Users Guide

198 | Secure Enterprise Mesh Dell PowerConnect ArubaOS 5.0 | [User Guide
Before You Begin
Dell recommends the following when planning and deploying a mesh solution:
Pre-Deployment Considerations
z Ensure the controller has Layer-2/3 network connectivity to the network segment where the mesh portal will
be installed.
z Keep the AP packaging materials and reuse them to send the APs to the installation location .
z Verify the layout of the physical location to determine the appropriate configuration and placement of the
APs. Use this information to avoid problems that would necessitate a physical recovery.
z Stage the APs before deployment. Identify the location of the APs, configure them for mesh, and provision
and verify connectivity them before deploying them in a live network.
z Label the AP before sending it to the physical location for installation.
Outdoor-Specific Deployment Considerations
z Provision the AP with the latitude and longitude coordinates of the installation location. This allows you to
more easily identify the AP for inventory and troubleshooting purposes.
z Identify a “radio line of sight” between the antennas for optimum performance. The radio line of sight
involves the area along a link through which the bulk of the radio signal power travels.
z Identify the minimum antenna height required to ensure a reliable mesh link.
z Scan your proposed site to avoid radio interference caused by other radio transmissions using the same or an
adjacent frequency.
z Consider extreme weather conditions known to affect your location, including: temperature, wind velocity,
lightning, rain, snow, and ice.
z Allow for seasonal variations, such as growth of foliage.
For more detailed outdoor deployment information, refer to the Installation Guide that came with your outdoor
AP.
Configuration Considerations.
z On dual-radio APs, you can configure only one of the radio for mesh. If you want a dual-radio AP to carry
mesh backhaul traffic and client services traffic on separate radios, Dell recommends using 802.11a radios for
mesh-backhaul traffic and 802.11g radios for traditional WLAN access.
z If you configure more than one mesh node in the same VLAN, prevent network loops by enabling STP on the
Layer-2 switch used to connect the mesh nodes.
z Mesh nodes learn a maximum of 1024 source MAC addresses; this cannot be changed.
z Place all APs for a specific mesh cluster in the same AP group.
z Create and keep separate mesh cluster profiles for specific mesh clusters. Do not overwrite or delete the
cluster profiles.
z Enable bridging on mesh point Ethernet ports when deploying LAN bridging solutions.
Post-Deployment Considerations
z Do not connect mesh point Ethernet ports in such a way that causes a network loop.
z Have a trained professional install the AP. After installation, check to ensure the AP receives power and boots
up, enabling RSSI outputs.
Note: Although the AP is up and operational, it is not connected to the network.