Ben Gibson at Cisco was kind enough to point out that there's a slight error in my Network World article on WLAN Management. Cisco has in fact integrated the Spectrum Expert functionality into their WCS console, but what I was trying to say here is that I expect that future management systems (most notably Cisco's, because, after all, they already own the chips required) will consider RF interference as a parameter in overall system management.
And, secondly, in retrospect it's not entirely fair to say that the system-level WLAN management tools won't be able to handle the tasks currently accomplished by the ad-hoc tools I'm currently testing. Most of these are client tools anyway. This brings up, however, an interesting question - just how much functionality will a given management product embody? Will IDS/IPS be rolled up into the management system? Will wireless LAN assurance tools (AirMagnet, OmniPeek, etc.)? Will all manner of widgets and gadgets? What does a complete set of WLAN management functionality actually look like, especially as we move to unified networks?
I'll try to answer some of these issues in the upcoming Network World articles.
Mathias is a principal at Farpoint Group, a wireless advisory firm in Ashland, Mass.
The Leader in Network Knowledge
