AirWave - FAQ - Wireless Network Management Software for WiFi, Mesh, and more; AirWave Wireless Management Suite: AWMS, AMP, VisualRF, RAPIDS

Q: What is "Universal Device Support"?
A: Universal Device Support is a new feature that allows you to monitor key elements of your wired network infrastructure that have a direct impact on the performance and reliability of your wireless network – enabling more intelligent root-cause analysis and diagnostics. If a user calls to report that the wireless network is down, for example, UDS allows your Help Desk staff to perform a quick check to ensure that the upstream switches, RADIUS servers, etc. appear to be functioning properly before performing extensive wireless diagnostics. While AirWave manages most leading brands and models of wireless infrastructure, no solution can manage every wireless device on the market. UDS also enables basic monitoring of many of these less commonly used APs.

Q: What is "Quick View"?
A: The AirWave user interface with Quick View allows the Help Desk and other staff members to see location maps on the device and user monitoring screens, without having to launch any other applications. The Quick View screens make it fast and easy to use the maps and location information to assist in diagnosing and resolving problems.

Q: What is a "Custom Compliance Audit"?
A: The AirWave software has always had the ability to audit all your wireless access points and controllers – to ensure that their actual configuration settings are identical to the centrally defined policy. The software can even automatically repair the device configurations to comply with the policy. In many organizations, however, certain settings are allowed to vary from site to site – except for critical security and network settings. The Custom Compliance Feature allows you to determine which settings should generate high priority alerts when misconfigured, so you can focus on the most critical issues without having to worry about settings that are unlikely to affect security or performance.

Q: Which mesh products does the AirWave software support?
A: The AirWave supports mesh models from Proxim, Tropos, and Cisco. Support for additional vendors will be included in upcoming releases.

General Information

Q: What is the AirWave Wireless Management Suite?
A: The AirWave Wireless Management Suite is an integrated set of software applications that provide you a single console to manage and monitor your wireless network infrastructure – including enterprise WiFi access points, controllers, mesh and even WiMax products. AWMS supports even large, multi-vendor WiFi networks from one web-based management console. The AirWave Management Platform (AMP) provides the foundation of the AirWave Wireless Management Suite. AMP provides a single point of intelligent control for:

Real-time user and device monitoring
Automatic discovery of all infrastructure devices (access points, controllers, etc.)
Centralized configuration and firmware management
Automated compliance audits and enforcement of wireless network security policies
Alerting, diagnostics and reporting
Integration with your existing network management solution (NMS)

The VisualRF software module provides RF heatmaps, channel maps, and accurate location information for every client and device connected to your network – without requiring a separate location server or appliance. VisualRF integrates with AMP to ensure that all maps and visual information are updated with real-time monitoring data. When you use VisualRF, you also receive a copy of the AirWave Wireless Site Plan software for pre-installation planning and installation workflow.
The RAPIDS software module uses a combination of wired and wireless network scans to automatically detect unauthorized 'rogue' access points on your network. The AirWave Master Console provides a single console for monitoring vast wireless networks, even when the management software is distributed across multiple servers for efficiency.

Q: Why do I need the AirWave Wireless Management Suite?
A: Any organization deploying a wireless LAN with more than a few wireless access points and users will need a specialized wireless network management solution. Wireless networks rely on fundamentally different technologies than traditional wired networks, and thus introduce a wide range of new management and security concerns. AirWave delivers:

Total visibility. AMP allows you to see every user and device on your network, so you know exactly where they are, how the network is performing, and where any problems may be surfacing. By putting all this information at your fingertips, AMP helps reduce wireless problem resolution time by up to 75% and reduces the total number of wireless support calls by up to 40%.
Usability for the whole IT staff. AirWave's easy-to-use interface enables your Help Desk to resolve the wireless support problems that are currently being escalated to your most highly-skilled and over-worked network engineers. This enables your support processes to scale as WLAN usage grows – and saves your organization money in the process.
Enhanced security. Gartner Group estimates that as many as 90% of wireless security incidents will be caused by misconfigured devices or infrastructure. AirWave's customers report that an average of 32% of their wireless access points were improperly configured before they started using AMP. AMP ensures that all security policies are uniformly applied across your entire wireless network and automatically restores the proper settings if any discrepancies are found. AMP also detects any unauthorized APs connected to your network and helps you identify and locate any unauthenticated users.
True flexibility. The AirWave Wireless Management Suite supports WiFi hardware from most leading vendors – and multiple WLAN architectures (thick APs, thin APs, mesh, WiMax, etc.). As your network gets larger and more complex, AirWave ensures that you will still be able to manage it efficiently from a single console. Even if you only have one primary hardware vendor today and a uniform architecture, AirWave provides you with an invaluable insurance policy in case your network becomes more complex (through M&A activity, vendor architecture changes, etc.) in the future.
Reduced operating costs. AMP reduces operating costs automating routine tasks and enabling efficient, centralized management of your entire wireless LAN infrastructure.
Improved network performance. AMP continuously monitors the RF environment and all critical aspects of network performance, alerting you whenever performance parameters are outside acceptable ranges. In many cases, AMP can automatically implement corrective measures to ensure that you achieve the same levels of performance on your wireless network as you do on your wireline network.

