Smart Management Center (SmartMC) centrally manages and maintains dispersed network devices at network edges. In a SmartMC network, only one device acts as the commander and the remaining devices all act as members. SmartMC provides the following features for you to manage the members from the commander:

· Configuration file backup and download.

· Software upgrade.

· Configuration deployment.

· Faulty member replacement.

SmartMC network framework

Figure 1 shows the basic framework of a SmartMC network.

The SmartMC network contains the following elements:

· Commander—Also called topology master (TM), which manages all members in the SmartMC network.

· Member—Also called topology client (TC), which is managed by the commander.

· FTP server—Stores startup software images and configuration files for the commander and members.

Figure 1 SmartMC network framework

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Configuring self-mesh SmartMC (SmartMC 2.0)

About self-mesh SmartMC

Self-mesh SmartMC is a technology where devices automatically form a network. In a self-mesh SmartMC scenario, devices are enabled with SmartMC by default. Through automatic elections, the TM and TCs are determined. The TM manages TCs.

Benefits of self-mesh SmartMC

Self-mesh SmartMC has the following advantages:

· Simplifies network setup by supporting device plug-and-play. By using factory default settings, self-mesh SmartMC initializes configurations from the Web interface and then allows devices to automatically form a SmartMC network.

· Simplifies network maintenance by enabling centralized management and maintenance of many network devices through simple web-based operations on the SmartMC network management platform. This effectively solves operational problems in small and medium-sized campus networks.

Self-mesh SmartMC application scenarios

Self-mesh SmartMC is typically used in LANs, enabling plug-and-play of wired and wireless devices as well as deployment with zero configuration. The application scenarios of self-mesh SmartMC can be divided into two categories:

· Network in which the gateway does not support self-mesh SmartMC.

· Network in which the gateway supports self-mesh SmartMC.

Scenario one: Self-mesh SmartMC not supported by the gateway

As shown in Figure 2, the switch and APs support self-mesh SmartMC, but the gateway does not. The gateway can be an optical modem or router provided by the carrier, or a router purchased by the user.

In this network, the switch, router, security device, and APs automatically form a SmartMC network with one AP elected as the TM, and other devices as TCs. After successful SmartMC network formation, mobile clients can use the Web interface to manage and maintain the devices in a centralized way.

Figure 2 Self-mesh SmartMC not supported by the gateway

Scenario two: Self-mesh SmartMC supported by the gateway

As shown in Figure 3, all the devices, including the switch, APs, and gateway, support self-mesh SmartMC.

In this network, the switch, router, security device, APs, and gateway automatically form a SmartMC network. Based on the SmartMC priorities in the default settings of the devices, the gateway is elected as the TM, and the other devices become TCs. If the AC is attached to the gateway through out-of-path deployment, the AC is elected as the TM, and the other devices become TCs. After successful SmartMC network formation, centralized management and maintenance of the devices can be achieved through the SmartMC management platform.

Figure 3 Self-mesh SmartMC supported by the gateway

Basic concepts of self-mesh SmartMC

SmartMC device roles

In a self-mesh SmartMC network, devices support two roles:

· Topology master (TM): Manages all devices in the SmartMC network.

The TM can be automatically elected or manually specified by using the smartmc enable auto tm command. You can specify only one TM. If the TM fails, the system automatically elects a new one.

For the switch to act as the TM, use the smartmc enable auto tm command on the switch.

The automatically elected TM is displayed as TM(auto) in the output from a display command.

· Topology client (TC): Devices managed within the SmartMC network.

¡ Wireless devices, routers, and security devices are automatically elected and are displayed as TC(auto) in the output from the display smartmc configuration command.

¡ Some switches come with the SmartMC feature enabled and the TC role specified to support the SmartMC feature (smartmc tc enable in factory settings). The device role is displayed as TC in the output from the display smartmc configuration command.

CAUTION:

To avoid disrupting SmartMC functionality, do not use the smartmc { tc | tm username username password { cipher | simple } string } enable command to manually designate devices in self-mesh mode as TM or TC.

SmartMC network management platform (UWEB management platform)

The SmartMC network management platform is a web-based interface provided by devices, allowing for centralized management and maintenance of numerous network devices. It effectively addresses operational issues in small to medium-sized networks.

