Chapter 5. Guidelines for A Successful Architecture and Design


Part I of this book introduced WLAN technology and familiarized you with its key technical aspects. You learned about the different types of business considerations you need to make to identify, qualify, and quantify the value that WLANs can bring to your organization. You also learned about recommended strategies and practices when initiating the PPDIOO lifecycle of your WLAN. Planning and preparation focused on providing a structured approach for your deployment and highlighted areas that require preparatory work because you need to identify management and technical dependencies that are unique to your circumstances.

As you move through the various lifecycle stages, your focus shifts from strategic to tactical matters. Chapter 2, "Business Considerations," and Chapter 3, "Preparation and Planning" focus on the strategic aspects of setting up your WLAN. Part II of the book covers the next phases of the PPDIOO lifecycle. You learn about architecture, design, implementation, and operations relating to your WLAN.

The difference between architecture and design can be rather vague; however, as a rule of thumb, consider the difference as similar to that between strategic and tactical matters. In both cases, the former is concerned with where to go, whereas the latter is focused on how to actually get there. This chapter covers the strategic aspects of defining your WLAN architecture and takes a look at the tactical design considerations that are specific to WLANs.

This chapter introduces the notion of architecture and provides recommendations for developing a holistic framework that can guide the engineering effort of designing, implementing, and operating the WLAN. You learn about the key components of an effective architecture and identify the balance that must be struck between detail, complexity, and usefulness.

The WLAN design provides the necessary detail on how the solution must be built, integrated, and configured. Because many of the design considerations are identical for wired and wireless networks, this chapter focuses on those considerations that are unique to WLANs. These include the ratio of users to access points, also known as the client-to-AP ratio, the impact of roaming from cell to cell, and the physical placement of the access points.

Finally, this chapter highlights the environmental considerations that are essential for defining a WLAN architecture and design. You learn details about the impact of the physical environment, nearby radio signals, and local governmental regulations and explore the recommended practices for managing these challenges.




The Business Case for Enterprise-Class Wireless Lans
The Business Case for Enterprise-Class Wireless LANs
ISBN: 1587201259
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 163

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