Q: How many devices can I manage with the AirWave Wireless Management Suite?
A: AirWave customers manage vast networks with 50,000+ wireless access points and controllers. The AirWave Enterprise Edition software allows you to use powerful multi-processor servers to manage up to 2,500 devices from a single server, while the Professional Edition typically supports up to 1,000 devices. For larger networks, the software is distributed across multiple servers for maximum scalability – while using the AirWave Master Console to provide a single console for visibility across the entire network.

Q: What are the advantages of a multi-vendor and multi-architecture management solution like AMP?
A: As a vendor-neutral, non-proprietary software solution, AMP delivers clear advantages that proprietary solutions typically do not offer:

Manages "thick" and "thin" APs from a single, integrated console
Supports mesh and WiMax technologies as well as traditional enterprise WiFi products
Delivers legacy product line support to extend the life of existing infrastructure – and allowing you to set the timeline for hardware upgrades instead of putting the decision in the hands of your hardware vendor
Provides "best-of-breed" management practices by working with all leading vendors
Manages existing, heterogeneous networks
"Future-proofs" your network by ensuring that new standards and features will be supported, regardless of vendor
Avoids expensive "forklift updates" and allows you to set the timeline for hardware upgrades
Eliminates dependence on specific vendors, providing an insurance policy in case your WLAN becomes more complex in the future (through M&A activity, industry consolidation, etc.)
Gives you the flexibility to use specialized hardware where required (rugged APs in manufacturing areas, "hotspot" APs for guest access, etc.)

Q: Do all AirWave users receive the same administrative permissions?
A: No. With AirWave, you can tailor user permissions to fit the precise role and responsibility of each user:

Administrator Access – Full management access to the system
Management Access – Permits the user to change configuration settings
Monitoring Access – Permits the user to view monitoring information and reports, but not to make configuration changes (Help Desk, etc.)
Auditor Access – Permits the user to view configuration audit reports and monitoring data, but not make configuration changes.

You can also define the segment of the network for which these privileges apply – so a Help Desk staff member in New York may be permitted to view monitoring data from the Northeast region, but nowhere else.

Q: Is AMP an appliance?
A: No. AMP is a software application that can be loaded on almost any server hardware. This gives you tremendous flexibility to increase your management capacity by using more powerful server hardware as your wireless LAN grows. With AMP, your ability to manage your network will never be constrained by your hardware platform.

Q: Where does AWMS reside on my network?
A: AWMS is a software solution that typically resides on standard PC hardware in your network operations center (NOC). It typically uses standard protocols such as SNMP and HTTP to manage your wireless infrastructure across a LAN or WAN, enabling you to control a geographically dispersed, global wireless network from a single location. Because it has a web-based UI, you can manage your wireless LAN remotely from anywhere you have secure Internet access.

Q: What are the hardware requirements?
A: AWMS is a software solution that typically runs on a standard PC server. Detailed hardware recommendations are available in the AWMS User Guide.

Q: With AMP, can I upgrade my hardware platform at no cost?
A: Yes. You can install and move your licensed copy(ies) to a hardware platform of your choosing.

Can I distribute the AirWave software on more than one server without having to use multiple consoles to monitor the network?
A: Yes. The AirWave Master Console provides a single console from which you can manage multiple servers running the AirWave software, enabling the seamless management of WiFi networks with 50,000+ wireless access points and devices.

