Profile Services Configuration

A profile can contain specific guest access (captive portal) server configurations. These guest network access permissions can be defined uniquely as profile requirements dictate.

Before defining a profile‘s captive portal and DHCP configuration, refer to the following deployment guidelines to ensure the profile configuration is optimally effective:
  • A profile plan should consider the number of wireless clients allowed on the profile‘s guest (captive portal) network and the services provided, or if the profile should support guest access at all.
  • Profile configurations supporting a captive portal should include firewall policies to ensure logical separation is provided between guest and internal networks so internal networks and hosts are not reachable from guest devices.
  • DHCP‘s lack of an authentication mechanism means a DHCP server supported profile cannot check if a client or user is authorized to use a given user class. This introduces a vulnerability when using user class options. Ensure a profile using DHCP resources is also provisioned with a strong user authorization and validation configuration.

To define a profile‘s services configuration:

  1. Select Configuration → Devices → System Profile → Services.
  2. Refer to the Profile_Captive_Portal field to select or set a guest access configuration (captive portal) for use with this profile.
    Click to expand in new window
    Profile Services - Services Screen

    A captive portal is guest access policy for providing guests temporary and restrictive access to the access point managed network.

    A captive portal provides secure authenticated access using a standard Web browser. Captive portals provides authenticated access by capturing and re-directing a wireless user's Web browser session to a captive portal login page where the user must enter valid credentials to access to the wireless network. Once logged into the captive portal, additional Agreement, Welcome and Fail pages provide the administrator with a number of options on screen flow and user appearance.

  3. Select an existing captive portal policy, use the default captive portal policy or select the Create link to create a new captive portal configuration that can be applied to this profile.
    For more information, see Captive Portals Policy.
  4. Use the RADIUS Server Application Policy drop-down menu to select an application policy to authenticate users and authorize access to the network.
    A RADIUS policy provides the centralized management of authentication data (usernames and passwords). When an client attempts to associate, the controller or service platform sends the authentication request to the RADIUS server. If an existing RADIUS server policy does not meet your requirements, click the Create link to create a new policy.
  5. Use the DHCP Server Policy drop-down menu assign this profile a DHCP server policy. If an existing DHCP policy does not meet the profile‘s requirements, click the Create icon to create a new policy configuration that can be applied to this profile, or click the Edit icon to modify the parameters of an existing DHCP Server policy.
    Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) allows hosts on an IP network to request and be assigned IP addresses as well as discover information about the network where they reside. Each subnet can be configured with its own address pool. Whenever a DHCP client requests an IP address, the DHCP server assigns an IP address from that subnet‘s address pool. When the onboard DHCP server allocates an address for a DHCP client, the client is assigned a lease, which expires after an predetermined interval. Before a lease expires, wireless clients (to which leases are assigned) are expected to renew them to continue to use the addresses. When the lease expires, the client is no longer permitted to use the leased IP address. The profile‘s DHCP server policy ensures all IP addresses are unique, and no IP address is assigned to a second client while the first client's assignment is valid (its lease has not expired).
  6. Use the DHCPv6 Server Policy drop-down menu assign this profile a DHCPv6 server policy. If an existing DHCP policy for IPv6 does not meet the profile‘s requirements, click the Create icon to create a new policy configuration that can be applied to this profile, or click the Edit icon to modify the parameters of an existing DHCP Server policy.
    DHCPv6 is a networking protocol for configuring IPv6 hosts with IP addresses, IP prefixes, or other configuration attributes required on an IPv6 network. DHCP in IPv6 works in with IPv6 router discovery. With the proper RA flags, DHCPv6 works like DHCP for IPv4. The central difference is the way a device identifies itself if assigning addresses manually instead of selecting addresses dynamically from a pool.
  7. Use the RADIUS Server Policy drop-down menu to select an existing RADIUS server policy to use as a user validation security mechanism with this profile.
    A profile can have its own unique RADIUS server policy to authenticate users and authorize access to the network. A profile‘s RADIUS policy provides the centralized management of controller or service platform authentication data (usernames and passwords). When an client attempts to associate, an authentication request is sent to the RADIUS server.
  8. Refer to the Bonjour Gateway field to select or set a Bonjour Gateway Forwarding Policy.
    Bonjour is Apple‘s implementation of zero-configuration networking (Zeroconf). Zeroconf is a group of technologies that include service discovery, address assignment and hostname resolution. Bonjour locates devices such as printers, other computers and services that these computers offer over a local network.

    Bonjour Forwarding Policy enables discovery of services on VLANs which are not visible to the device running the Bonjour Gateway. Bonjour forwarding enables forwarding of Bonjour advertisements across VLANs to enable the Bonjour Gateway device to build a list of services and the VLANs where these services are available.

  9. Refer to the Imagotag Policy field to select or set a Imagotag Policy. Use the drop-down menu to select and apply an Imagotag Policy to the AP's profile. You can use the Create to create a new policy or Edit icon to edit an existing policy.
    For more information on enabling support for SES-imagotag‘s ESL tags on AP-8432 APs with USB interfaces, see Configure Imagotag Policy.
  10. Click OK to save the changes made to the profile‘s services configuration.

    Click Reset to revert to the last saved configuration.

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