the wireless controller should be fairly easy if you consistently follow either the
Basic submenus or the Advanced submenus.
Profile Group Concepts
Each access point can support up to eight security profiles (16 for dual-band access points),
each with its own SSID, security settings, MAC ACL, rate-limiting settings, WMM, and so on.
The wireless controller follows the same architecture. A profile group on the wireless
controller includes all the features that you can configure for an individual access point: up to
eight profiles (16 for dual-band access points), each of which has its own SSID, security,
MAC ACL, rate-limiting settings, WMM settings, and so on.
Basic Profile
The basic profile includes all the settings that are required to configure a fully functional
access point with up to eight security profiles (16 for dual-band access points).
After you have used the automatic discovery process and added access points to the
managed AP list on the wireless controller, the access points are assigned by default to the
basic profile group.
If your network requires the wireless controller to manage multiple access points with
different configurations, use the advanced profile.
Advanced Profile
The advanced profile lets you configure up to eight access point profile groups. Each group
includes all the settings that are required to configure a fully functional access point with up to
eight security profiles (16 for dual-band access points).
For example, if there are four buildings, each with a different wireless network, you simply
create four profile groups. Y
group, all access points in another building to a second profile group, and so on.
For each profile group, you can create an individual radio on/off schedule, RF management
settings, MAC ACL authentication, and an authentication server
group (2.4 GHz radio and 5 GHz radio), you can create individual wireless settings, WMM,
and rate-limit settings.
ou then assign all access points in one building to one profile
. For each radio in a profile
The following figure shows the advanced profile group architecture. The structure that is
shown under Group-1 is implemented in all profile groups (that is, Group-2 through Group-8):
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
21
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Group-1
Group-2
Group-3
Group-4
2.4 GHz
radio
1
2
34
5678
Security profiles
Figure 6. Advanced profile group architecture
Group-5
5 GHz
radio
1
Group-6
23
Security profiles
Group-7
4
56
Group-8
78
The following figure shows an example of three access point profile groups, in which the first
profile group (Group-1) has five security profiles. For each profile in this profile group, the
profile name, radio mode, and authentication setting are shown. (Group-1 is the default group
in the advanced profile group configuration; you need to create the other profiles groups.)
Figure 7. Example of profile groups with security profiles
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
22
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
System Planning
This section includes the following subsections:
• Preinstallation Planning
• Before You Configure a Wireless Controller
Preinstallation Planning
Before you install any wireless controllers, determine the following:
• Number of access points required to provide seamless coverage
• Number of licenses required to cover all access points that need to be managed
• Number of wireless controllers required
• 802.1
NETGEAR recommends that you perform a site survey:
1 frequency band and the channels that are optimal for WiFi usage
• Run a spectrum analysis of channels of the site to determine the current RF behavior and
detect both 802.11 and non-802.1
• Run an access point-to-client connectivity test to determine the maximum throughput
achievable on the client.
• Identify potential RF obstructions and interference sources.
• Determine areas where denser coverage might be required because of heavier usage.
1 noise.
Before You Configure a Wireless Controller
These sections assume that you have deployed at least one wireless controller in your
network and are ready to configure the wireless controller. For information about how to
deploy the wireless controller in your network, see the ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Installation Guide that you can download from http://support.netgear.com/product/WC9500.
For many configurations, you can use the default wireless settings. The IP address, VLAN,
DHCP server, client authentication, and data encryption settings are specific to your
environment. Following are short sections that describe these settings (except for IP address
settings, which are self-explanatory). For information about how to configure these settings,
see the relevant sections.
Management VLAN
The management VLAN is the dedicated VLAN for access to the wireless controller. All traf fic
that is directed to the wireless controller, including HTTP, HTTPS, SNMP, and SSH traffic, is
carried over the management VLAN.
If the management VLAN is also configured as a tagged VLAN (the most common
configuration), the packets to and from the wireless controller carry the 802.1Q VLAN header
with the assigned VLAN number. If the management VLAN is marked as untagged, the
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
23
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
packets that are sent from the wireless controller do not carry the 802.1Q header, and all
untagged packets that are sent to the wireless controller are treated as management VLAN
traffic.
Note: Use a tagged VLAN or change the tagged VLAN ID only if the hubs and
switches on your LAN support 802.1Q. If they do not, and you have not
configured a tagged VLAN with the same VLAN ID on the hubs and
switches in your network, IP connectivity might be lost.