The self-mesh SmartMC network management platform is also referred to as the UWEB management system. The UWEB management system is a lightweight Web management platform that employs SmartMC technology to centrally manage and maintain a large number of dispersed network edge devices. These network devices can automatically elect a TM and form a SmartMC network as long as they can communicate with each other with Layer 2 packets and VLAN 1 packets and the SmartMC feature is enabled.

The UWEB management system operates on the TM and provides the following functions:

· Initialization—Configures the project name, network-wide password, Internet parameters, Wi-Fi settings, and time zone for the SmartMC network.

· Network Configuration—Includes WAN and wired configuration. WAN configuration allows Internet parameter modifications, and wired configuration allows service VLAN setup.

· Device Management—Includes adding devices, removing offline devices, rebooting devices, upgrading devices, resetting devices, viewing device details, configuring device interfaces, creating VLANs, editing VLANs, and deleting VLANs.

· Terminal Management—Allows viewing and management of wired and wireless users.

· System Management—Includes upgrading, rebooting, and modifying the network-wide password.

By using the functions mentioned above, you can achieve the following goals:

· Manage the SmartMC network topology.

· Manage member devices in batches.

Figure 4 UWEB network management system

SmartMC deployment

Devices support plug-and-play and can discover each other through SmartMC Layer 2 packets. To identify the role of a device and view TM information, execute the display smartmc configuration command on the device. However, you cannot view TC information by executing the display smartmc tc command at this point.

Then, log in to the TM. Open a browser and enter quicknet.h3c.com in the address bar to access the UWEB management system, and then follow the instructions to set up the SmartMC network.

During the setup, you can view the network status and configure the network-wide password, Wi-Fi parameters, and time zone. The configurations are distributed to and take effect on all member devices in the SmartMC network.

The TM performs the following operations:

1. Generate a NetID for the current SmartMC network.

2. Require the logged-in administrator to set a management password (the SmartMC network-wide password) and synchronize this password along with the NetID to all member devices in the SmartMC network.

3. Set the devices with the network-wide password and NetID to the deployed state.

The deployment state of a device is a factor that affects TM election in the SmartMC network.

SmartMC network-wide password

After establishing Layer 2 connections in the SmartMC network, the SmartMC module on the TM must establish Layer 3 communication channels with the NETCONF module on the TM and each TC to synchronize configurations and manage devices.

To ensure secure communication, a username and password are required for identity authentication between member devices during Layer 3 communication channel establishment. Devices are factory-set with default usernames and passwords. For both security and convenience purposes, SmartMC supports changing the Layer 3 communication channel password using the network-wide password function. When the TM changes the SmartMC network-wide password, it syncs with all member devices (including the TM and TCs), and all devices use the new password to establish new Layer 3 communication channels.

You can configure the SmartMC network-wide password when setting up the network from the UWEB management system. During TM operation, you can modify the password from the UWEB management system or from the CLI of the TM.

SmartMC NetID

NetID is the identifier of a SmartMC network in the SmartMC system, and one SmartMC network corresponds to only one NetID.

To adapt to various networking applications, multiple SmartMC networks can be deployed in the same network, and NetID is used to distinguish between different SmartMC networks. One device can only join one SmartMC network. As shown in Figure 5, the TM broadcasts SmartMC protocol packets to discover TCs in the respective SmartMC network. To avoid interference between SmartMC protocol packets of two SmartMC networks, SmartMC uses NetID to distinguish between different SmartMC networks. When a member device in a SmartMC network receives a SmartMC packet with a different NetID, it directly discards it.

NetID is automatically generated by the SmartMC module when the network administrator sets up the network from the UWEB management system.

Figure 5 Multi-SmartMC network diagram

Role selection in self-mesh SmartMC

CAUTION:

· If a device is specified as TM by the smartmc enable auto enable command, the device role is fixed as TM, and the other devices act as TCs. Role election is not performed.

· Devices manually set as TCs by using the smartmc tc enable command will not participate in role election, and devices manually set as TMs by using the smartmc tm enable command are not allowed to join the self-mesh SmartMC network.

For devices that support self-mesh SmartMC, the role is not determined at the factory, and the TM is automatically elected through role election. The self-mesh SmartMC network conducts role election in the following situations:

· The devices are first interconnected, which triggers self-mesh SmartMC network formation.

