
What is the Summit WM-Series Switch Software system?
Summit WM-Series WLAN Switch and Altitude Access Point Software Version 1.0 User Guide
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frequency (RF) communication but relies on a controller to handle WLAN elements such as
authentication.) The Altitude AP also provides local processing such as encryption.
This architecture allows a single Summit WM-Series Switch to control many Altitude APs, making the
administration and management of large networks much easier.
There can be several Summit WM-Series Switchs in the network, each with its set of registered Altitude
APs. The Summit WM-Series Switchs can also act as backups to each other, providing stable network
availability.
In addition to the Summit WM-Series Switchs and Altitude APs, the solution requires three other
components, which are standard for enterprise and service provider networks:
● RADIUS Server (Remote Access Dial-In User Service) (RFC2865 and RFC2866), or other
authentication server. Assigns and manages ID and Password protection throughout the network.
Used for authentication of the wireless users.
● DHCP Server (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) (RFC2131). Assigns IP addresses, gateways
and subnet masks dynamically. Also used by the Altitude APs to discover the location of the Summit
WM-Series Switch during the initial registration process.
● SLP (Service Location Protocol) (RFC2608) supported on the DHCP server, when SLP is used as part
of the discovery mechanism.
Figure 2: Summit WM-Series Switch Software solution
The Summit WM-Series Switch appears to the existing network as if it were an access point, but in fact
one Summit WM-Series Switch controls many Altitude APs.
The Summit WM-Series Switch has built-in capabilities to recognize and manage the Altitude APs. The
Summit WM-Series Switch activates the Altitude APs, enables them to receive wireless traffic from
wireless devices, processes the data traffic from the Altitude APs and forwards or routes that data traffic
out to the network. This processing includes authenticating requests and applying access policies.
RADIUS
authentication
server
Router
Ethernet switch
Ethernet switch
DHCP
server
Wireless AP
Summit WM
Wireless Controller
Wireless
device
Wireless
device
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