The wireless controller needs to have IP connectivity with the access points through the
management VLAN. If the wireless controller and the access points are on different
management VLANs, external VLAN routing needs to allow IP connectivity between the
wireless controller and the access points.
For information about how to configure management VLANs, see
page 49.
IP and VLAN Settings on
Client VLANs
Each authenticated wireless user is placed into a VLAN that determines the user’s DHCP
server, IP address, and Layer 2 connection. Although you could place all authenticated
wireless users into the single VLAN that is specified in the basic security profile, the wireless
controller allows you to group wireless users into separate VLANs based on the wireless
SSID to differentiate access to network resources. For example, you might place authorized
employee users into one VLAN, and itinerant users, such as contractors or guests, into a
separate VLAN. To use different VLANs, you need to create different security profiles.
For information about how to configure regular VLANs, see IP and VLAN Settings on
page 49.
DHCP Server
The wireless controller can function as a DHCP server and assign IP addresses to both
wireless and wired devices that are connected to it. You can add up to 64 DHCP server pools,
each assigned to a different VLAN.
Client Authentication and Data Encryption
A user needs to authenticate to the WLAN to be able to access WLAN resources. The
wireless controller supports several types of security methods, including those that require an
external RADIUS or LDAP authentication server.
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
24
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
The encryption option that you can select depends upon the authentication method that you
have selected. The following table lists the authentication methods available, with their
corresponding encryption options:
Table 2. Authentication and encryption options
Authentication Method Encryption Option Authentication Server
Open System 64-bit, 128-bit, or 152-bit WEP None
Shared Key 64-bit, 128-bit, or 152-bit WEP None
WPA-PSK TKIP or TKIP+AES None
WPA2-PSK AES or TKIP+AES None
WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK TKIP+AES None
WPA TKIP or TKIP+AES One of the following authentication servers:
• External RADIUS server
• Internal authentication server
• External LDAP server
WPA2 AES or TKIP+AES One of the following authentication servers:
• External RADIUS server
• Internal authentication server
• External LDAP server
WPA and WPA2 TKIP+AES One of the following authentication servers:
• External RADIUS server
• Internal authentication server
• External LDAP server
For information about how to configure client authentication, data encryption, and
authentication servers, see Chapter 5, Manage Security Profiles and Profile Groups.
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
25
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
High-Level Configuration Examples
This section includes the following subsections:
• Single Controller Configuration with Basic Profile Group
• Single Controller Configuration with Advanced Profile Groups
Single Controller Configuration with Basic Profile Group
A basic configuration consists of a single wireless controller that controls a collection of
access points that are organized into the basic default group.
To set up a single wireless controller system with a basic profile group:
Step Configuration Web Management Interface Path
1. Configure the system and network settings of the wireless
controller:
1. Configure the country code of operation.
2. Configure the time settings.
3. Configure the IP address of the wireless controller.
4. Verify that VLAN 1 is set as the management VLAN and is
marked as untagged.
By default, VLAN 1 an untagged management VLAN.
5. If no network DHCP server is accessible to the access points,
configure the wireless controller’s DHCP server.
2. Configure up to eight profiles, and for each profile, do at least the
following:
1. Configure an SSID for wireless access.
2. Configure the network authentication and data encryption.
3. Assign the VLAN.
4. If necessary for the selected network authentication option,
configure the authentication server.
3. Run the Discovery Wizard and add the access points to the
managed access point list.
Configuration > System > General
Configuration > System > Time
Configuration > System > IP/VLAN
Configuration > System > DHCP
Server
Configuration > Profile > Basic
Configuration > Security > Basic >
Authentication Server
Access Point > Discovery Wizard
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
26
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
Single Controller Configuration with Advanced Profile Groups
A more complex configuration consists of a single wireless controller that controls a collection
of access points that are organized in access point profile groups and might use several
profiles in each access point profile group.
To set up a single wireless controller system with advanced profile groups:
Step Configuration Web Management Interface Path
1. Configure the system and network settings of the wireless
controller:
1. Configure the country code of operation.
2. Configure the time settings.
3. Configure the IP address of the wireless controller.
4. Verify that VLAN 1 is set as the management VLAN and is
marked as untagged.
By default, VLAN 1 an untagged management VLAN.
5. If no network DHCP server is accessible to the access points,
configure the wireless controller’s DHCP server.
2. Configure up to eight access point profile groups, and for each
access point profile in a group, do at least the following:
1. Configure an SSID for wireless access.
2. Configure the network authentication and data encryption.
3. Assign the VLAN.
4. If necessary for the selected network authentication option,
configure the authentication server.
