Deployment and Implementation


To facilitate the deployment, Cisco IT assembled a global program management team under the direction of a global program manager. Representatives were selected from each of the four regions worldwide: Americas, APAC (Asia Pacific), EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), and SJ (San Jose Headquarters).

Responsibility for deployment within each region was delegated to a regional project manager and local team. Region-specific project managers determined and managed an implementation schedule within their own region. Local teams communicated progress at a weekly global deployment meeting. Several sites were deployed concurrently across and within regions. Serial installation by one global team might have taken years. Instead, almost all sites were deployed within a four-month timeframe in 2000, with the exception of India, which was delayed because of local regulatory issues with 802.11 standards.

The global program management team recognized that using Cisco employees exclusively to perform WLAN installation tasks was not the most cost-effective use of resources. Instead, where possible, vendors were hired for the bulk of the work. These vendors had to meet a minimum set of requirements established by the global program management team. The local contractors had to have a previous trusted relationship with Cisco and had to have wireless certified engineers. An emphasis on competitive bidding helped to minimize capital investment. Each local team selected their contractors based on their familiarity with the local market.

Site Survey

The global program management team established a guideline for the deployment process to be followed worldwide. The first step in deployment was the site survey. A formal and well-defined site survey was undertaken at each site, or on large campuses with several buildings with identical floorplans, at one building only, with the same results being applied to each identical building.

In many locations, trusted vendors performed the site surveys, while in some locations, such as San Jose, Cisco IT employees undertook the process themselves.

Cabling

After the site survey was complete, local contractors (different from the site survey firm) installed the cabling and physically placed, secured, and connected the Cisco Aironet access points. Each access point was provided with two cables: one for data connectivity and one for console access.

Access Point Configuration

After the access points were cabled and powered (via PoE), they were configured. Before distribution to each site, the access points were preconfigured with a "generic" configuration that allowed Cisco IT to connect and push the final production configuration. This was known as the staging phase, and it allowed Cisco IT to preconfigure and update firmware before shipping equipment to each site. This configuration was in compliance with the global design specifications established by the architecture team. Most critical were the IP address, channel assignment, and transmit power settings. Using generic and standardized access-point configurations helped to ensure consistent access-point settings across the entire deployment, simplified troubleshooting, and provided Cisco IT with greater control of individual access points.

Testing

Following configuration, the same contractor who performed the site surveys returned to conduct post-installation acceptance tests in each building. Dummy user accounts with limited access rights were provided, which enabled the contractors to test basic WLAN authentication and services. The globally consistent and clearly defined acceptance tests included the ability to roam from access point to access point and transfer a file at a minimum designated speed. Tests also helped to ensure the correct overlap between access point cells and verified that there were no dead spots.

Distribution of Wireless Network Cards and Instructions

At the time of the global WLAN deployment, distribution of Cisco Aironet 802.11b WLAN client adapters (wireless cards) presented a significant challenge. Cisco had to smoothly distribute more than 35,000 wireless cards in a timely and controlled manner across 400 sites in approximately 100 countries. Not only did the cards represent a significant percentage of the total program cost, but Cisco IT also needed to update each card with the latest firmware before delivering it to each user. Furthermore, it was important that the cards were not distributed to users until their sites were completed and had successfully passed the post-installation acceptance test.

In most locations, the task of inventorying, verifying firmware level, and distributing cards and operating instructions to users was performed during the staging phase and assigned to the same vendor that performed acceptance tests. Cards were shipped to the local vendor's distribution center where the correct firmware level would be verified or updated as appropriate. When vendors carried out the post-installation acceptance tests, they distributed the cards to local users, along with user instructions, FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), and introductory collateral from Cisco IT. Setting user expectations and providing comprehensive information were critical to minimizing support calls.

Today, Cisco uses both Cisco Aironet access points and Cisco compatible client devices in its network. Using these devices provides Cisco employees with a variety of licensed Cisco infrastructure innovations and enhancements for its WLANs, including advanced enterprise-class security, extended air RF management, and enhanced interoperability.




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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