The Network Server is a critical component in the Access/One^® Network. It consists of a hardware platform and base software, plus additional optional software modules. The hardware is an Access/One^® Network module and can be installed into any Network Node within the system. The software running on this module provides much of the intelligence within the system and facilitates most of Access/One^® Network’s unique features and functions.

Overseeing management and control of the system, the Network Server provides distributed functionality that enables the Access/One^® Network to function as a secure wireless system that scales as the Enterprise network grows.

Some of the key features provided by the Network Server are:

• Advanced Security (standards-based and enhanced, system-wide) 
• Dynamic Operation (self-configuration, self-tuning and self-healing) 
• Network Management (monitor, configure, diagnose and meter) 
• Traffic Prioritization and Control (switching and routing) 
  Enhanced User Mobility and Tracking

The Network Server enables Access/One^® Network to provide a full array of standards-based tools to secure the wireless network. As well as using the same security servers and virtual private network (VPN) software as used on the wired network, Access/One^® Network offers system-level security for increased assurance against attackers and rogue access points. Using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to encrypt all of the wireless mesh links as well as all of the network management and control data makes it impossible for attackers to intercept. In addition, once a user is authenticated, the Network Server ensures that user security is maintained while they roam about the network.

During the self-configuration process, each Network Node automatically establishes an association to one Network Server on the Access/One^® Network. This path is the route that management and control data will take through the Access/One^® Network. Other network traffic is routed based on best available path, ensuring that traffic is optimally routed to its destination. If the wireless environment changes for any reason, such as a new Network Node being added, data paths will be automatically re-evaluated to ensure that the Access/One^® Network is self-tuned for maximum performance. The same actions are performed if there’s a data path loss due to changes in the wireless environment, ensuring that the Access/One^® Network self-heals to stay up and running.

The Network Server maintains internal tables for each Network Node that it communicates with, as well as any other Network Servers within the Access/One^® Network, enabling the Network Server to work in conjunction with the Manager/One management system to build Node- and module-level maps of the network. This enables you to configure Network Nodes individually or as a group, including the ability to configure every Node in the Access/One^® Network at once with a single click from the Manager/One screen.

User traffic on the Access/One^® Network is managed both locally at the Network Node and system-wide by the Network Server. Included in the internal tables that the Network Server maintains is a list of users attached to each Network Node. This enables the Network Server to determine how user traffic should be prioritized and routed through the network. All types of user data are managed in this way, including broadcast and multicast traffic, significantly reducing overhead on the network.

The Network Server makes roaming possible for users of devices that integrate Bluetooth (such as PDAs), who previously had to re-login each time they entered a conventional Bluetooth access point’s coverage area. With Access/One^® Network, the smallest, most mobile and most battery- sensitive of the handheld devices can serve as productive business tools, thanks to all-day, continual connection to the network.

The Network Server enables you to install, manage and maintain an Enterprise-class wireless network with minimal effort, while maintaining corporate LAN security that will never be compromised. Multiple Network Servers can be distributed throughout the network to protect against a single point-of-failure and improve network performance.

Network Server options are: