Sonicpoint Modes Of Operation - SonicWALL SonicPoint Administrator's Manual

Managing
Security
Appliance
SonicWALL TZ
Series 170 Series
SonicWALL PRO
Series 1260
SonicWALL PRO
Series 2040
SonicWALL PRO
Series 3060
SonicWALL PRO
Series 4060
SonicWALL PRO
Series 5060
* Any of the 22 assignable interfaces can be a Port Shield interface, but the restriction of eight total
SonicPoint devices for the entire device still applies.

SonicPoint Modes of Operation

SonicPoint devices can operate in two modes, namely, Stand-Alone Mode and Managed Mode. The
mode of operation is automatically selected by the SonicPoint depending on its environment. When
the SonicPoint starts up, it will announce itself using SDP (SonicWALL Discovery Protocol)
Advertisement broadcasts. If it has a layer 2 attachment to a Wireless Zone interface on a
SonicWALL (for example, connected directly, using a hub, or using a switch) the security appliance
and the SonicPoint will negotiate a peer-relationship, and the SonicPoint will enter Managed Mode.
Once a peer relationship has been established, a SonicPoint will remain wedded to its peered
SonicWALL so as to prevent conflicts in the event of multiple SonicWALL security appliances sending
SDP on a single segment. The peering can be manually broken from the SonicOS GUI, and peer
relationships can also be imposed using manual synchronization from the SonicOS GUI.
If the SonicPoint cannot discover or be discovered by a security appliance within 5 seconds of startup,
it will reboot into Stand-Alone Mode. When operating in Stand-Alone Mode, the SonicPoint will
assume a default IP address of 192.168.1.20, a default username of admin, and a default password
of password. SonicPoints maintain their Stand-Alone and Managed Mode configurations separately
so that they do not conflict with, or overwrite one another.
SonicPoints will dynamically transition from one mode to the other in response to environmental
changes. For example, if a SonicPoint starts in Stand-Alone Mode, but is then plugged into a Wireless
Zone, it will respond to SDP Discovery packets from the security appliance and will transition to
Managed Mode. Alternatively, if the SonicPoint is operating in Managed Mode and it loses its
connection with the security appliance for 6 minutes, it will transition to Stand-Alone Mode. The
SonicPoint reboots when it changes operating modes. Rebooting takes approximately 1 minute.
When operating in Stand-Alone Mode, the SonicPoint will function much like a conventional Access
Point, configurable using its integrated Web-based GUI. The SonicPoint Stand-Alone UI has been
modeled after the SonicOS UI, but it does not precisely match the SonicPoint configuration interface
within SonicOS. Like other generation-four SonicWALL devices, the SonicPoint features SafeMode to
S WALL S P
ONIC ONIC OINT
Wireless Zone
Assignable
Interfaces
1 Fast Ethernet
1 Fast Ethernet*
2 Fast Ethernet
4 Fast Ethernet
4 Fast Ethernet
4 Fast/Gig Ethernet
A ' G
DMINISTRATOR S UIDE
Recommended # of
SonicPoints per WLAN
Interface
2 SonicPoints
4 SonicPoints
4 SonicPoints
8 SonicPoints
16 SonicPoints
32 SonicPoints
SonicPoint Overview
Recommended # of
SonicPoints per
Security Appliance
2 SonicPoints
8 SonicPoints
8 SonicPoints
16 SonicPoints
32 SonicPoints
64 SonicPoints
9