Cisco Cisco Catalyst 6000 Multilayer Switch Feature Card MSFC2 White Paper

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Guest Services

Companies need to provide guest access for customers, vendors, partners, and others visiting their facilities. Guest networking is the ability of the

network to assign special access rights based on the profile of the user. The system can customize the privileges granted based on the external

employee’s role. As an example, a consultant can be granted more network privileges than a supplier. Wireless simplifies guest services by

abstracting network connectivity from the physical port.

The wireless network is an excellent platform for providing guest services, given the ubiquity of wireless-enabled laptops and other handheld

devices. An integrated wired and wireless network improves the quality of guest services by allowing the guest to maintain a single profile across all

network types. Consider the example of a management consultant hired to improve corporate knowledge management systems. The role requires the

consultant to be highly mobile within the enterprise as she gathers information from a variety of employees. When the consultant is back at her desk,

she must compare her new data with the data hosted on the corporate servers. After she logs in, the network recognizes her consultant status and

allocates her the appropriate access rights. In such a way, access to network resources can be granted or denied based on the user profile, time of

day, and type of content sought.

External guests can often be highly mobile within the business, moving between departments as they work across multiple projects or interface

with different constituencies. The availability of a unified network that automatically adjusts the services offered based on the guest’s location

and connectivity type, allowing the IT department to realize cost savings through a decrease in moves, adds, and changes.

Scalability

The RF used by the wireless network is a finite resource that must be managed. Radio resource management (RRM) takes the complexity out of

managing the RF and provides a scalable and efficient use of the wireless medium. RRM improves spectral efficiency through a series of wireless

management tools:

•

Dynamic client load balancing across access points

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Automatic interference detection and avoidance

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Automatic access point channel assignment

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Dynamic access point power transmit control

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Automatic site survey and RF recalibration tools

To help ensure adequate network coverage and bandwidth for all employees, enterprises require numerous access points throughout buildings and

across the campus. A wireless network, capable of supporting the breadth of mobility services required for business application innovation, requires

a single access point per every 3000 square feet of office space. By integrating the wireless network into the existing wired network, IT managers

can rest assured that the underlying data network can handle any additional traffic the WLAN might generate (for example, from guests, contractors,

or additional management) and still provide a unified view of network performance.

Complete wired and wireless integration allows the control and management of access points and controllers to be centralized into the core of

the network. This centralized control significantly decreases the overhead and time required to manage the wireless system. Instead of touching

individual controllers or access points, IT administrators can have a single management point that spans the breadth of individual wireless

components. By integrating wireless management into the network core, Cisco can manage more than 80,000 WLAN clients from a single interface.

The integration of wireless components into the wired infrastructure allows companies to use their existing infrastructure investment more

effectively. This integration provides a better use of resources, including support labor, equipment processing power, and physical wiring closet

rack space. For example, with the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, enterprises can move from supporting multiple network components, such as

data switches and wireless controllers, to a single network component that integrates into the wired infrastructure, such as the Cisco Catalyst

6500

Series Wireless Services Module (WiSM) or the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller Module (WLCM) for integrated services routers.