Good thread. The number one worry about autonomous mode (IOS) APs from Cisco is that they no longer seem to have any effort in developing it. Yes, they will "support" it but that's not where the R&D is.
If you read the various information from the Web site, they migrated WLSE (autonomous NMS) to WCS (LWAPP NMS). Which means you no longer have a Cisco management platform for them. You need to touch every AP or use a 3rd party tool to manage them. And 3rd party tools are at the mercy of the autonomous/IOS firmware and features (which likely won't evolve much on Cisco IOS APs except for fixes). Unlike wired devices that you can typically install and forget, the wireless environment causes the most problems because of the dynamic nature of things both on the RF side and introduction of new features. I've lost track on the challenges of our massive deployment (1700 APs) but I can tell you that at that scale, you want something that will manage the network in an automated way. I'm currently deploying a small location (12 APs) but I don't feel comfortable going down the autonomous mode way because of the lack of development from Cisco and the high level of interference that we'll be seeing in this downtown location. The client needs something fairly automatic and is a 100% Cisco shop. In that case, I'm not sure I have a choice (except the type of controller :-) ? If I was deploying autonomous APs, I'd likely see what the 3rd party tools support the best (expecially in terms of RF management) and seriously consider that platform. ... Jonn Martell On 3/1/07, Lee Badman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Any IT system ends up being a series of trade-offs, these new wireless systems are no different... I would argue that what of what is gained is also balanced by a lot that is given up, depending on what system is bought. Whatever you plan on buying- talk at length with customers that have already gone down the road that you're interested in, and know that there is much, much more to ferret out than all the promises of reduced burden. Regards- Lee Lee Badman Network/Wireless Engineer Syracuse University 315 443-3003 >>> Earl Barfield <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 3/1/2007 9:54 AM >>> > From: Simon Kissler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Okay, so I've been trying to figure this out and figured I may as well > ask. Where is the cost benefit of the using the controllers and LWAPPs. > The controllers aren't cheap and the APs don't get cheaper even though > they are "light" ? I assume there are some management benefits in this > kind of solution, but have you found them to be worth the money ? Are > there other benefits that aren't as obvious to me that are ? > > I like the idea of making management easier and just like any > technologist like shiny new toys, but in the context of overall funding > priorities with aging network equipment in places and other challenges > find it hard to justify since our APs mostly just work and require > little touching beyond initial config and occasional firmware upgrades. > What about this am I missing ? > > -Simon Management is much easier,especially if you have multiple SSIDs on multiple VLANS. With thick APs, you have to trunk each VLAN to each AP which can be a daunting and error-prone task. If one of the VLANs is discontiguous between your core and a single AP, there's no easy way to tell unless a user complains and can tell you which AP he was associated to when he lost connectivity. With the Wireless Lan Controllers, you only have to trunk the multiple client-traffic VLANs to the controllers. -- Earl Barfield -- Academic & Research Tech / Information Technology Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 Internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
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