Best Practices - SonicWALL SonicPoint-N Dual-Band Getting Started Manual

Best Practices

This section outlines some best-practice guidelines for
SonicPoint installations, including Layer 2 and 3 network
provisioning requirements and recommended UTM and switch
hardware.
Layer 2 and Layer 3 Considerations
SonicWALL uses two proprietary protocols, SDP and SSPP,
neither of which can be routed across a Layer 3 device. Any
SonicPoint that is deployed must have an Ethernet connection
back to the provisioning SonicWALL UTM appliance, in the
same broadcast domain/network. In addition, with regards to
communication protocols, you must ensure that:
part3
• The SonicWALL UTM appliance has an interface or
subinterface in the same VLAN/broadcast domain as the
SonicPoint.
• SonicPoints are able to reach the DHCP scope on the
SonicWALL UTM appliance (other DHCP servers cannot
be present on the same VLAN/broadcast domain).
Wiring Considerations
When wiring for a new deployment, make sure all wiring is
CAT5, CAT5e, or CAT6 end to end. If using existing wiring, it is
always a good idea to double check that your cable runs meet
these specs as well. With regards to cable length, due to
signaling limitations in 802.3af and Ethernet, cable runs cannot
exceed 100 meters between the PoE switch and SonicPoint.
When planning cable runs, also take into account that PoE
power loss increases with the length of the cable. Signal loss in
hard-wired cables can be up to 16%. If SonicPoints on long
cable runs are experiencing difficulties, they may very well
require more power.
Tested Switches
The following switches have been tested to function in
SonicPoint deployments. Review this section for compatibility
and caveats.
• Cisco Systems – Most Cisco switches are tested to work
with SonicPoint deployments, although SonicWALL does
not recommend deployments using the "Cisco Express"
switch line.
• D-Link – Disable all proprietary broadcast-control/storm-
control mechanisms. These interfere with the provisioning
and acquisition mechanisms in the SonicPoint.
• Dell – Configure Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) for fast
start on SonicPoint ports.
• Extreme – Configure STP for fast start on SonicPoint
ports.
• Foundry – Configure STP for fast start on SonicPoint
ports.
• HP ProCurve – Configure STP for fast start on SonicPoint
ports.
• Netgear – SonicWALL does not recommend deploying
SonicPoints using these switches.
SonicWALL SonicPoint Getting Started Guide Page 34