What s New in ZoneFlex Software Release 9.4 This application note describes the new features available in Version 9.4 of the Ruckus Wireless ZoneFlex family. This document assumes familiarity with the Ruckus ZoneFlex product line and the features of earlier releases including version 9.4. Highlights of this Release ZoneFlex software release 9.4 provides Enterprises, HotZone Operators and Managed Service Providers a higher performing, more reliable, and easier to deploy and use way of providing wireless access to diverse groups of users across multiple locations. The few features and enhancements in this release include: Support for ZoneFlex 7982 802.11n Dual-Band Access Point Support for ZoneFlex 7321 802.11n Access Point WIPS Dynamic Per-User Rate Limiting (802.1x) Dynamic VLANs on Standalone (802.1x) Open/Secure Hotspot (DPSK for public users) Client Fingerprinting SSID based statistics, reports and graphs FlexMaster FTP Report Delivery FlexMaster Automated Report Data Export FlexMaster Alarm Management Supported Platforms FlexMaster version 9.4 ZoneDirector 1100 Smart/OS version 9.4 ZoneDirector 3000 Smart/OS version 9.4 ZoneDirector 5000 Smart/OS version 9.4 ZoneFlex 2942 802.11g Access Point version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7025 802.11n Wired/Wireless Wall Switch version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7321 802.11n Access Point version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7341 802.11n Access Point version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7343 802.11n Access Point version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7363 802.11n Dual-band Access Point version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7962 802.11n Dual-band Access Point version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7982 802.11n Dual-band Access Point version 9.4 ZoneFlex 2741 802.11g Outdoor Access Point version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7761-CM 802.11n Dual-band Outdoor Access Point with Cable Modem version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7762 802.11n Dual-band Outdoor Access Point version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7762-S 802.11n Dual-band Outdoor Access Point with Sector Antenna version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7762-T 802.11n Dual-band Outdoor Access Point with High Gain 2.4 GHz Omni Antenna version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7762-AC Dual-band 802.11n Outdoor Access Point version 9.4 ZoneFlex 7762-S-AC Dual-band 802.11n Outdoor Access Point with Sector Antenna version 9.4 NOTE: The ZoneDirector 1000 is not supported in 9.4. 9.3 is the latest code version available for the ZoneDirector 1000. 1
1. Introducing the Ruckus Wireless ZoneFlex 7982 802.11n Dual-band Access Point The only 3x3:3 dual-band 802.11n access point with transmit beamforming and adaptive antennas, the Ruckus Wireless ZoneFlex 7982 delivers reliable, high performance wireless networking at maximum range. Two 802.11n radios with 3x3:3 MIMO technology each deliver up to 450 Mbps of theoretical performance, 900 Mbps total. Combining Ruckus patented BeamFlex technology with transmit beamforming, the ZoneFlex 7982 focuses energy toward legacy 802.11a/b/g and advanced 802.11n clients alike. When compared to traditional omnidirectional antennas found on other vendors access points, Ruckus provides up to 9 db of signal to interference plus noise (SINR) improvement and rejects more interference, up to 15 db of interference mitigation. The ZoneFlex 7982 provides the best performance at range of any Wi-Fi access point ever. The ZoneFlex 7982 meets the demands of customers with high user-density environments, such as universities, conference centers, events and enterprises with high-bandwidth applications such as video. For high density environment, the ZoneFlex 7982 is capable of supporting up to 500 clients per access point. For mobile devices, adaptive polarization diversity improves connectivity to low power devices constantly changing orientation. Ruckus SmartCast provides advanced quality of service for multimedia applications. Ruckus ChannelFly ensures each AP automatically selects the channel with the greatest potential throughput while automatically adjusting to performance robbing pollution from Wi-Fi and non-wi-fi interference. With support for 802.3af Power over Ethernet and a well thought-out mounting and cable management design, the ZoneFlex 7982 installs cleanly in any environment, and wins the approval of design committees and property managers. 802.11n 3x3:3 MIMO technology provides data rates up to 450 Mbps per radio, 900 Mpbs total BeamFlex Adaptive Antennas and transmit beamforming provide better range, stronger signal and higher data rates to clients Reduced Wi-Fi interference with a 50% reduction to neighboring APs and up to 15dB of interference mitigation Improves mobile performance 3x3:3 provides higher speeds to single and dual stream devices Adaptive polarization diversity maintains signal when devices change orientation Manageable centrally by ZoneDirector WLAN controller, FlexMaster Network Management System or as a Standalone AP ZoneFlex Access Points with software release 9.4 2. Introducing the Ruckus Wireless ZoneFlex 7321 802.11n Access Point The ZoneFlex 7321 delivers enterprise-class wireless networking at the most affordable price in its class. Operating in either the 2.4 or 5 GHz band, the ZoneFlex 7321 delivers data rates up to 300 Mbps with a software-selectable 2x2:2 802.11n radio. Transmit beamforming advanced multi-antenna technology directs signal toward the client, increasing range. Manageable by ZoneDirector WLAN controller, the ZoneFlex 7321 delivers secure WPA/WPA2 authentication and encryption, and integrates with RADIUS, LDAP, and Active Directory in addition to a local database. Ruckus Dynamic Pre-Shared Key (DPSK) provides a simplified yet robust encryption key management alternative to 802.1x. With Open/Secure Hotspot technology, even public access providers can provide temporary users highly secure encryption without the hassle of manual configuration. A complete Guest Access solution allows receptionists and other authorized employees to provide visitors with Internet access, automatically protecting the internal network without complicated configuration. 2
