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The Cisco® Wireless Service Module 2 (WiSM2) Controller for Cisco Catalyst® 6500 Series Switches, shown in Figure 1, is a highly scalable and flexible platform that enables systemwide services for mission-critical wireless networking in medium-sized to large enterprises and campus environments. Designed for 802.11n performance and maximum scalability, the Cisco WiSM2 Controller supports a higher density of clients and delivers more efficient roaming, with at least nine times the throughput of existing 802.11a/g networks. The WiSM2 controller offers:
• Enhanced uptime with the ability to simultaneously manage up to 1000 access points
• Superior performance for reliable streaming video and toll-quality voice
• Sub-second stateful failover of all access points and clients from the primary to standby controller
Figure 1. Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series WiSM2 Controller
Features
As a component of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, this controller provides real-time communication between Cisco Aironet® access points, the Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS), the Cisco Network Control System (NCS), and the Cisco Mobility Services Engine to deliver centralized security policies, wireless intrusion prevention system (wIPS) capabilities, award-winning RF management, and quality of service (QoS). With Cisco CleanAir® technology, the WiSM2 protects 802.11n performance by providing cross-network access to real-time and historic RF interference information for quick troubleshooting and resolution.
The Cisco WiSM2 Controller supports Cisco Application Visibility and Control (AVC), the technology that includes the Network-Based Application Recognition 2 (NBAR-2) engine, Cisco's deep packet inspection (DPI) capability that can classify applications, apply quality of service (QoS) to either drop or mark the traffic, and prioritize business-critical applications in the network. Cisco AVC uses NetFlow Version 9 to export the flows to Cisco Prime™ Infrastructure or a third-party NetFlow Collector. The Cisco WiSM2 Controller also supports Bonjour Services Directory to enable Bonjour Services to be advertised and utilized in a separate Layer 3 network. Wireless Policy engine is a wireless profiler and policy feature on the Cisco WISM2 controller that enables profiling of wireless devices and enforcement of policies such as VLAN assignment, quality-of-service (QoS), ACL and time of day-based access.
With this integrated approach to large-scale wireless networking, customers can realize significant total cost of ownership (TCO) benefits by streamlining support costs and reducing planned and unplanned network downtime.
Software Licensing Flexibility
Cisco WiSM2 Controller software licensing offers the flexibility to add additional access points (up to 1000 access points) as business needs grow.
As part of its basic feature set, the Cisco WiSM2 Controller supports a variety of business mobility needs, including the Cisco OfficeExtend solution for secure, mobile teleworking and Cisco Enterprise Wireless Mesh, which allows access points to dynamically establish wireless connections in locations where it may be difficult or impossible to physically connect to the wired network.
Table 1 lists the features and benefits of the Cisco Wireless Service Module 2 (WiSM2) Controller.
Table 1. Cisco WiSM2 Controller Features and Benefits
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Feature |
Benefits |
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Scalability |
• Supports 100, 300, 500 and 1000 access points for business-critical wireless services at locations of all sizes
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High Performance |
• Wired-network speed, nonblocking performance for 802.11n networks
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RF Management |
• Provides both real-time and historical information about RF interference impacting network performance across controllers, through systemwide Cisco CleanAir technology integration
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High-Performance Video |
• Integrates Cisco VideoStream technology as part of the Cisco medianet framework to optimize the delivery of video applications across the WLAN
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End-to-End Voice |
• Supports Unified Communications for improved collaboration through messaging, presence, and conferencing
• Supports all Cisco Unified IP Phones for cost-effective, real-time voice services
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Comprehensive End-to-End Security |
• Offers control and provisioning of wireless access points (CAPWAP)-compliant Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) encryption to help ensure full-line-rate encryption between access points and controllers across remote WAN/LAN links
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Cisco OfficeExtend |
• Supports corporate wireless services for mobile and remote workers with secure wired tunnels to the Cisco Aironet 600, 1130, or 1140, 3500, 3600 Series Access Points
• Extends the corporate network to remote locations with minimal setup and maintenance requirements (zero-touch deployment)
• Improves productivity and collaboration at remote site locations
• Separate service set identifier (SSID) tunnels allow both corporate and personal Internet access
• Reduced carbon dioxide emissions from a decrease in commuting
• Higher employee job satisfaction from ability to work at home
• Improves business resiliency by providing continuous, secure connectivity in the event of disasters, pandemics, or inclement weather
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Cisco Enterprise Wireless Mesh |
• Allows access points to dynamically establish wireless connections without the need for a physical connection to the wired network
• Available on select Cisco Aironet access points, Cisco Enterprise Wireless Mesh is ideal for warehouses, manufacturing floors, shopping centers, and any other location where extending a wired connection may prove difficult or aesthetically unappealing
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PCI Integration |
• Part of Payment Card Industry (PCI) certified architecture, and well-suited for retail customers who deploy transactional data applications such as scanners and kiosks
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Environmentally Responsible |
• Organizations may choose to turn off access point radios to reduce power consumption during off-peak hours
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Mobility, Security, and Management for IPv6 and Dual-Stack Clients |
• Secure, reliable wireless connectivity and consistent end-user experience
• Increased network availability through proactive blocking of known threats
• Equips administrators for IPv6 troubleshooting, planning, and client traceability from a common wired and wireless management system
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Note: The minimum software version of the supervisor must be 12.2(33)SXJ2 or 15.0(1)SY1 to support the features listed in Table 1.
Table 2 lists the product specifications for Cisco WiSM2 Wireless Controller.
Table 2. Product Specifications for Cisco WiSM2 Controller
Table 3 lists the ordering information for Cisco WiSM2 Controller.
Table 3. Ordering Information for Cisco WiSM2 Controller
Additive Capacity Upgrade Licenses
Tables 4 and 5 show the additive capacity upgrade licenses that are available for the Cisco WiSM2 Controller.
Table 4. Ordering Information for Cisco WiSM2 Wireless Controller Additive Capacity Licenses (e-Delivery Product Authorization Keys [PAKs])
Table 5. Ordering Information for Cisco WiSM2 Wireless Controller Additive Capacity Licenses (Paper PAKs)
Table 6 shows the Optional Paper PAK license to enable DTLS. These licenses are designed for customers who purchase a controller with DTLS disabled due to import restrictions. This optional license will allow you to take advantage of DTLS for Cisco OfficeExtend functionality in the future.
Table 6. Optional Paper PAK License to Enable DTLS
Service and Support
Realize the full business value of your wireless network and mobility services investments faster with intelligent, customized services from Cisco and our partners. Backed by deep networking expertise and a broad ecosystem of partners, Cisco professional and technical services enable you to successfully plan, build, and run your network as a powerful business platform. Our services can help you successfully deploy the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Wireless Services Module 2 Controller and integrate mobility solutions effectively to lower the total cost of ownership and secure your wireless network.
To learn more about Cisco wireless LAN service offers, visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/wirelesslanservices.
For More Information
For more information about Cisco wireless controllers, contact your local account representative or visit: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6366/index.html.
For more information about the Cisco Unified Wireless Network framework, visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/unifiedwireless.