WESM zl Management and Configuration Guide WT.01.28 and greater

4-4
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)
Configuration Options: Normal Versus Advanced Mode
Configuration Options: Normal Versus
Advanced Mode
When the Wireless Edge Services zl Module deploys a WLAN’s configuration to an
RP, it assigns the SSID associated with that WLAN to a BSSID on the RP’s radio (or
radios). You can configure the module to assign WLANs to RPs in one of two modes:
normal or advanced. In normal configuration mode, the Wireless Edge Services zl
Module handles mapping WLANs to BSSIDs on all RP radios. In advanced mode,
you must manually assign WLANs to radios and to BSSIDs.
Normal configuration is the generally recommended option. However, you can use
advanced configuration to restrict certain WLANs to certain areas, to select which
WLANs the RPs announce, or to increase the number of WLANs supported by your
network.
The following sections describe how to use normal mode and advanced mode
configuration. The instructions assume that you have already configured all of the
WLANs for your network and that you are ready to enable them.
Normal Mode Configuration
You almost always use normal mode configuration. In this mode, the Wireless Edge
Services zl Module OS automatically adds enabled WLANs to the default configu-
ration for adopted radios, matching each WLAN’s SSID to a particular BSSID.
Whenever the module adopts an RP, it deploys this configuration to the RP.
In normal mode configuration, a Wireless Edge Services zl Module (and its RPs) can
support up to 16 WLANs.
Why Use Normal Mode
Normal mode configuration is simple to use and suitable for most environments. The
deployment is entirely transparent: you simply enable WLANs, and as soon as an RP
is adopted by the module, that RP begins to support those WLANs.
Unless you need more than 16 WLANs or have a pressing reason to force certain
RPs to support certain WLANs only, you should not deviate from normal mode.