Q: Does AMP support wireless LAN switches and thin APs as well as intelligent, 'stand-alone' APs?
A: Yes. AMP has been specifically designed to support multi-architecture as well as multi-vendor WiFi networks – including both autonomous APs, thin APs and controllers. AMP today supports enterprise-class WiFi infrastructure from leading vendors such as Aruba Networks, Avaya, Cisco, Colubris, Enterasys, HP ProCurve, Symbol, LANCOM, Foundry, Funkwerk, Meru, Nomadix, Trapeze, Nortel, 3Com and Proxim. Whether your organization is maintaining multiple architectures or migrating from a thick to a thin AP architecture, AirWave gives you the ability to manage and monitor both from one integrated console.

Q: Does AMP require any client software?
A: No. AMP is a server-side software solution that requires no client software. The AirWave Management Client software is an optional utility that enables two-way communication between connected client devices and the AirWave Management Platform. By using this client software, which AMP uses to detect RF problems and rogue access points, you gain valuable additional information on the RF environment.

Q: Which version of the AirWave Wireless Management Suite is right for me?
A: An AirWave sales representative or partner will help you determine which version of AMP will best meet your needs. The following are general guidelines only:

AWMS Enterprise Edition is a single-server license (no limit on processing capacity) that typically manages up to 2,500 devices in most environments.
AWMS Professional Edition is a single-server software license (up to 4 cores) that typically supports up to 1,000 access points and controllers in normal network environments.
AWMS-200 Edition is a single-server software license for customers with 200 or fewer wireless access points and controllers.
AWMS-100 Edition is a single-server software license for customers with 100 or fewer wireless access points and controllers.
AWMS-50 Edition is a single-server software license for customers with 50 or fewer wireless access points and controllers.
AWMS-25 Edition is a single-server software license for customers with 25 or fewer wireless access points and controllers.
AirWave Master Console provides integrated management and monitoring even when the AirWave software is distributed across multiple servers in very large wireless environments.

Q: Is a failover license available for high-availability environments?
A: Yes. Both many-to-one and single-server failover licenses are available.

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AP Discovery

Q: How does AMP automatically "discover" APs and controllers on my network?
A: AMP uses SNMP and HTTP scans as well as layer-2 discovery protocols (OSU, CDP, WNMP, IAPP, etc.) to discover wireless APs and/or controllers on your network. You can also manually input devices to the management system.

Q: Can I monitor a newly discovered device without making a configuration change? A: Yes. AMP lets you place a device in "Monitor Only" mode. In this mode, AMP will examine the device's current configuration and display any changes that would be made to its configuration if it were assigned to one of your predefined or default configuration groups. Changes to the configuration will be applied only when you shift the device to "Managed" mode.

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Configuration & Firmware Management

Q: What devices does AirWave support?
A: AMP supports most major enterprise infrastucture brands and models from leading manufacturers such as Aruba, Cisco, Symbol, Colubris, Proxim, Enterasys, Avaya, HP ProCurve, LANCOM, Meru, Nomadix, Funkwerk Artem, Trapeze, 3Com, Nortel, Foundry, Tropos and others. AirWave continually adds support for additional devices.

Q: Does AirWave support access points with two radios (i.e., 802.11b and 802.11g)?
A: Yes. AMP enables you to configure and monitor multiple radios independently on access points.

Q: Will AirWave support 802.11n?
A: Yes. AirWave anticipates implementing support for 802.11n radios in late 2007, when enterprise-grade products become commercially available.

Q: How do I autoconfigure a device?
A: AMP allows you to define groups that share common configurations. When AMP discovers a new device on the network, you simply assign it to the appropriate group, and all appropriate configurations are applied automatically.

Q: Can I use AMP to control RF transmission power on my APs?
A: Yes. Transmission power is a configurable variable with AMP. Because AMP provides up-to-date information on client signal strength, you can proactively detect when signal strength is below acceptable levels and increase transmission power to alleviate the problem.

Q: Can I use AMP to update the firmware on my access points and controllers?
A: Yes. AMP allows you to remotely upgrade the firmware on your devices and to specify the minimum acceptable firmware version for each manufacturer and model that you use. Upgrades are applied automatically and efficiently to large groups of devices or to individual devices, and can be scheduled to minimize the impact on network performance. AirWave works closely with leading WLAN infrastructure vendors to ensure that new features and firmware are supported promptly upon release.

Q: Can I schedule configuration changes or firmware upgrades for a future time?
A: Yes. AMP lets you schedule any configuration changes for specified time or maintenance windows.

