The OpenWiFi solution can be applied to a diverse number of use cases from enterprise networks, service provider access, and hotspots. OpenWiFi offers a variety of managed services from small to very large venues of roaming, client shared-key management, client steering, mobile offload, QoS-based services, and Layer 2 and Layer 3 breakout and overlay options.

The Provisioning service provides a view into the network as a whole, and venues with entity-based control.

The provisioning service for OpenWiFi supports weighted order inheritance of configuration templates. These services and networks provide the greatest level of flexibility.

The system functions from a starting point of managed inventory assigned into entities, venues and optionally end subscribers. From this association, inheritance of entity, venue and subscriber configuration becomes possible where one to many configurations are processed including one to one when an inventory device such as a P2P link or Subscriber Gateway have unique operating data.

These features are present from the service over the web interface as well as via API for controller integration and OSS/BSS integration purposes.

With template inheritance, the aggregate of all inherited templates in the device association to Entity, Child, Venue, Child, Device Specific is possible. Overlapping configuration is controlled by the inherited template weight.

Entities

Initial deployment of the Provisioning service will have an empty Entities tree. The Top Entity may be used for a number of actions or simply as a description for structure below this level.

For example, an operator may choose to simply rename this Top Entity as "Operator Name" and set Firmware Upgrade and RRM policies to no actions accordingly. Creating child entities from this point defining perhaps an operational break down such as divisions within the operator, within which setting Firmware and or RRM rules may apply per division is possible.

Venues are an important concept in OpenWIFi Provisioning. Venues inherit access to Analytics where incoming telemetry and client events are aggregated from the message bus, transformed and correlated based on the members of the Venue resulting in Venues Dashboard, Live Client quality connection analysis, and client tracking through the venue.

Create a Venue

Within a non-root entity, Create a Venue.

Once the Venue exists, navigate into the Venue.

Venue Configurations

Within a Venue, the RRM and Firmware management rules may be defined. Note Analytics are now an available option within the Venue. To track device and client statistics, enable Analytics.

Choose Edit and Start Monitoring. This will enable the admin to determine the interval of analytic data aggregation, and the data retention window in days.

When Analytics are enabled, the Dashboard is populated. As devices are associated to the Venue, their telemetry data is aggregated by Analytics service and correlated for display via Dashboard, Live View and Client Lifecycle.

Entities represent a collection of resources for which certain business logic rules apply.

Entities may hold:

Within the example Venue, creating configuration templates for SSIDs and or other configuration sections are possible. These configurations are inherited by device memberships at the Venue level.

It is therefore possible to define many Venues, Child Venues, and Inventory associations that will then inherit global templates from entities in addition to aggregation of Venue templates.

A common example is to inherit the desired telemetry for all devices spanning all types, at a top level.

It remains possible to override the values shown here, perhaps to a faster interval, for the required telemetry data defined at the top level.

Create Configuration

Create a general configuration, select Metrics as the Configuration Section.

Within the Subsections select all metrics types to be included and a weight for this template.

Available metrics:

Device provisioning occurs based on inventory association to configuration templates.

Creating a template begins with the Configurations tab and creating a new template.

Create

Create Configuration dialog requires a name and one or multiple device types to apply configuration with. If device inventory within an Entity or a Venue exist with no configuration templates matching Device Types of the associated inventory, no associated provisioning will apply to those devices. This is the basic logic that enables unique Wi-Fi device type configurations to be layered through the system.

Limiting the configuration to a subset of device types is done through selection of available Device Types via pull down menu.

A possible scenario may be that at such a top level, the operator wishes to set transmit power, MIMO operation where the Wi-Fi 6 2x2 top level configuration is defined.

To include configuration parameters, select Add Subsection and choose the appropriate values.

In this example we will choose Radios and define the MIMO and Tx Power.

Begin with describing the Radio operating mode, assign a weight that may be either low enough to be overridden by further entity or venues or high enough to not be overridden, then Add Radio.

OpenWiFi supports all possible Wi-Fi radio bands. Select the desired radio(s) and continue.

Radio General

General properties, the following may be configured:

Radio Advanced

Advanced Settings, the following may be configured:

When complete, Save the "Top Level Wi-Fi 6 2x2" configuration for the device types chosen that align to such a radio mode.

Inheriting Advanced Radio Configuration

For purpose of demonstration, if the admin were to create another Configuration template with the same weight as the previous template defining the Advanced parameters, these could then be broken down for example by device type.

Create another template as described for only one of the Wi-Fi 6 2x2 APs we have shown thus far.

Setting specific configuration for the EAP 101 advanced radio parameters. For example, if a device in this entity is an EAP 101, it will have advanced radio properties of 12Mb/s beacon rate, 24Mb/s multicast rate, random BSS color and require HE mode.

With these settings saved, multiple configuration templates are now shown that will influence radio operating parameters equally yet separately based on device type.

Configure WAN interface as an upstream interface role type.

OpenWiFi has the concept of a virtual dataplane where the definition of the interface role as upstream or downstream defines if the port involved will be mapped to WAN or LAN operation.

It is possible to re-map any LAN port to function as a normal WAN port in this way.

When the above Interfaces configuration section is created, respond to the dialog prompt to define an upstream WAN then select from the available configuration options to suit the local environment.

Within WAN(upstream) select the port(s) for use as WAN.

A variety of Services features may be associated to logical interfaces. For this example, enable LLDP.

IP Addressing set as IPv4 Dynamic will cause the WAN port to use DHCP for its provisioned internet access. IPv6 dual stack is also supported.

An SSID may be associated to any defined interface. This association ties the dataplane of the VAP together with the underlying interface services.

Most common SSID configuration parameters have been exposed via the Provisioning UI. Consult the OpenWiFi data model for the full list of available configurations.

From an interface select Add SSID.

Assigning the name of the SSID is also the name of the Wi-Fi network itself. Operating band of the SSID is configurable by radio.

SSID Configuration Options