Cisco Wireless Control System Configuration Guide, Version 4.1

C H A P T E R

2

Getting Started

This chapter describes how to prepare WCS for operation. It contains these sections:

•

Prerequisites, page 2-2

•

•

•

•

•

•

System Requirements, page 2-2

Installing WCS for Windows, page 2-4

Installing WCS for Linux, page 2-9

Starting WCS, page 2-11

Logging into the WCS User Interface, page 2-12

Using the Cisco WCS User Interface, page 2-14

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Cisco Wireless Control System Configuration Guide

2-1

Chapter 2 Getting Started

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

Before installing the Cisco WCS, ensure that you have completed the following:

•

Met the necessary hardware and software requirements as listed in

“System Requirements” section on page 2-2

for Cisco WCS.

•

Updated your system with the necessary critical updates and service packs.

Note

Refer to the latest release notes for information on the service packs and patches required for correct operation of Cisco WCS.

•

•

Made a backup of the existing Cisco WCS database. For more information on doing a Windows backup, refer to

“Backing Up the WCS Database” section on page 11-4

.

Uninstalled the older version of the Cisco WCS. For more information on uninstalling Cisco WCS, refer to the

“Uninstalling WCS” section on page 11-14

.

System Requirements

Cisco WCS can be run on a workstation/server class system and access points can be distributed unevenly across controllers. It requires the followingCisco WCS:

High End Server

–

Up to 3000 Cisco Aironet lightweight access points and 750 Cisco wireless LAN controllers.

–

–

3.15-GHz Intel Xeon Quad processor with 8-GB RAM and 200-GB hard drive.

80-GB minimum free disk space on your hard drive.

Note

The free disk space listed is a minimum requirement but may be different for your system, depending on the number of backups.

The following operating system is supported:

–

Windows 2003/SP1 or later with all critical and security Windows updates installed.

Note

Cisco WCS is supported only on English or Japanese versions of the Windows 2003 operating system. Display problems sometimes occur when you install and run Cisco

WCS on operating systems translated to other languages or with locale settings other than English or Japanese.

–

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Enterprise Server 4.0 or Advanced Server 4.0. Only 32-bit OS installations are supported. 64-bit installations are not supported.

–

Windows 2003 version support on VmWare ESX 3.0.1 version and above.

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System Requirements

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Note

When running WCS on a dedicated VmWare server, these minimum hardware requirements are necessary based on WCS high-end server hardware specifications:

— Quad CPU running at 3.15 GHz

— 8 GBs RAM

— 200 GB hard drive

•

Standard Server

–

–


3.2-GHz Intel Dual Core processor with 4-GB RAM and 80-GB hard drive.

–

40-GB minimum of free disk space on your hard drive.

The following operating systems are supported:

–


Note



•

–

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Enterprise Server 4.0 or Advanced Server 4.0. Only 32-bit OS installations are supported. 64-bit installations are not supported.

Low End Server

–


–

–

3.06-GHz Intel processor with 2-GB RAM and 30-GB hard drive.

30-GB minimum free disk space on your hard drive.

The following operating systems are supported:

–


Note



•

–

–

–

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Enterprise Server 4.0 or Advanced Server 4.0. Only 32-bit OS installations are supported. 64-bit OS installations are not supported.

WCS on WLSE

–

Up to 1500 Cisco Aironet lightweight access points and 100/375 Cisco wireless LAN controllers.

3-GHz Intel Pentium4 processor with 3 GB RAM

38-GB of free space on your hard drive.


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Installing WCS for Windows

•

Requirements for Cisco WCS User Interface—The Cisco WCS user interface requires Internet

Explorer 6.0/SP1 or later, with the Flash plug-in. The Cisco WCS user interface has been tested and verified using Internet Explorer 6.0 on a Windows workstation.

Note

The screen resolution should be set to 1024 x 76 pixels for both WCS and Navigator.


This section describes how to install Cisco WCS for Windows operating systems. Before installing Cisco

WCS, refer to the “Prerequisites” section on page 2-2

and the

“System Requirements” section on page 2-2 . These sections give an overview of the system requirements and measures that you should take

prior to the installation. You must have administrator privileges on Windows and root on Linux. If installing WCS for Linux, see the

“Installing WCS for Linux” section on page 2-9

.

