Streamlined WLAN Management and Operations Support

 
Besides the features of the WLSE centralized management tool already discussed,
there are some additional features that can help with management of the WLAN
and the devices on the WLAN.With large WLAN environments, upgrading the
firmware on all APs in the environment can be a very daunting task.The WLSE
provides the ability to automatically send firmware updates out to local or
remote APs, mitigating a great deal of time and effort normally associated with
this task. Some additional features provided by the WLSE in this area are:  Proactive fault and performance monitoring based on user-defined
thresholds
 Centralized autoconfiguration of newly deployed APs
 Configuration archive of Cisco APs
 Security policy and fault/performance monitoring of the Cisco WLAN
infrastructure
 Integration with existing network management infrastructure
(SOAP/XML interface, Simple Network
 Management Protocol (SNMP) traps and Syslog messages)
 XML API for data export
 Integration with CiscoWorks LMS
 Centralized mass conversion of Cisco Aironet 1200 Series AP VxWorks
operating system configuration files into Cisco IOS Software configuration
files using an expanded version of the Cisco Aironet Conversion
Tool for Cisco IOS Software
Use of these tools helps network administrators handle most of the manual
tasks associated with a WLAN implementation easily and quickly with a very
small learning curve.This cuts down on additional staff overhead dedicated to the
WLAN and helps provide a higher QOS to the end users.
Tools are also included for performing troubleshooting and WLAN diagnostics.
The WLSE provides a number of reports to give network engineers a good
view of the health of the WLAN environment. Everything from displaying the
RF interference detected (mentioned previously) to client tracking and performance
monitoring is available through the WLSE.Also, the WLSE includes tools
for fault monitoring and can send Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP) alerts or syslog messages as needed to keep engineers abreast of any
errors occurring throughout the system.The WLSE also incorporates some “selfhealing”
features to help minimize downtime based on the monitoring information
that is available.