Users Guide

Booting the Mesh Portal
When the mesh portal boots, it recognizes that one radio is configured to operate as a mesh portal. It then
obtains an IP address from a DHCP server on its Ethernet interface, discovers the master controller on that
interface, registers the mesh radio with the controller, and obtains regulatory domain and mesh radio profiles
for each mesh point interface. A mesh virtual AP is created on the mesh portal radio interface, the regulatory
domain and radio profiles are used to bring up the radio on the correct channel, and the provisioned mesh
cluster profile is used to setup the mesh virtual AP with the correct announcements on beacons and probe
responses. On the non-mesh radio provisioned for access mode, that radio is a thin AP and everything on that
interface works as a thin AP radio interface.
If the 802.11a/802.11g radio profile assigned to the mesh radio is enabled, the radio supports both mesh
backhaul and client access Virtual APs. If the mesh radio is to be used exclusively for mesh backhaul traffic,
associate that radio to a dedicated 802.11a/802.11g radio profile with the radio disabled so the mesh radios
carry backhaul traffic only.
Booting the Mesh Point
When the mesh point boots, it scans for neighboring mesh nodes to establish a link to the mesh portal. All of
the mesh nodes that establish the link are in the same mesh cluster. After the link is up, the mesh point uses
the DHCP to obtain an IP address and uses the same master controller as their parent. The remaining boot
sequence, if applicable, is similar to that of a thin AP. Remember, the priority of the mesh point is establishing a
link with neighboring mesh nodes, not establishing a control link to the controller.
In a single hop environment, the mesh point establishes a direct link with the mesh portal.
Air Monitoring and Mesh
Each mesh node has an air monitor (AM) process that registers the BSSID and the MAC address of the mesh
node to distinguish it from a thin AP. This allows the WLAN management system (WMS) on the controller and
AMs deployed in your network to distinguish between APs, wireless clients, and mesh nodes. The WMS tables
also identify the mesh nodes.
For all thin APs and mesh nodes, the AM identifies a mesh node from other packets monitored on the air, and
the AM does not trigger wireless-bridging events for packets transmitted between mesh nodes.
Mesh Deployment Solutions
You can configure the following single-hop and multi-hop solutions:
l Thin AP services with wireless backhaul deployment
l Point-to-point deployment
l Point-to-multipoint deployment
l High-availability deployment
With a thin AP wireless backhaul deployment, mesh provides services and security to remote wireless clients
and sends all control and user traffic to the master controller over a wireless backhaul mesh link.
The remaining deployments allow you to extend your existing wired network by providing a wireless bridge to
connect Ethernet LAN segments. You can use these deployments to bridge Ethernet LANs between floors,
office buildings, campuses, factories, warehouses, and other environments where you do not have access to
physical ports, or cable to extend the wired network. In these scenarios, a wireless backhaul carries traffic
between the Dell APs configured as the mesh portal and the mesh point, to the Ethernet LAN.
Dell Networking W-Series ArubaOS 6.4.x | User Guide Secure Enterprise Mesh |
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