Guidelines Before Installing WCS

Note •

•

You cannot install the WCS software if the username used to log into the server contains special characters such as exclamation marks (!). To ensure successful installation, log into the server using a username with no special characters before installing the software.

Cisco WCS does not support the underscore character (_) in the name of the Windows server running the WCS software. If the server name contains an underscore, you can install the WCS software, but

WCS fails to start.

•

You must install WCS on a dedicated Windows server with no other services running (including those running as primary or secondary domain controllers) to avoid conflict with WCS.

To install Cisco WCS, follow these steps:

Step 1

Step 2

Insert the Windows Cisco WCS CD into the CD-ROM drive and double click the

WCS-STANDARD-K9-4.0.X.Y.exe file where 4.0.X.Y is the software build. If you received the installer from Cisco.com, double click the WCS-STANDARD-WB-K9-4-0-X-Y.exe file that you downloaded to your local drive.

The Install Anywhere window appears and prepares the system for installation. After a few seconds, the

Introduction window appears. Click Next to open the Check Ports window (see

Figure 2-1

).

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Figure 2-1 Check Ports Window


Step 3

In the Check Ports window, change the default HTTP and HTTPS ports if necessary and click Next to open the Choose Install Type window (see

Figure 2-2 ). The default ports for HTTP and HTTPS are 80

and 443, respectively.

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Figure 2-2 Choose Install Type Window


Step 4

In the Choose Install Type window, choose either Application or Service and click Next. The FTP File

Server window appears.

•

•

To manually launch the Cisco WCS after installation and have it run on the desktop, select

Application. WCS does not start automatically.

To launch Cisco WCS as a service at reboot and run it in the background (especially useful when the Cisco WCS is to always be online), select Service. WCS automatically starts.

Note

Cisco recommends that you always install WCS as a service because it is designed to run all the time. Use the application selection when you will not be running WCS full time (such as when using it in a product demonstration or in laptop-based troubleshooting).

Step 5

Step 6

Eenter and re-enter the root password. The rules for a strong password are as follows:

•

•

•

•

•

•

The minimum password length is 8.

The password cannot contain the username or the reverse of the username.

The password cannot be Cisco or ocsic (Cisco reversed).

The root password cannot be public.

No character can be repeated more than three times consecutively in the password.

The password must contain a combination of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters.

Enter the root FTP password.

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Step 7

From the FTP Server File window, choose a folder in which to store the FTP server files and click Next to bring up the TFTP File Server window.

Note

Store the FTP server files in a folder outside the main installation folder. This ensures that the

FTP server files are not deleted if Cisco WCS is uninstalled.

Step 8

From the TFTP Server File window, choose a folder in which to store the TFTP server files and click

Next.

Note

Store the TFTP server files in a folder outside the main installation folder. This ensures that the

TFTP server files are not deleted if Cisco WCS is uninstalled.

If you are installing Cisco WCS on a multi-homed server (a server having multiple interfaces), the installer automatically detects the presence of multiple interfaces and opens the Multi-Homed Server

Detected window (see

Figure 2-3 ).

Figure 2-3 Multi-Homed Server Detected Window

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Note

The Multi-Homed Server Detected window does not appear if you install Cisco WCS on a server that has only one interface.


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Step 9

Click Yes and then Next to configure specific interfaces on the server for communicating with controllers, location appliances, remote FTP servers, and clients. The Select Local Interfaces window appears (see

Figure 2-4 ). Click No if you do no want to configure specific interfaces.

Figure 2-4 Select Local Interfaces Window

Step 10

Step 11

From the Select Local Interfaces window, select the interfaces that are used by the server for communicating with controllers, location appliances and remote FTP servers, and clients. Click Next to open the Choose Install Folder window.

Choose a folder in which to install the Cisco WCS and click Next to open the Choose Shortcut Folder window (see

Figure 2-5

).

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Figure 2-5 Choose Shortcut Folder Window

Installing WCS for Linux

Step 12

Step 13

Step 14

In the Choose Shortcut Folder window, choose a location in which to create product icons and click

Next.

Follow the prompts that appear on the screen to complete the installation. After the installation is complete, the Install Complete window appears.

