Wirefree Operation; Harmony Architecture - Proxim Harmony 802.11b User Manual

3. Wirefree Operation

Harmony Architecture

The Harmony wirefree infrastructure family provides network connectivity to mobile
clients without the use of wires or cabling.
Each Harmony network must include at least one Access Point Controller. The AP
Controller centralizes the management, security, and filtering capabilities of a wireless
LAN. In a traditional wireless LAN, each Access Point duplicates this functionality
adding additional, unnecessary cost to the network infrastructure. By consolidating
these functions into one or more AP Controllers, additional Access Points can easily be
added to the network as it grows. Also, as new wireless standards are introduced in the
future, additional Access Points may be added at a lower cost than with a traditional
Access Point infrastructure.
The AP Controller handles all of the configuration and management of an Access
Point. On a Harmony network, each Access Point acts as an intermediary between its
mobile clients and the AP Controller, converting radio signals into Ethernet packets
and vice versa.
A single AP Controller can support a maximum of 10 Access Points (an AP Controller
can support more than 10 Access Points but a maximum of 10 APs per AP Controller is
the recommended configuration for best performance). A network subnet can support
up to 10 AP Controllers to form a Harmony system that can be managed using a single
user interface. The number of clients that can be supported by one Access Point de-
pends on the amount of information that each client exchanges with the network.
Therefore, the number of clients that can be supported by one Access Point will vary
based on the applications in use and how frequently network information is accessed.
When a Harmony 802.11b Access Point is connected to the network for the first time,
the AP Controller automatically configures it with the AP AutoConfigure Default
settings. In addition, an Access Point may be manually configured via the AP
Controller's Web browser interface. Refer to the Harmony Access Point Controller
Model 7560 User's Guide for information on how to access the Web browser interface.
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