Netconfig Ui - Black Box SmartPath LWN602A User Manual

When a SmartPath AP connects to SmartPath EMS VMA, SmartPath EMS VMA checks its SNMP location and automatically asso-
ciates it with the map specified in its SNMP location description. You can then click the icon to see its location and drag it to the
specified location on the map. Also, on the Monitor > Access Points > SmartPath APs page (view mode: Config), you can sort
detected SmartPath APs by map name to assign them more easily to WLAN policies.
NOTE: The first approach—using MAC addresses—makes the deployment considerably easier for installers, whereas the second
approach—using SNMP—makes new SmartPath AP management easier for the SmartPath EMS VMA administrator. You
can decide which approach makes the most sense for your team.

9.1.3 NetConfig UI

The clusterUI—the GUI configuration interface for SmartPath APs—is no longer used in its previous form to configure SmartPath
APs. As the WLAN management model evolved and new services and integration abilities became available, the role of the
SmartPath AP as a WLAN management portal changed. Now only a fundamental set of configuration options is available through
a new Web user interface called the NetConfig UI. Using the NetConfig UI, you can configure basic network and SmartPath EMS
VMA connectivity settings and upload new SmartPath OS images to the SmartPath AP hosting the NetConfig UI.
Accessing the NetConfig UI
To log in to the NetConfig UI on a SmartPath AP, you must first know the IP address of its mgt0 interface. If the SmartPath AP
joins a network that provides devices with network settings through DHCP, the SmartPath AP acts as a DHCP client and automati-
cally receives its network settings from the DHCP server. To learn which IP address the server dynamically assigned the SmartPath
AP, note the MAC address of the SmartPath AP (it is labeled on the bottom of its chassis) and then check the list of IP-to-MAC
address assignments on the DHCP server. You can also configure the DHCP server to sign the SmartPath AP a static IP address.
If the SmartPath AP joins a network that does not use DHCP, the SmartPath AP—after attempting to reach a DHCP server for
about two minutes—fails over to its default IP address, 192.168.1.1. To access the NetConfig UI, you have several options:
• Manually set the network settings on your management system to 192.168.1.2/24 and connect an Ethernet cable between eth0
on the SmartPath AP and the Ethernet port on your system. You can then open a browser and connect to the NetConfig UI at
the default IP address. Configure appropriate network settings for the mgt0 interface so that the SmartPath AP can access the
network when cabled to it as a portal or when deployed as a mesh point and connecting wirelessly to the network through
another SmartPath AP functioning as a portal. Disconnect the Ethernet cable between the SmartPath AP and your system and
then connect the SmartPath AP to the network.
• Use the virtual access console, which is a special SSID solely for administrative access to the CLI. Using your wireless client, scan
for an SSID named "BB-<clusterap-hostname>_ac". (The default host name for a SmartPath AP consists of "BB-" plus the last
six digits of its MAC address, so the SSID will be something similar to "BB-123456_ac".) Select it, and when prompted to enter
a network key, type Black Box, and then click "Connect." Check the IP address of the default gateway that the DHCP server on
the SmartPath AP assigned your client. For example, in Windows, open the command prompt and enter ipconfig. Then make an
SSH or a Telnet connection to the SmartPath AP at the default gateway IP address. When prompted to log in, enter the default
login name and password: admin, Black Box. Enter the following commands to set an appropriate IP address and netmask for
its mgt0 interface, and set the default gateway for the network segment to which you connect the SmartPath AP:
interface mgt0 ip <ip _ addr> <netmask>
ip route default gateway <ip _ addr>
You can then connect your management system to the same network, open a browser, and connect to the NetConfig UI at the
IP address that you set.
• For SmartPath APs with console ports (SmartPath AP 300 series), you can connect to the console port and set a static IP address
through the CLI. The console settings are 9600 bits per second, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, and no flow control. After you
log in, enter the two commands shown above to define network settings that are appropriate for the SmartPath AP.
Chapter 9: Common Configuration Examples
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