Management and Configuration Guide (Includes ACM xl) 2005-12

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INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides a brief introduction to the 700wl Series system™ and its primary features. The

topics covered in this chapter include:

700wl Series Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

700wl Series Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

700wl Series Overview

The 700wl Series system’s industry-leading cost-performance and uniquely flexible and scalable

deployment architecture provides the foundation for a secure, scalable, mission-critical 802.11 wireless

network. At the core of the wireless LAN (WLAN) the 700wl Series system provides key services

including centralized management and control, role-based fine-grained access policy enforcement,

secure Layer 3 roaming, and tiered layers of security, which enables companies to deploy and manage

802.11 networks ranging from tens to thousands of access points (APs).

A 700wl Series system consists of a central Access Control Server 740wl that provides services such as

authentication, roaming, and policy management, and one or more Access Controller units. Access

Controllers are gateway devices deployed at the edge of the network in the user data path enforcing

network authorization and business policy.

The Access Controller (a ProCurve Access Controller xl Module (J8162A) or a ProCurve Access

Controller 720wl) is a low cost, high-performance appliance with modular connectivity options that

require minimal configuration, and are deployed in conjunction with an ProCurve Access Control

Server 740wl. The Access Controller sits between the Wireless Access Points and the network, and

implements a powerful Packet Inspection Engine (Layer 2-7) that can rewrite and redirect client traffic

based on an Access Policy received from the Access Control Server. Each Access Policy is tailored to the

individual client based on who the client is (per a successful authentication) and where and when the

client has connected to the network.

The Access Control Server (the ProCurve Access Control Server 740wl and Access Controller xl Module

(ACM)) is a centralized resource on the network that provides services to the connected Access

Controllers such as authentication management, mobility management (roaming support), policy

management, and system monitoring and reporting. The Access Control Server is deployed as a

dedicated control function and does not sit in the user data path. A second Access Control Server can

be deployed in a redundant configuration to support stateful failover.