WS-SVC-WISM2-1-K9

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 802.11ac and 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

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 802.11ac and 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.