As I mentioned in a previous blog, the best way to go to Cisco's Networkers is to focus on a certain area and take as many classes and events as you can in that same area. I followed my own advice again this year and took all wireless classes.
I was very happy with the training and learned a lot. My knowledge of wireless was essentially limited to the channels to use in the 2.4 GHz range. So, what stuck me the most was the depth of the technology and knowledge needed to design, build, and manage wireless networks today. We're building a requirements list for an internal wireless upgrade project now so I took notes during all the classes. Here's just some of the notes I took:
- Lightweight AP authentication (LWAPP Join Process) - keep rouge APs from joining to controller
- Client Authentication via one of the EAP processes
- Support for all of our various clients
- Authentication (EAP type) integration with corporate LDAP (SSO).
- Authentication for non-AD devices (Macs, iPhones, etc).
- Outside coverage for campuses?
- Controller expansion rules (i.e. how many APs we will support for each controller before we upgrade the controller since need to have room to grow)
- Wireless Security Policy creation or update.
- Site Survey tools (Airmagnet)
- Cisco Spectrum Expert Card
- Remote Spectrum analysis device for each site (or at least Tier-2 and above).
- Wireless sniffer (OmniPeek, Airmagnet, Wireshark?)
- Cisco WCS Planning Tool (not a site survey tool, it's a planning tool)
- 3D site surveys (does anyone do that?)
- Support A and N only? (probably not, iPhones, customers, etc). N only in 5 GHz rage though.
- What other devices? (iPhones, scanners, Macs, old laptops)
- Local switching (H-REAP) to prevent local WLAN traffic at field sites from routing to centralized controller.
- AP redundancy via Tx Power Control
- Controller (N+1) redundancy
- Rouge Detection without separate APs (like AirMagnet)
- Wireless IDS?
- Management Frame Protection on APs (clients?)
- Support all types of VPN connections for guests.
- Ability to add SSIDs that are the same that customers use in their own network for EBCs, meetings, etc. Drop all users into guest VLAN. (EBC would coordinate this ahead of time.)
- Simple downstream (for QoS capable - Voice=High, Corporate Users=Normal, Guests=Low
- Bandwidth rate-limit individual guest users
Yeah, amazing what it takes to run an enterprise class wireless environment now. I have a lot more studying to do.
Which is why I was glad to see Cisco announce the CCNA Wireless specialization. It's definitely needed, along with a future professional level certification (CCWP maybe?). I even heard of a possible Wireless CCIE, but nothing official there. ;-)
If you haven't studied or read about Cisco's wireless architecture, it's a good read. The trainers also highly recommended the Wireless SRND, but it is 368 pages. Something for the weekend. ;-)
More >From the Field blog entries:
The Underlying Message of John Chambers Keynote at Networkers
Cisco Networkers Network Performance
Special Cisco Networkers Contest - And the winner is.....
Welcome to Cisco Live (Networkers)
Go to Cisco Subnet for more Cisco news, blogs, discussion forums, security alerts, book giveaways, and more.
Michael Morris is a communications engineering manager at a $3 billion high-tech company. His background is in enterprise WANs working with telcos, and developing large-scale routing designs. He has worked on networks at government and corporate organizations, including networks at two Fortune 10 companies. In his current role, he leads large-scale IT networking projects and develops and maintains architectural standards for data networks, storage area networks, IP Telephony, and security. Michael is a CCIE and has 11 years experience in networking and communications, including four years as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army. He has a bachelor's degree in MIS from the University at Buffalo. Recently, he was awarded the Network Professional Association® (NPA) Professional Excellence and Innovation Award for his work on network architecture, templates and enterprise MPLS design.
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