User's Manual

HotPort 3100 Series / 3500 Series Indoor Mesh Nodes 5
mance by directing traffic onto specific VLAN routes. The HotPort mesh
supports 802.1q VLAN tagging of packets entering and exiting the mesh.
You can assign mesh node Ethernet ports to different VLANs. Only ports
belonging to the same VLAN can switch traffic among themselves. You can
define up to 4096 VLAN IDs and create up to 16 multiple, logically separated
VLAN networks within a single mesh. The HotPort mesh also supports VLAN
trunks.
Traffic Prioritization (class of service)
Note: Traffic prioritization is not available on HotPort 3101, 3500-2401, or
3500-5001 models.
The HotPort system provides three traffic prioritization levels (Low,
Medium, or High) to prioritize traffic on the mesh. This helps ensure that
certain types of traffic requiring high throughput or continuous service,
such as voice, take precedence over other forms of traffic. Every port on
every node on the mesh can be set to any of these three priority levels.
Network Gateway Servers
The HotPort Mesh network allows up to 16 mesh portals for efficient access
to external network services such as the Internet. This capability enables
high throughput and redundancy for external services and optimizes the
transport of traffic though the mesh. HotPort mesh nodes can be assigned
to specific portal groups (called “Gateway Groups”) to further increase the
efficiency of each portal. You configure portals by defining Network Gateway
Groups.
The Network Gateway feature provides both load balancing and redundancy
when accessing various network services. This helps provide better wire-
less mesh data throughput because it allows packets to enter and exit the
wireless mesh at the entry/exit point closest to the packet’s destination,
thereby conserving wireless bandwidth and reducing the number of hops
required to reach the desired destination.
Intuitive Network Mesh Management with HotView™ Software
HotView™ mesh management software provides live monitoring and
management of Firetide HotPort wireless mesh networks. The software
features an intuitive graphical user interface and provides complete access
to all mesh and individual node settings, including security, VLAN, class
of service, radio power controls, and network gateway interconnects. Live
monitoring features include mesh and node statistics and a graphical view
that uses node icons to indicate active connections. Users can also import
graphics of floor plans or maps and place the icons for each node for a real
world view of the mesh network.
HotView Pro extend the management features of HotView across multiple
meshes. Thus, an enterprise can manage all of its HotPort meshes world-
wide from anywhere.
HotView and HotView Pro operate on virtually any workstation or server
that is connected to the mesh, either directly or remotely via WAN connec-
tion or the Internet.