Q: Can I see which devices on my network have specific firmware configurations?
A: Yes. AMP provides a standard daily inventory report that provides detailed information about the configurations of all APs and devices on your network.

Q: Does AMP let me view and confirm configuration changes before I apply them to a device?
A: Yes. When you assign a device to a new configuration group, AMP gives you a detailed onscreen report that highlights any discrepancies between the existing configuration and the new configuration. Changes to the device will go into effect only after you provide confirmation, which helps you avoid the errors that may occur when configurations are accidentally overwritten.

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User & Device Monitoring

Q: What type of monitoring information does AMP provide?
A: AMP provides near-real-time information on all aspects of WLAN performance, including device status, associated users (by username, MAC address, and IP address), bandwidth utilization, signal strength per client, authentication status, duration of session, etc. This is displayed via AMP's easy-to-use graphical UI.

Q: How often is monitoring information updated?
A: AMP's SNMP polling interval is user-configurable, with standard polling periods ranging from 15 seconds to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the network, the network architecture, and your need for up-to-date monitoring information.

Q: Can I use AMP to locate a particular user on my network?
A: Yes. AMP identifies associated users by username and MAC address, enabling you to quickly locate any user on your network and identify the AP to which he or she is connected. AMP's Search function allows you to search for any user or device (by username/device name, MAC address, etc.) and locate them on the network. AirWave's VisualRF module even allows you to locate them in physical space.

Q: Can I view a user's roaming history?
A: Yes. AMP retains historical user association data in a database, enabling you to view detailed roaming and usage histories for every user on your network. You may retain up to 2 years' roaming history. With AirWave's Quick View screens, you can even view a visual roaming history on a sitemap.

Q: Will AMP integrate with my existing network management solution (NMS)?
A: Yes. AMP can pass SNMP traps and alerts to almost any existing NMS.

Q: Is an existing network management solution (NMS) required?
A: No. AMP provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-use, standalone, web-based console through which you can view and manage all network devices from anywhere in the world.

Visualization & Location Information

Q: Does AirWave provide up-to-date heatmaps and RF channel maps for my sites?
A: Yes. AirWave's VisualRF module provides RF heatmaps and channel maps. You simply import an existing map of your facility and specify where your authorized access points are located. Using real-world RF data from your existing APs (as well as any site survey data gathered with the AirWave Management Client), VisualRF calculates real-world coverage areas and displays color-coded channel maps to help you with RF planning.

Q: Does the VisualRF solution require a separate appliance?
A: No. The VisualRF module can run on the same server as your AirWave Management Platform software.

Q: Can I use VisualRF to determine a user's physical location?
A: Yes. VisualRF uses RF fingerprinting to calculate location information for each user (and access point) and to display the user's location on an onscreen map.

Q: Is there any licensing restriction on the number of users' whose location I can track?
A: No. The VisualRF module is licensed separately, but VisualRF does not limit the number of users whose location can be tracked under that license.

Q: How accurate is the location information?
A: Accuracy of the location information depends on (a) the quality and quantity of RF information gathered by your vendor's APs and (b) the number and density of AP coverage. Typically, accuracy improves with denser AP coverage, since this provides more data points with which to "triangulate" device location. With typical APs, location accuracy to within 3-10m is possible in normal environments.

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Reports & Alerts

Q: Does AMP provide reports?
A: Yes. The AirWave Management Platform includes comprehensive daily and ad hoc reporting packages to enable you to quickly assess the health and performance of your wireless network. Information contained in the reports can be extracted via XML into other applications for analysis.
Standard reports include graphical network usage reports, client reports, AP summary reports, inventory reports for accurate asset tracking, rogue AP reports, new user reports, and configuration audit reports for security and compliance.

Q: Can I define my own alert thresholds and severity codes?
A: Yes. AMP lets you define trigger thresholds and define both severity codes and alerting procedures.

Q: Can AMP generate email alerts?
A: Yes. Depending on the severity of the problem, AMP can be configured to deliver alerts via the onscreen console, via SNMP traps to other management solutions, or directly to support personnel via email or pager.

Q: Does AMP retain historical data?
A: Yes. AMP can typically store one to two years of historical performance information, which is critical for trending reporting and accurate problem resolution. Because AMP is a software solution, customers may use a hardware platform with expanded storage to increase capacity.