· The TM leaves the network or malfunctions.

· The self-mesh SmartMC network splits.

· Two (or more) independent self-mesh SmartMC networks merge into one.

The following priority order is used to select the TM in the role election:

1. Devices with higher SmartMC election priority are selected first.

The priority of a device is carried by the factory parameters of the device, which is determined by the product according to the device model, the network location of the device, and other information. It cannot be modified by command line. For example, the priority of ACs is higher than that of switches and APs. If an AC, switches, and APs coexist in the network, AC will be selected as the TM first. The current SmartMC election priority of the device from high to low is: AC, router, security device, AP.

¡ If none of the devices participating in the role election have finished startup deployment, the device with higher SmartMC priority will be selected as the TM.

¡ If the SmartMC network has finished startup deployment and a new device with a higher priority than the TM joins, the new device synchronizes the global configuration of the current TM and runs as the TM. The new TM notifies the original TM to change to TC. If the SmartMC election priority of the new device is equal to or lower than that of the current TM, the role of the current TM remains unchanged, and the new device joins as a TC.

2. Devices in the startup state are given priority.

If the election priority is the same, and some devices have started while others have not, devices that have started will be selected as the TM first.

3. The TM in the SmartMC network with more member devices is given priority.

When two SmartMC networks merge, the two SmartMC networks compete for the TM. The SmartMC network with more member devices wins the election, and the TM in the winning SmartMC network becomes the TM for the entire merged SmartMC network. All member devices in the losing SmartMC network run as TC and synchronize the global configuration of the new TM.

4. Devices with higher health scores are given priority.

5. Devices with smaller bridge MAC addresses are given priority.

Devices running in self-mesh mode broadcast SmartMC election packets at Layer 2 and follow the above rules for judging from the first rule. If a rule matches multiple devices, the next rule will be used until a unique optimal member device is found. The unique optimal member device becomes the TM, and the other member devices become TCs.

Self-mesh SmartMC network establishment and changing

Self-mesh SmartMC network establishment

The process of establishing a self-mesh SmartMC network is as follows:

1. After a device starts up, it enters the automatic election process with the TC(auto) role and broadcasts SmartMC election packets at intervals of 5 seconds. The packet includes the device's bridge MAC, NetID, SmartMC election priority, network size (number of member devices in the current SmartMC network), and the IP address of VLAN-interface 1.

2. After the automatic election, one TM is elected and other devices become TCs.

¡ If the device receives an election packet from other devices within 20 seconds, it compares its local parameters and the received SmartMC election packet according to the election rules. If the received packet is more optimal, the device switches to TC. If the device is more optimal, it continues to send SmartMC election packets to participate in the role election.

¡ If the device does not receive any election packets from other devices within 20 seconds, it switches to TM.

3. The TM broadcasts SmartMC discovery packets at intervals of 5 seconds to announce its TM identity.

4. Each TC records the device information of the TM and sends a SmartMC discovery ACK packet back to TM. At this time, you can use the display smartmc configuration command on the device to display the configured information of SmartMC.

5. The administrator connects to the TM and visit https://quicknet.h3c.com to access the UWEB management system to set up the SmartMC network. The UWEB management system automatically distributes LLDP, NETCONF, and local user configurations to member devices.

6. After receiving the TC's SmartMC discovery ACK packet, the TM uses the default username (admin) and password to establish a NETCONF connection with each member device, and obtains detailed information (such as port information, LLDP neighbor information, STP information, device type, and software version) through this connection. The default password for APs is h3capadmin, and the default password for other types of devices is admin.

7. A TC sends a SmartMC unicast login request packet to the TM. The packet includes the device's bridge MAC and the IP address of VLAN-interface 1.

8. After receiving the TC's login request packet, the TM replies with a login confirmation packet and adds the TC to the SmartMC network. At this point, the TC completes the online process. You can use the display smartmc tc command on the TM to view information about all TCs.

9. The TM forms the SmartMC network topology by using NETCONF connections to obtain its own and TCs' LLDP neighbor information. At this time, you can view the SmartMC network topology diagram on the UWEB management system, or use the display smartmc device-link command to display the connection information between devices in the SmartMC network.

