Extreme Networks Extreme Management Center Integration

The ExtremeWireless solution now integrates with the Extreme Management Center suite of products, a collection of tools to help you manage networks. Its client/server architecture lets you manage your network from a single workstation or, for networks of greater complexity, from one or more client workstations. It is designed to facilitate specific network management tasks while sharing data and providing common controls and a consistent user interface.

The Extreme Management Center is a family of products comprising the Extreme Management Center Console and a suite of plug-in applications, including:

• Automated Security Manager — Automated Security Manager is a unique threat response solution that translates security intelligence into security enforcement. It provides sophisticated identification and management of threats and vulnerabilities. For information on how the ExtremeWireless solution integrates with the Automated Security Manager application, see the ExtremeWireless Maintenance Guide.
• Inventory Manager — Inventory Manager is a tool for efficiently documenting and updating the details of the ever-changing network. For information on how the ExtremeWireless solution integrates with the Automated Security Manager application, see the ExtremeWireless Maintenance Guide.
• NAC Manager — NAC Manager is a leading-edge NAC solution to ensure only the right users have access to the right information from the right place at the right time. The Extreme Networks NAC solution performs multi-user, multi-method authentication, vulnerability assessment and assisted remediation. For information on how the ExtremeWireless solution integrates with the Extreme Networks NAC solution, see NAC Integration with the Wireless WLAN.
• Policy Manager — Policy Manager recognizes the ExtremeWireless suite as role capable devices that accept partial configuration from Policy Manager. Currently this integration is partial in the sense that Extreme Management Center is unable to create WLAN services directly; The WLAN services need to be directly provisioned on the controller and are represented to Policy Manager as logical ports.

  The ExtremeWireless Appliance allows Policy Manager to:

  • Attach Topologies (assign VLAN to port) to the ExtremeWireless Appliance physical ports (Console).
  • Attach role to the logical ports (WLAN Service/SSID),
  • Assign a Default Role/Role to a WLAN Service, thus creating the VNS.
  • Perform authentication operations which can then reference defined roles for station-specific role enforcement.

    This can be seen as a three-step process:

    1. Deploy the controller and perform local configuration
       • The ExtremeWireless Appliance ships with a default SSID, attached by default to all AP radios, when enabled.
       • Use the basic installation wizard to complete the ExtremeWireless Appliance configuration.
    2. Use Policy Manager to:
       • Push the VLAN list to the ExtremeWireless Appliance (Topologies)
       • Attach VLANs to ExtremeWireless Appliance physical ports (Console - Complete Topology definition)
       • Push RADIUS server configuration to the ExtremeWireless Appliance
       • Push role definitions to the ExtremeWireless Appliance
       • Attach the default role to create a VNS

    3. Fine tune controller settings. For example, configuring filtering at APs and ExtremeWireless Appliance for a bridged at controller or routed topologies and associated VNSs.

       

       Note

       Complete information about integration with Policy Manager is outside the scope of this document.