3. Run the Discovery Wizard and add the access points to the
managed access point list.
Configuration > System > General
Configuration > System > Time
Configuration > System > IP/VLAN
Configuration > System > DHCP
Server
Configuration > Profile > Advanced
Configuration > Security >
Advanced > Authentication Server
Access Point > Discovery Wizard
4. Assign the access points to the access point profile groups (also
referred to as WLAN groups).
Configuration > WLAN Network
Management VLAN and Data VLAN Strategies
If your network includes 10 or more access points, NETGEAR recommends that you set up
at least two VLAN groups: a management VLAN group and a data VLAN group. If your
network is large, you should create a number of data VLAN groups. Setting up data VLANs
for clients allows you to:
• Segregate traffic by user category
• Create different policies such as access policies that are based on user category
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
27
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
The following illustration shows a simplified view of how you can use VLANs to segregate
traffic by user category:
Internet
Management VLAN 100 Ethernet traffic
Finance VLAN 10 Ethernet traffic
Employee VLAN 20 Ethernet traffic
Network printer
Deploy the wireless controller
on a trunk port if you use the
internal DHCP server
Wireless controller
WC9500
Finance
computer
PoE switch
Finance
computer
Employee
Employee
computer
computer
Figure 8. Example: Use VLANs to segregate traffic by user categories
Backend L3 switch
or router
Access point
WNDAP360
Employee
computer
The wireless controller uses the management VLAN to continually exchange packets with the
access points. For large networks, if all traffic uses a single VLAN, the client traffic could
potentially flood the network. If this happens, and the wireless controller is not able to
exchange packets with the access points, it can cause network performance to slow down,
and the access points can lose their connectivity with the wireless controller.
If you use the internal DHCP server of the wireless controller, you should deploy the wireless
controller on a trunk port on your switch.
The trunk port should have access to all VLANs.
Use a high-speed port on your switch as the trunk port to accommodate the traffic load of the
trunk. If you use an external DHCP server
, you do not need to deploy the wireless controller
on a trunk port on your switch.
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
28
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
High-Level Deployment Scenarios
This section provides three deployment scenarios to illustrate how the wireless controller can
function in various network configurations:
• Scenario Example 1: Network with Single VLAN
• Scenario Example 2: Advanced Network with VLANs and SSIDs
• Scenario Example 3: Advanced Network
Scenario Example 1: Network with Single VLAN
The following sample scenario consists of a simple network with a wireless controller, PoE
switch, Layer 3 switch or router, and access points:
Internet
Management VLAN Ethernet traffic
All client Ethernet traffic
Deploy the wireless controller
on a trunk port if you use the
internal DHCP server
Wireless controller
WC9500
Finance
computer
PoE switch
Marketing
computer
Network printer
Employee
computer
Backend L3 switch
or router
Access point
WNDAP360
Employee
computer
Figure 9. Example: Basic network with a single VLAN
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
29
ProSAFE Wireless Controller WC9500
The access points and wireless controller are connected in the same subnet and use the
same IP address range that is assigned for that subnet. There are no routers between the
access points and the wireless controller. The access points are connected to a PoE switch,
which, in turn, is connected to the wireless controller. The uplink of the PoE switch connects
to a Layer 3 switch or router that provides Internet access.
To provision the wireless controller:
Step Configuration Web Management Interface Path
1. Configure the system and network settings of the wireless
controller:
1. Configure the country code of operation.
2. Configure the time settings.
3. Configure the IP address of the wireless controller.
4. Verify that VLAN 1 is set as the management VLAN and is
marked as untagged.
By default, VLAN 1 an untagged management VLAN.
5. If no network DHCP server is accessible to the access points,
configure the wireless controller’s DHCP server.
2. Configure up to eight profiles, and for each profile, do at least the
following:
1. Configure an SSID for wireless access.
2. Configure the network authentication and data encryption.
3. Assign the VLAN.
4. If necessary for the selected network authentication option,
configure the authentication server.
3. Use any port of the wireless controller to connect the wireless
PoE switch.
Configuration > System > General
Configuration > System > Time
Configuration > System > IP/VLAN
Configuration > System > DHCP
Server
Configuration > Profile > Basic
Configuration > Security > Basic >
Authentication Server
4. Deploy the access points and connect them to the same wireless
PoE switch.
System Planning and Deployment Scenarios
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