10. The administrator selects the networking method, sets the administrator password (SmartMC network-wide password), and configures the Internet access parameters as instructed. Then, SmartMC network deployment is completed.

11. The TM synchronizes the network-wide password to itself and all TCs, and establishes a NETCONF connection with each devices using the default username and network-wide password.

New device joining

The mechanism for automatically electing TM when a new device joins is as follows:

1. After the SmartMC network is established, the TM broadcasts SmartMC discovery packets every 5 seconds, inquiring if there are member devices in the network.

2. When a new device is connected and powered on:

¡ If the device is a switch and has already been configured as the TM or a TC by the factory, it directly joins the SmartMC network as the TM or a TC.

¡ If the device is a non-switch device, the device's SmartMC function is enabled by default and it operates in self-mesh mode. The device enters the role election state and, according to the election rules, decides whether to run as TM or TC.

Member device leaving

After the SmartMC network is successfully established, the TM and TCs perceive each other's existence through SmartMC broadcast packets and response packets:

· After the TM leaves, a TC will enter the role election state if it fails to receive TM's SmartMC discovery packets within 20 seconds. TCs will then re-elect an TM according to the role election rules.

· After a TC leaves, the TM considers a TC as offline if it fails to receive any SmartMC discovery ACK packet from the TC within 20 seconds.

Self-mesh SmartMC splitting

If link failures occur between member devices in a self-mesh SmartMC network, TCs and TM may fail to reach each other, causing the SmartMC network to split into multiple SmartMC networks. After the splitting, one SmartMC network contains the original TM, while other SmartMC networks do not have a TM.

During the splitting, the SmartMC software module handles the situation as follows:

· For the SmartMC network that contains the original TM, the SmartMC network continues to operate normally, and the departing member devices become offline.

· For the other SmartMC networks, if some devices work in self-mesh mode, they consider the TM as faulty and trigger role election after 20 seconds without receiving any SmartMC broadcast discovery packets from the TM.

As shown in Figure 6, the roles of TM, TC 1, and TC 3 in the self-mesh SmartMC network are generated through election, and the role of TC 2 is manually specified. Assuming that this self-mesh SmartMC network has been established with a NetID of 1, the following scenarios might occur:

· When the link fails between TC 2 and the TM, TC 2 leaves the self-mesh SmartMC network, but its role remains as TC and its NetID remains as 1.

· When the link fails between TC3 and the TM, TC 3 leaves the self-mesh SmartMC network. After 20 seconds without receiving any SmartMC broadcast discovery packets from the TM, TC 3 re-elects itself as TM with a NetID of 1.

Figure 6 Self-mesh SmartMC splitting

Self-mesh SmartMC merging

The process of multiple stable SmartMC networks interconnecting to form a self-mesh SmartMC network is called self-mesh SmartMC merging.

The following rules are followed during the self-mesh SmartMC merging:

· For SmartMC networks that have already been established, only SmartMC networks with the same NetID can be merged. SmartMC networks with different NetIDs cannot be merged. To make a device with a different NetID join the SmartMC network, restore the device to factory settings or disable and then enable the SmartMC feature on the device, which will delete the NetID.

· Established SmartMC networks can be merged with non-established SmartMC networks.

· When merging, the two SmartMC networks will compete for the TM role. For more information about the TM election rules, see "Role selection in self-mesh SmartMC."

As shown in Figure 7, three SmartMC networks exist in the current network. SmartMC network 1 and SmartMC network 3 have the same NetID, and SmartMC network 2 has a different NetID. When the link failure is recovered, the SmartMC networks will try to merge, as follows:

· SmartMC network 1 has two member devices, which is greater than the number of member devices in SmartMC network 2. Therefore, SmartMC network 1 wins the election and its TM will become the TM of the merged SmartMC network.

· The NetID of SmartMC network 2 is different from that of the other SmartMC networks, so it cannot be merged with any of the other SmartMC networks.

Figure 7 Self-mesh SmartMC merging

Self-mesh SmartMC configuration management

After member devices use Layer 2 connections to build the SmartMC network, the TM automatically establishes a NETCONF session with each TC using VLAN-interface 1. The TM uses the NETCONF sessions to distribute configurations to the TCs and obtain the values of some parameters on the TCs in order to manage and maintain the SmartMC network.

