Wireless/Redundant Edge Services xl Module Management and Configuration Guide WS.02.xx and greater

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Introduction
Radio Ports
You configure settings for particular radios from the Network Setup > Radio
screens, as described in Chapter 3: Radio Port Configuration. The Wireless
Edge Services xl Module still automatically manages WLAN assignments for
these radios (unless you are using advanced mode configuration).
Note The Wireless Edge Services xl Module associates the radio’s MAC address with
the override configuration, so it persists even if the RP is powered down.
Communications Between an RP and the Wireless Edge
Services xl Module: Layer 2 and Layer 3 Adoption
The Wireless Edge Services xl Module must communicate with RPs in order
to control the wireless network. It must:
■ adopt RPs
■ deploy configurations to RPs, including radio settings, WLAN assign-
ments, and WLAN settings
■ forward traffic that is part of wireless users’ sessions to and from RPs
■ collect information from RPs
A module communicates with all of its adopted RPs. An RP is adopted when
the module identifies it and assumes responsibility for managing it.
When first powered up, an RP transmits three types of messages continuously
until it is adopted:
■ LLDP messages—signal the RP’s presence to a Wireless Edge Services
xl Module. You can customize the LLDP name for individual RPs or for all
RPs adopted by a module.
■ Hello messages—signal the RP’s presence and desire to be adopted. The
hellos, which are Layer 2 broadcasts, ensure that the Wireless Edge
Services xl Module detects the RP even if intervening switches do not
support LLDP.
■ 802.1X EAP messages—authenticate the RP to the network (see “802.1X
Client” on page 1-73 for more information).
The Radio Port VLAN must be properly established in order for the discovery
messages to reach the module. (See “Communicating with RPs: Radio Port
VLANs” on page 1-8 or the Getting Started Guide for the ProCurve Wireless
Edge Services xl Module.)