5/11/2004 -- Cisco Systems Inc. last week unveiled a new Wireless LAN Services Module (WLSM) that it says can allow its Catalyst 6500 series switches to support as many as 300 of its Aironet WLAN access points. The networking giant also announced an updated version of its CiscoWorks Wireless LAN Solution Engine (WLSE) WLAN management application.

Cisco says that the new WLSM is an addition to the Structured Wireless Area Network (SWAN) architecture that it first announced last year. Cisco says SWAN is designed to make it easier for network managers to deploy, manage, and secure hundreds or thousands of access points in a variety of different deployment scenarios. The SWAN architecture encompasses a range of Cisco products and services, including Aironet access points, centralized management and security servers, and wireless LAN client devices.

The new WLSM provides a means for centralized configuration and policy enforcement and makes Catalyst 6500 switch capabilities transparently available to wireless LANs, either through Cisco’s Supervisor Engine 720 or through the addition of other service modules. The WLSM makes it possible for users to transparently roam among wireless access points without regard for location -- and without disruption to applications or services that require authentication or which have specific policies associated with them, the company says.

Cisco also announced version 2.7 of its CiscoWorks WLSE, which provides a centralized management system for an organization’s wireless LAN infrastructure. New in WLSE 2.7 are self-healing wireless LAN capabilities that can detect and compensate for out of service access points, as well as detect and suppress rogue access points. In addition, WLSE 2.7 features an Auto RF Optimization capability that automates the process of adjusting access point radio transmit power and channel selection for optimal RF coverage. In previous versions of WLSE, Cisco says, this was a manual -- and time-consuming -- process. Other new tweaks include warm standby redundancy and support for real-time client tracking and reporting.

Finally, Cisco announced the Cisco Aironet 1300 Series IEEE 802.11g Outdoor AP/Bridge, which provides an outdoor infrastructure for mobile networks and users. In addition, says Cisco, the portable Aironet 1300 Series devices can double as conventional wireless access points or bridges, providing traditional building-to-building and temporary network infrastructure. -Stephen Swoyer