Extreme Networks Altitude 4000 Series, Справочное руководство, Страница: 11 / 521

Altitude
TM
4000 Series Access Point System Reference Guide
11
C H A P T E R
2
Overview
Extreme Networks’ family of supported access points enable the centralized distribution of high
performance, secure and resilient wireless voice and data services to remote locations with the
scalability required to meet the needs of large distributed enterprises.
The Altitude 4700 series and Altitude 4500 series independent access points can now use controller
software as its onboard operating system. The software resident on the access point is a subset of the
software available on Summit WM3400, Summit WM3600 and Summit WM3700 model controllers. The
access point’s unique software enables the access point to function as a Standalone “
thick ” access point,
or a Virtual Controller AP capable of adopting and managing up to 24 access points of the same model.
When deploying an access point as a pure Virtual Controller AP, there is no controller available
anywhere on the network, and the access point itself is a controller for other access points of the same
model. the Virtual Controller AP can:
NOTE
The recommended way to administer a network populated by numerous access points is to configure them
directly from the Virtual Controller AP. If a single access point configuration requires an update from the Virtual
Controller AP’s assigned profile configuration, the administrator should apply a Device Override to change just that
access point’s configuration. For more information on applying an override to an access point’s Virtual Controller AP
assigned configuration and profile, see
“Profile Overrides” on page 155 .
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Provide firmware upgrades for connected access points
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Aggregate statistics for the group of access points the Virtual Controller is managing
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Be the single point of configuration for that deployment location
The software architecture is a solution designed for 802.11n networking. It leverages the best aspects of
independent and dependent architectures to create a smart network that meets the connectivity, quality
and security needs of each user and their applications, based on the availability of network resources
including wired networks. By distributing intelligence and control amongst access points, a network can
route directly via the best path, as determined by factors including the user, location, the application
and available wireless and wired resources. The software extends the differentiation Extreme Networks
access points offer to the next level, by making available services and security at every point in the
network. Access point managed traffic flow is optimized to prevent wired congestion and wireless
congestion. Traffic flows dynamically, based on user and application, and finds alternate routes to work
around network choke points.