Dell 6.2 Chapte r 24

DellPowerConnect W- Series ArubaOS 6.2 | User Guide SecureEnterprise Mesh | 439
Chapte r 24
Secure En terprise Mesh
The Dellsecure enterprise mesh solution is an effective way to expand network coverage for outdoor andi ndoor
enterpriseenvironments without any wires. Using mesh, you can bridge multipleE thernetLA Ns or you can extend
your wireless coverage.As traffic traverses across mesh APs, the mesh network automatically reconfigures around
brokenor blocked paths. This s elf-healingfeature provides increased reliability and redundancy:the network
continues to operate if an AP stops functioning or a connection fails.
Dell controllersprovide centralized configuration and management for APs in a mesh environment; local mesh APs
provide encryption and traffic forwardingfor mesh links. This chapterdescribes the Dell secure enterprise mesh
architecture,in t he followingto pics:
l"UnderstandingMesh Access Po ints" on page 439
l"UnderstandingMesh Links" on page 441
l"UnderstandingMesh Profiles " on page 443
l"UnderstandingMesh Solutions " on page 445
l"PlanningDeployment" on page 794
l"Workingwith Mesh Radi o Profiles" on page 450
l"Workingwith Mesh High Throughput SSID Profiles " on page 455
l"UnderstandingMesh Cluster Profiles" on page 459
l"ConfiguringEthernet Ports for Mesh"o n page4 64
l"Provisioning Mesh Nodes" on page 467
l"Understandingthe AP Boot Sequence " on page 469
l"Verifying the Network" on page 470
l"ConfiguringRemote Mesh Po rtals(R MPs)" on page 471
NOTE:Dell stronglyrecommends staging mesh APs before you deploy them. Identify thephysical l ocation ofthe APs, configure them
formesh, provision the APs and verify connectivity before physically deploying them in a live network. For other pre-installation
considerations,see "Plan ning Deployment" on page 794.
Understanding Me sh Access Points
Mesh APs learn about their environmentw henthey bo ot up. Mesh APs are either configured as a mesh portal
(MPP), an AP that uses its wired interface to reach the controller,or a mesh point (MP), an AP that establishes an
all-wirelesspath to t he meshpo rtal.Mesh APs locate and associate with their nearest neighbor, which provides the
best path to the mesh portal. Mesh portals and mesh points are also known as mesh nodes, a generic term used to
describe APs configured for mesh.
A mesh radio’s bandwidth can be shared between mesh-backhaultraffic and client traffic. You can, however,
configurea radio for mesh services only. If you have a dual-radio AP, a meshnode can be configured to deliver client
services on one radio and both mesh and WLAN services to clients on the o ther.If y ou configurea si ngle-radioAP