Nortel Networks 1 3.2 DHCP server

Voice over Wireless LAN Solution Guide v1.0 December 2005

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Just like Communication Server 1000 Telephony Manager is the main element manager for voice

products, Enterprise Switch Manager (ESM) is the main element manager for Nortel wired EDN

switching products. Products such as ES and ERS switches are managed, monitored, and

configured through ESM. ESM makes simultaneous VLAN configuration across multiple devices

quick and easy. It manages software upgrades, performs mass configuration backups, and

performs mass configuration changes.

WMS 2300

The WMS server currently handles all management functions with regard to the WLAN 2300

series products, from planning to configuration to trap reception to device monitoring. With

respect to configuration, the WMS provides bulk configuration capabilities through policies. Most

configuration tasks are easier to perform from the WMS than on a per-switch basis. You can

manage configurations through the automatic auditing process, in which the WMS and WSS

2300s compare configurations. If the two are out of sync, an alarm is raised, and an administrator

can then determine the correct configuration and reconcile in either direction as appropriate. The

WMS also flags problems with WSS 2300 configurations and provides single-click resolution to

those problems.

3.2 DHCP server

Employing a DHCP server can make many aspects of the VoWLAN solution much easier to

operate. In some cases the DHCP server may be a practical requirement. You can also employ

many extensions to streamline other operations. This section discusses most of these.

The AP 2330 requires a DHCP server only if the AP is going to operate as a DAP. Directly

connected APs do not need DHCP. If there are routers between the AP and WSS 2300, you can

also use the DHCP server to assign WSS 2300 addresses or hostnames through DHCP

extensions. After the AP 2230 has connected to a WSS 2300, it learns from the WSS 2300 the

addresses of the other WSS 2300s in the Mobility Domain, particularly the one that has the high

bias toward that AP.

The DHCP server needs to return either the IP address or a hostname to the AP in DHCP option

43. The exact format is very important. When you configure DHCP option 43 on a Microsoft

DHCP server, the server populates the beginning of the string with a 00x0 (hexadecimal) by

default. This value will cause problems if you do not delete it before typing the proper string.

Specifically, the syntax for an IP address looks like this:

ip:<ip address>

For two or more addresses, it will look like this:

ip:<first ip address>,<second ip address>,<third ip address>, …

Nortel recommends using two or more IP addresses in DHCP option 43 for redundancy

purposes.

The DHCP server can also return a hostname of a WSS 2300 in option 43, in which case the AP

will then use DNS to resolve the hostname to an IP address. If you are configuring the DHCP

server to return a hostname, the need to delete the prepopulated 00x0 (hex) character also

applies. The syntax for a hostname looks like this:

host:<hostname1>,<hostname2>, …