Click Done to complete the installation.

Note

The system must be rebooted to complete the Cisco WCS installation.


This section describes how to install Cisco WCS for Linux operating systems.

Note

Before reinstalling or updating Cisco WCS, you may want to back up the Cisco WCS database. After you have a backup, uninstall the old release.

Step 1

Step 2

If not already done, log in as root, and open an X terminal session.

Using the command line, perform one of the following:

a.

If you are installing from a CD, switch to the /media/cdrom directory.

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2-10

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6 b.

If you are installing from Cisco.com, switch to the directory that the install file was downloaded to.

For example, if the install file was placed in /root/Desktop, enter cd /root/Desktop.

Enter ./WCS-STANDARD-K9-4.0.X.Y.bin (for CD users) or

./WCS-STANDARD-LB-K9-4-0-X-Y.bin (for Cisco.com users) to start the install script.

The install script prepares the install environment, and several windows of the license agreement display.

You will then be asked if you accept the terms of the license agreement.

Finally, a Check HTTP Port prompt appears. Change the default HTTP port if necessary (the default is

80).

Change the default HTTPS port if necessary (the default is 443).

At the Get User Input prompt, choose either 1 for Application or 2 for Service. To manually launch the

Cisco WCS after installation and have it run on the desktop, select Application. To launch Cisco WCS as a service at reboot and run in the background (especially useful when the Cisco WCS is to always be online), select Service.

Note

Cisco recommends that you always install WCS as a service because it is designed to run all the time.

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

Step 11

Enter and re-enter the root password. The rules for a strong password are as follows:

•

•

•

•

The minimum password length is 8.

The password cannot contain the username or the reverse of the username.

The password cannot be Cisco or ocsic (Cisco reversed).

•

•

The root password cannot be public.

No character can be repeated more than three times consecutively in the password.

The password must contain a combination of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters.

Enter the root FTP password.

Choose a folder to store the FTP server files. It is recommended that the folder is outside of the WCS installation path so that it is not removed during an uninstall. If the folder does not already exist, you must do mkdir and create it.

Choose a folder to store the TFTP server files. It is recommended that the folder is outside of the WCS installation path so that it is not removed during an uninstall. If the folder does not already exist, you must do mkdir and create it.

If you are installing Cisco WCS on a multi-homed server (a server having multiple interfaces), the installer automatically detects the presence of multiple interfaces and prompts with the multi-homed server detected prompt. You need to choose which interface is used for which application functions. To configure specific interfaces on the server for communicating with controllers, location appliances, remote FTP servers, and clients, type 1 for Yes (recommended). Type 2 for No if you do not want to.

Note

If you do not select a specific interface, Cisco WCS randomly selects an interface and uses this interface to communicate with the devices. This might lead to loss of communication between the interface and the device. Cisco recommends that you always select a specific interface for each device.

Step 12

At the Select Local Interfaces prompt, choose the interfaces to be used by the server for communicating with controllers, location appliances, remote FTP servers, and clients. Enter the number for the interface you want to select.


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Starting WCS

Step 13

Step 14

Step 15

At the Choose Install Folder prompt, choose a folder in which to install the Cisco WCS. Enter an absolute path or press Enter to accept the default.

At the Choose Link Location prompt, choose a folder in which to put the links for the installed software.

This directory houses the StartWCS, StopWCS, Backup, Restore, and UinstallWCS components. The options are to type 1 for the default (opt/WCS4.0), 2 for your home folder, 3 to enter a location, or 4 to not create links.

A pre-installation summary and installing message is displayed to show that the software installation has begun.

Note

You must manually start WCS after installation.

Starting WCS

This section provides instructions for starting WCS on either a Windows or Linux server.

Note

You can check the status of WCS at any time. To do so, follow the instructions in the

“Checking the

Status of WCS” section on page 11-2 .

Starting WCS on Windows

Follow these steps to start WCS when it is installed as a Windows application or Windows service.

Note

When WCS is installed as a Windows service, WCS runs automatically upon system bootup.

Step 1

Step 2

Log into the system as administrator.

Perform one of the following:

•

From the Windows Start menu, click Programs > Wireless Control System> StartWCS.

