Distributed Wi-Fi Control Architecture

Smart, advanced access points (APs) are managed as a single system or cluster and handle the control and forwarding planes in a distributed and coordinated manner in a controller-less architecture. It is possible to virtualise the controller, and deploy and run it in a distributed way in the APs with coordinated intelligence.

A unified management and distributed control solution eliminates the need for a centralised controller in wireless deployment architectures, offering many potential benefits to organisations and their IT departments.

Deliver enterprise-grade security and scale with simplicity

The Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess Stellar architecture enables a visionary distributed Wi-Fi architecture with centralised management and policy control. This enforces security at every step starting at the network edge and allows unparalleled scaling in network capacity. This architecture is vital for enabling the next generation of digital enterprise that demands business agility, seamless mobility, and secure IoT-enabled infrastructure, empowering business transformation through continuous innovation.

The OmniAccess Stellar provides enhanced security with WPA3, a new security standard for enterprise and public networks. It improves Wi-Fi security by using advanced security algorithms and stronger ciphers in enterprises including the 192-bit security suite. Public spaces which provide open non-protected access can now provide encryption and privacy using OmniAccess Stellar, which supports the new Wi-Fi Enhanced Open security standard, based on Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE).

The APs can be deployed in three modes, all through a single version of software, simplifying IT operations.

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista 2500 Network Management System

Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista 2500 Network Management System (NMS) provides secure plug-and-play APs for large scale deployment, with user-friendly workflows for wireless services and unified access for end-to-end security. OmniVista 2500 NMS comes with an integrated Unified Policy Authentication Manager (UPAM) which helps define the authentication strategy and policy enforcement for employees, guest management, and BYOD devices. The OmniAccess Stellar architecture has built-in DPI technology providing real-time Application Monitoring and enforcement capabilities. The network administrator can obtain a comprehensive view of applications running in the network and apply adequate controls to optimise the network performance for business-critical applications.

OmniVista 2500 NMS provides advanced options for RF management, wIDS/wIPS for intrusion detection and prevention, and heatmaps for WLAN site planning. To further simplify IT, the APs can be managed as one or more access point groups (a logical grouping of one or more APs).

Here’s why customers choose ALE

• Lower CAPEX: A central controller is not required and licensing and maintenance costs are eliminated
• Lower OPEX: Less equipment to operate, manage, and  monitor by the IT department
• Increased resiliency: Controller function shared by all APs in the management domain
• No traffic bottleneck, decreased latency: Traffic can  directly bridge into the local Ethernet switch
• Better scalability: No controller equipment required, regardless of the size of the deployment