This Cisco® Enterprise Wireless Mesh (EWM) licensing and ordering guide presents guidelines and information for ordering the Right to Use software license for the enterprise mesh deployment. The document provides step-by-step instructions for ordering the EWM license.
Overview
Building on years of Cisco technology leadership in outdoor mesh networks, the new Cisco Enterprise Wireless Mesh network enables enterprises to provide wireless connectivity to indoor areas that, until now, have been difficult or impossible to wire. Without requiring wired connections, mesh access points use the 2.4-GHz band to deliver network access to users in hard-to-reach areas and use the 5-GHz band to backhaul traffic to the root access points connected to Ethernet ports. Enterprise Wireless Mesh utilizes Adaptive Wireless Path Protocol (AWPP), which dynamically optimizes traffic routes and enables self-healing. Furthermore, zero-touch configuration as well as the Cisco unified wireless architecture for indoor and outdoor networks greatly simplifies the provisioning and management of the WLAN. Overcoming the limitations of Ethernet wiring, the Cisco Enterprise Wireless Mesh network is a simple, flexible way to offer comprehensive wireless coverage and optimal network performance to every area of an enterprise facility or structure.
Mesh networking functionality is available as a software upgrade for the Cisco Aironet® 1240 and 1130 Series Access Points. Cisco Enterprise Wireless Mesh:
• Extends wireless coverage by providing network connectivity for wireless clients located in hard-to-wire areas and by backhauling traffic to the wired network
• Extends wired coverage to single clients by functioning as wireless bridges that connect to wired devices and backhaul traffic to the wired network
• Extends wired coverage to workgroups, providing connectivity to multiple wired clients by connecting to a wired switch and backhauling workgroup traffic.
Solution
The Cisco EWM license is required for wireless mesh deployments for the indoor access point platforms, including the Cisco Aironet 1130 and 1240 Series. For the Cisco Aironet 1500 Series, these licenses are not required. These EWM licenses are required for all the WLAN controllers when mesh indoor acess points are associated with the controller. Each WLAN controller has a corresponding EWM license. The license entitles the user to configure as many mesh indoor access points as the controller allows.
2. Enter the SKU AIR-AP-LIC-RTU= into the Enter Product field in the Ordering Tool and then press Enter.
3. Under Choose Options, select the EWM license corresponding to the controller and enter the quantity of each individual license, as shown in Figure 1.
4. Click the Check Configuration button at the bottom-right of the page. You should get the confirmation message "You have successfully completed your configuration!" (Figure 2). The price for the SKU is displayed in the Ordering Tool.
6. Place the order. You can now exit the configuration tool.
Once the order goes through, you will receive the Right to Use certificate.
Summary
Enterprise wireless mesh is a dynamic and truly flexible way of deploying wireless LAN in an enterprise environment. The self-forming and self-healing wireless technology allows the user to mount the access points virtually anywhere without the limitations and inconvenience of Ethernet wiring. EWM licenses are required for mesh deployments with the Cisco Aironet 1130 Series and 1240 Series.