•

From the command prompt, navigate to the WCS installation directory (C:\Program

Files\WCS32\bin) and enter WCS Admin start.

The WCS Admin window appears and displays messages indicating that WCS is starting.

Note

If WCS is installed as a service, messages also appear to indicate that the Nms_Server service is starting.

Note

If you are starting WCS after a restore from release 4.0.66.0 or earlier, the startup may take longer than expected. The WCS Admin window may even indicate that starting WCS has failed.

Refer to the task viewer to see whether Java is progressively taking CPU space. If so, WCS is up and running.

Step 3

Close the WCSAdmin window when the Close button becomes active.

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Logging into the WCS User Interface

Step 4

WCS is ready to host WCS user interfaces (clients). Go to the

“Logging into the WCS User Interface” section on page 2-12 to use a web browser to connect to the WCS user interface.

Starting WCS on Linux

Follow these steps to start WCS when it is installed as a Linux application or Linux service.

Note

To see the version of WCS you currently have installed, enter nmsadmin.sh version.

Note

When WCS is installed as a Linux service, WCS runs automatically upon system bootup.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Log into the system as root.

Using the Linux command line interface (CLI), perform one of the following:

•

•

Navigate to the /opt/WCS32 directory (or the directory chosen during installation) and enter ./StartWCS.

Navigate to the opt/WCS32/bin directory and enter WCSAdmin start.

The CLI displays messages indicating that WCS is starting.

WCS is ready to host WCS user interfaces (clients). Go to the

“Logging into the WCS User Interface” section on page 2-12 to use a web browser to connect to the WCS user interface.


Follow these steps to log into the WCS user interface through a web browser.

Step 1

Launch Internet Explorer 6.0 or later on a different computer than the one on which you installed and started WCS.

Note

Some WCS features may not function properly if you use a web browser other than Internet

Explorer 6.0 on a Windows workstation.

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

In the browser’s address line, enter https://wcs-ip-address, where wcs-ip-address is the IP address of the computer on which you installed and started WCS.

When the WCS user interface displays the Login window, enter the root password which was created during installation.

Click Submit to log into WCS. The WCS user interface is now active and available for use. The Network

Summary page appears. This page provides a summary of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network Solution, including coverage areas, the most recently detected rogue access points, access point operational data,

reported coverage holes, and client distribution over time. Figure 2-6

shows a typical Network Summary page.

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Note

When you use WCS for the first time, the Network Summary page shows that the Controllers,

Coverage Areas, Most Recent Rogue APs, Top 5 APs, and Most Recent Coverage Holes databases are empty. It also shows that no client devices are connected to the system. After you configure the WCS database with one or more controllers, the Network Summary page provides updated information.

Figure 2-6 Network Summary Page

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Note

To exit the WCS user interface, close the browser window or click Logout in the upper right corner of the page. Exiting a WCS user interface session does not shut down WCS on the server.


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Using the Cisco WCS User Interface

Note

When a system administrator stops the WCS server during your WCS session, your session ends, and the web browser displays this message: “The page cannot be displayed.” Your session does not reassociate to WCS when the server restarts. You must restart the WCS session.


A typical Cisco WCS user interface page consists of the areas illustrated in

Figure 2-7 .

Figure 2-7 WCS User Interface

The following sections describe the Cisco WCS user interface page areas and how to use them:

•

•

•

•

•

•

Menu Bar, page 2-14

Sidebar Area, page 2-16

Alarm Dashboard, page 2-16

Command Buttons, page 2-16

Main Data Page, page 2-16

Administrative Tools, page 2-17

Menu Bar

2-14

There are five menus on each window: Monitor, Reports, Configure, Location, Administration, and

Help. When you move the mouse over any of the menus, a drop-down menu appears.


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Note

The Location menu is displayed only in Cisco WCS Location version.

Monitor Menu

The Monitor menu provides you with a top level description of the devices on your network. You can monitor your network, maps, various devices, security, alarms, events, or reports.

Configure Menu

The Configure menu allows you to configure templates, controllers, and access points on your network.

Administration Menu

The Administration menu allows you to schedule tasks like making a backup, checking a device status, auditing your network, synchronizing the location server, and so on. You can also choose Logging to enable various logging modules and specify restart requirements. You can also choose AAA for user administration such as changing passwords, establishing groups, setting application security settings, and so on.