With an ultra-compact design, the ZoneFlex 7321 is ideal for branch offices and other low-density environments. Capable of routing/nat, WISPr authentication and captive portal services, the ZoneFlex 7321 can be managed as a standalone AP or by Ruckus FlexMaster Network Management System, making it ideal for small retail environments and hotspots. Ruckus ChannelFly automatically configures the ZoneFlex 7321 channel to avoid interference from neighboring APs, microwaves, Bluetooth, and other radio devices. Enterprise-class 802.11n wireless networking delivered at the most affordable price in its class 2.4 or 5 GHz radios configurable by software provide deployment flexibility Low profile enclosure and secure mounting mechanisms blend into the background Ideal for branch office, small retail stores and hotspots 3. WIPS Rogue Prevention ZoneDirector enhances its wireless security offering by providing Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS) functionality for Rogue Prevention. Rogue access points are automatically detected and flagged as malicious when they pose a significant threat to ZoneDirector s wireless and wired network. Malicious rogue access points are identified as connected to ZoneDirector s internal network or those spoofing an SSID or BSSID of any ZoneDirector-connected access point. Once identified as malicious, ZoneFlex access points can automatically start defending the network. Automatically identifies malicious Rogue access points Automatically protects ZoneDirector s network from clients accessing Rogue access points 4. Dynamic Per User Rate Limiting with 802.1X clients Dynamic, per-user rate limiting can now be enabled on WLANs that use 802.1X authentication. Administrators can control the upstream and downstream bandwidth rates for Hotspot WLANs on a user by user basis. When a user authenticates to the wireless network, if individual rate limits are defined in RADIUS, ZoneFlex APs will apply those limits to the specific user to control their upstream and downstream bandwidth. Along with per-wlan rate limiting, dynamic, per-user rate limiting provides the network operator with more options to control network usage. Ability to enforce Service Level Agreements (SLAs) Tiered services maximize revenue opportunity Seamless integration with RADIUS server 5. Dynamic VLANs on Standalone APs Dynamic VLAN assignment is now supported for wireless clients on Standalone APs. Different user types can associate to the same SSID, but they will be separated into different VLANs. When a user authenticates to a ZoneFlex Standalone AP using 802.1X authentication, if RADIUS returns an individual VLAN ID for the user, the AP will assign the user to that VLAN, overriding the VLAN associated with the WLAN, if any. 3
Improved security and network control Reduces the need for separate SSIDs, reducing management traffic (e.g. fewer beacons) and increasing overall RF efficiency Seamless integration with Network Access Control (NAC) infrastructure ZoneFlex Access Points with software release 9.4 6. Open/Secure Hotspot using D-PSK for public users With this release, customers can provide a Dynamic Pre-Shared Key to all of their wireless users with out the need to pre-register or authorize individual users. With Ruckus patented D-PSK technology, each user can use a unique encryption key up to 63-bytes to protect their wireless traffic as well as the network. Ruckus Zero-IT simplifies device provisioning by automatically configuring the wireless client with the key and other important wireless parameters. Previously, users needed to have a valid user account and needed to authenticate to the network in order to generate a D-PSK. With this release, users need not authenticate to the network. ZoneDirector provides a northbound interface through which an external portal manages the authentication and D-PSK generation processes. The portal effects network policies such as allowing a user to access sites outside of the walled garden and to generate a D-PSK without authentication. A policy that does require authentication first remains supported. Per-user encryption key provides robust user and network security Easy to use, automatic client configuration eliminates the need for IT involvement Flexible to accommodate variety of operator-controlled user experiences Ideal for public gatherings such as events and conferences 7. Client Fingerprinting ZoneDirector discovers the Operating System type and hostname of wireless clients and displays them in the ZoneDirector and FlexMaster web interface. This makes client troubleshooting and identification easier. A new dashboard widget provides a category breakdown to easily visualize the percentage of device types on the network, simplifying the process of understanding the client type mix in wireless networks. Simplifies the understanding of the client mix in your wireless network Easier client identification and troubleshooting Assists with quick understanding of who owns a device for non-802.1x networks ZoneFlex Access Points and 8. SSID based statistics, reports and graphs Traffic statistics are reported by SSID in addition to per radio and client. This provides a per service (SSID) view of network usage, client connections and performance statistics. This additional granularity allows analysis of which service is consuming the most bandwidth and has the most users connected. Data is available via FlexMaster or SNMP MIBs. Per service (SSID) visualization of performance and usage data Analysis and comparison of network usage by service (SSID) 4
FlexMaster, ZoneFlex Access Points and 9. FlexMaster FTP Report Delivery FlexMaster provides the ability to save reports to an external FTP server. This allows remote delivery of report data for system integration and archival. Scheduled report delivery supports FTP placement as well. Simplified delivery of reports for data access and storage Easier to integrate data into external systems FlexMaster release 9.4 10. FlexMaster Automatic Report Data Export FlexMaster adds the ability to automate scheduled exporting of the raw data used to generate web based charts and graphs. This provides easier access to the raw data for use in external systems and ensures data currency is maintained. Easier integration of FlexMaster data into external systems Updates external data files on a scheduled basis for reliable system integration FlexMaster software release 9.4 11. FlexMaster Alarm Management FlexMaster enhances user control over alarms used to generate notification emails. Fine tuning of alarm triggers and severity levels results in the reduction of alarm noise, making important alarms easy to find. A wide variety of system alarms can now be enabled/disabled and their severity customized. Additionally, some alarms can be configured with custom trigger thresholds and descriptions to allow alarms to be user actionable based on specific events. The end result is an alarm system that is significantly more useable and actionable. Tunes alarms being sent to only ones that users care about Reduces alarm noise to only actionable events FlexMaster release 9.4 5