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Security

Q: How does AirWave make my wireless network more secure?
A: Network management is a critical component of an overall wireless LAN security strategy. In particular, a management solution must provide:

Centralized configuration management. Whatever your encryption and authentication policies (WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc.), your wireless LAN infrastructure must be configured to support them and other security policies (disable broadcast SSID, etc.). Gartner Group estimates that 90% of wireless security incidents will result from misconfigured infrastructure and devices. A centralized management solution is essential to eliminate human error and ensure that these policies are applied uniformly.

Automated compliance management. It is not enough to ensure that policies are applied correctly once. You must continuously audit the infrastructure to ensure that the policies remain enforced and that any violations are detected right away. AirWave customers report that an average of 32% of wireless APs were misconfigured before they installed AMP. AMP addresses this problem by enabling you to schedule automated compliance audits, to see side-by-side views depicting any violations and even to automatically 'repair' those violations as soon as they are detected. With the new Custom Compliance Audit feature in 5.0, you can even determine which violations merit the generation of a high-priority alert – and which settings may safely be allowed to vary.

Rogue AP detection. AMP uses a unique combination of wired and wireless network scans to detect potential unauthorized "rogue" APs anywhere on a network – even those that are out of range of your APs or sensors. AirWave uses existing, authorized APs to conduct wireless environmental RF scans to detect any unknown access points in range. Wireline scans detect the "fingerprints" of access points providing a comprehensive system for identifying rogue APs anywhere on the network. The RAPIDS module integrates this data and assigns each device a score reflecting the likelihood that it is an unauthorized rogue AP. When the device is detected via one or more wireless scans, the VisualRF module calculates and displays the rogue's location.

"Need to Know" Security. Good security policy dictates that only those IT employees with a "need-to-know" can access information about security policies, credentials, passwords, etc. With AMP, organizations can define what level of administrative access each AMP user should have: super-user (able to create and define admin roles for others); read-write access (able to manage device configuration policies; typical for a network engineer); read-only (monitoring access but no configuration privileges; typical for Help Desk support); and auditor (able to view auditing screens and reports; typical for a security analyst). AMP also allows organizations to define the network segment (or devices) for which administrative users should have the specified privileged. I.e., a network engineer with responsibility for the U.S. retail stores may be granted read-write privileges for the WLAN infrastructure in the store locations in the U.S. while another user may be limited to monitoring-only views for stores outside the U.S. and for non-store locations.

Q: Does AMP support 802.1x-based security?
A: Yes. AMP supports the configuration of 802.1x settings on access points and integrates with leading RADIUS servers.

Q: Does AMP configure VLANs?
A: Yes. AMP provides centralized VLAN configuration and also provides monitoring data on a per-VLAN basis.

Q: Does AMP support secure SNMPv3?
A: Yes. AMP utilizes SNMPv3 to manage APs that support this communications protocol.

Q: Does AMP support WEP, WPA, and WPA2 encryption?
A: Yes.

Q: How does AMP detect rogue APs?
A: RAPIDS uses a unique combination of wired and wireless network scans to detect potential unauthorized "rogue" APs anywhere on a network – even those that are out of range of your APs or sensors. AirWave uses existing, authorized APs to conduct wireless environmental RF scans to detect any unknown access points in range. Wireline scans detect the "fingerprints" of access points providing a comprehensive system for identifying rogue APs anywhere on the network. The RAPIDS module integrates this data and assigns each device a score reflecting the likelihood that it is an unauthorized rogue AP. When the device is detected via one or more wireless scans, the VisualRF module calculates and displays the rogue's location.

Q: Can all access points wirelessly scan for rogue APs?
A: Most enterprise-grade APs and controllers today provide this capability directly. AirWave integrates with CiscoWorks WLSE to enable Cisco Aironet APs to detect rogue APs wirelessly via AMP.

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Purchasing Information

Q: Can I see a demonstration of the AirWave Wireless Management Suite?
A: For qualified potential customers, AirWave will arrange an online demonstration of the capabilities of the AirWave Wireless Management Suite. Contact AirWave at sales@airwave.com or 866-802-1121 to arrange a live demo.

Q: How do I purchase the AirWave Wireless Management Suite?
A: AirWave software is installed and supported by members of a world-class network of highly trained resellers and systems integrators. Email AirWave at sales@airwave.com or call 866-802-1121 for the name of a reseller in your area.