Location Menu

The Location menu allows you to configure location appliances. A location appliance is a Cisco server that collects and stores up to 30 days of historical location data for up to 2,500 laptop clients, palmtop clients, VoIP telephone clients, active RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) asset tags, rogue access points, and rogue access point clients.

Note

The Location menu is displayed only in Cisco WCS location version.

For more information on location appliances, refer to the Cisco 2700 Series Location Appliance

Installation and Configuration Guide.

Note

Read/Write permissions are used by the location function of the location appliance. Write permissions allow a client application or location appliance operator to modify location data only (such as asset information), while Read permissions only allow a client to read location data.

Help Menu

Note

Full permissions are required for administration. All functions under the Locate menu in Cisco WCS are administrative functions. An administrator must always have full permissions.

The Help menu allows you to access online help and check the version of Cisco WCS.

To check the version of WCS, click About the Software. The product name, version number, copyright statement, and Apache Software Foundation statement is displayed.

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Sidebar Area

The sidebar area allows you to choose a new configuration panel under the currently selected menu area.

You may choose to display or configure any of the available data. The selector area options vary based on which menu you have chosen.

Some windows contain a group of menus in this area. Click the menu item to reveal a submenu and then click the item to chose it.

Alarm Dashboard

When Cisco WCS receives alarm messages from a controller, the Cisco WCS user interface displays an alarm indicator in the lower left corner in an alarm summary panel known as the alarm dashboard. The alarm dashboard only appears when the Macromedia flash is installed.

Alarms indicate the current fault or state of an element that needs attention. These are usually generated by one or more events. The alarm can be cleared, but the event remains. An example of an alarm is AP

down, which means that the current status of the access point is down.

Alarms are color coded as follows:

•

Clear = No alarm

•

•

Red = Critical alarm

Orange = Major alarm

•

Yellow = Minor alarm

You can click any of the various types of alarms (such as rogues, coverage, security, controllers, and access points) to display details.

Command Buttons

The Cisco WCS user interface uses a number of command buttons throughout its windows. The most common of these are as follows:

•

Apply to Controllers: Applies the selected information to the controllers

•

•

•

•

•

Delete: Deletes the selected information

Cancel: Cancels new information entered on the current window and return to the previous window

Save: Saves the current settings

Audit: Discovers the present status of this access point

Place AP: Fixes the position of the selected access point on the graphic map display and updates the display of its coordinates

Main Data Page

The main data page is determined by the required parameter information. Active areas on the data pages include the following:

•

•

Text fields into which data may be entered using the keyboard

Pull-downs from which one of several options may be chosen

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•

•

•

Check boxes in lists allow you to choose one or more items from the displayed list

Radio buttons allow you to turn a parameter on or off

Hyperlinks take you to other pages in the Cisco WCS user interface

Input fields are black text on a white background. When data is entered or selected, it is not sent to the controller, but it is saved in the field until the Go button is selected.

Administrative Tools

This area provides shortcuts to administration functions (such as logged in as, logout, refresh, and help) that are used on a regular basis when configuring a controller through the web user interface.

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Cisco Wireless Control System Configuration Guide, Version 4.1

Getting Started

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Installing WCS for Windows

Installing WCS for Linux

Starting WCS

Starting WCS on Windows

Starting WCS on Linux

Logging into the WCS User Interface

Using the Cisco WCS User Interface

Menu Bar

Monitor Menu

Configure Menu

Administration Menu

Location Menu

Help Menu

Sidebar Area

Alarm Dashboard

Command Buttons

Main Data Page

Administrative Tools

Related manuals

Table of contents

Cisco Wireless Control System Configuration Guide, Version 4.1

Getting Started

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Installing WCS for Windows

Installing WCS for Linux

Starting WCS

Starting WCS on Windows

Starting WCS on Linux

Logging into the WCS User Interface

Using the Cisco WCS User Interface

Menu Bar

Monitor Menu

Configure Menu

Administration Menu

Location Menu

Help Menu

Sidebar Area

Alarm Dashboard

Command Buttons

Main Data Page

Administrative Tools

Related manuals

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