Setup Guide

10 | Overview Dell Networking W-AirWave 7.7 | Getting Started Guide
Groups
Enterprise APs, controllers, routers, and switches have hundreds of variable settings that must be configured precisely to
achieve optimal performance and network security. Configuring all settings on each device individually is time
consuming and error prone. AirWave addresses this challenge by automating the processes of device configuration and
compliance auditing. At the core of this approach is the concept of Device Groups, with the following functions and
benefits:
l AirWave allows certain settings to be managed at the Group level, while others are managed at an individual device
level.
l AirWave defines a Group as a subset of the devices on the wireless LAN, ranging in size from one device to
hundreds of devices that share certain common configuration settings.
l Groups can be defined based on geography (such as 5th Floor APs), usage or security policies (such as Guest Access
APs), function (such as Manufacturing APs), or any other appropriate variable.
l Devices within a group may originate from the same vendor or hardware model and may share certain basic
configuration settings.
l Controllers and switches cannot reside in the same group.
Typical group configuration variables include the following settings:
l Basic settings - SSID, SNMP polling interval, and so forth
l Security settings - VLANs, WEP, 802.1x, ACLs, and so forth
l Radio settings - data rates, fragmentation threshold, RTS threshold, DTIM, preamble, and so forth.
When configuration changes are applied at a group level, they are assigned automatically to every device within that
group. These changes must be applied to every device in Managed mode.
When you first configure AirWave, only a group named Access Points is available. You can add additional groups by
navigating to the Groups > List page and selecting the Add New Group button. You can also select the Duplicate button
for a current group (normally the very last column in the Groups >List page). Selecting this button creates a copy of the
specified group and opens immediately to the Groups > Basic page. Refer to the Dell Networking W-AirWave 7.7 User
Guide for more information.
Folders
The devices on the APs/Devices > List page are arranged in collections called folders. Folders provide a logical
organization of devices unrelated to the configuration groups of the devices. Using folders, you can quickly view basic
statistics about devices. You must use folders if you want to limit the APs and devices that AirWave users can see.
The amount and type of information that a user can see is based on his/her role.
Folder views are persistent in AirWave. For example, if you created a folder named "Store1", you can select that folder
and then select the Down link in the header section of the page (top), to view only the down devices in the Store1
folder.
If you want to see every down device, select the Expand folders to show all APs/Devices link. When the folders are
expanded, you see all of the devices on AirWave that satisfy the criteria of the page. You also see an additional column
that lists the folder containing the AP.
How do I discover new devices?
In addition to manually adding devices, devices that are connected to your network can automatically be discovered and
added. AirWave performs device discovery using the following methods. These methods are described in greater detail in