SmartMC supports the following configuration methods:

· Global configuration

Administrators can configure settings on the UWEB management system's web page or from the TM's CLI. These configurations are distributed to and take effect on all member devices. Global synchronized configurations include wireless, wired, Internet, SmartMC network-wide password, and FTP server settings.

· Batch configuration

Administrators can configure multiple devices by selecting them on the UWEB management system's web page. These configurations are distributed to and take effect on the selected member devices. Batch synchronization operations include batch reboot and factory reset.

· Single device configuration

In addition to SmartMC global configuration and batch configuration, administrators can configure parameters for a single member device in the following methods:

¡ Configure the settings for the specified device on the web page. These configurations will be distributed to and take effect on that device.

¡ For configurations not supported by the web page, such as disabling/enabling interfaces or adding interfaces to VLANs, administrators must log in to the member device and use the CLI to configure the settings. To log in to a member device, use either of the following methods:

- Use the eWEB or CLI feature in the UWEB management system to access the local Web interface or CLI.

- Use the device IP address to log in to the local Web interface or CLI.

Time synchronization (NTP) for self-mesh SmartMC

After the SmartMC network is deployed, the TM synchronizes the time to all TCs using Network Time Protocol (NTP). The time synchronization precision of NTP is in milliseconds, which can meet the time synchronization requirements of general computer networks. For more information about NTP, see "Configuring NTP."

SmartMC synchronizes time settings across the network as follows:

1. When the SmartMC network is deployed, the TM automatically deletes the existing NTP configuration on the device and generates a new NTP configuration specific to the SmartMC network.

2. The TM acts as an NTP client and synchronizes time with external NTP servers.

The device supports a default of five external NTP servers. When the device receives clock signals from multiple default NTP servers, it selects the optimal clock signal for synchronization. The addresses of the default clock servers are as follows:

¡ registry.h3c.com (H3C time server)

¡ s2f.time.edu.cn (Northeast network center)

¡ cn.pool.ntp.org (NTP project domestic time server)

¡ 1.cn.pool.ntp.org (NTP project domestic time server)

¡ asia.pool.ntp.cn (NTP project Asian time server)

3. If all the five external NTP servers are unavailable, the TM modifies the level of the local clock to 6 and uses the local clock as the clock source for the SmartMC network.

4. The TM acts as an NTP server, and TCs act as NTP clients and synchronize time with the TM.

Figure 8 Time synchronization (NTP) for self-mesh SmartMC

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Auto-switching of the DHCP server in SmartMC self-mesh networking

The auto-switching function of the DHCP server refers to the device automatically enabling or disabling its own DHCP server function based on networking needs:

· If the device detects an existing DHCP server in the current network, it automatically disables its own DHCP server function.

· If the device does not detect a DHCP server in the current network, it automatically enables its own DHCP server function.

Both AC and firewall devices support the DHCP server auto-switching function. When both AC and firewall are present in the network, only the DHCP server auto-switching function on the TM is active, and the auto-switching and DHCP server functions are disabled on TCs. The auto-switching function ensures that only one DHCP server exists in the self-mesh SmartMC network at any given time.

To support the self-mesh SmartMC function, the DHCP server function is enabled on VLAN-interface 1 on the AC that supports self-mesh SmartMC, firewall, and router devices by default. This setup allows VLAN interface 1 to assign IP addresses to VLAN-interface 1 of the connected switches and APs when only AC, firewall, or router devices are present in the network. This enables these devices to automatically form a SmartMC network using factory settings, as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9 Using the AC as the DHCP server when no firewall or router exists in the network

However, when the network contains two or more types of devices (ACs, firewalls, and routers), multiple DHCP servers might be present, which might cause IP address conflicts and prevent the devices from automatically form a SmartMC network. To ensure that only one DHCP server is operational at any given time in the self-mesh SmartMC network, SmartMC stipulates:

· For an operational self-mesh SmartMC network, the gateway specified at the start acts as the DHCP server. The DHCP server function must be disabled on the AC and firewall devices in the network and the auto-switching function of the DHCP server must also be disabled.

· For an undeployed self-mesh network:

¡ If a router is deployed (only one router is allowed) and the router acts as the DHCP server, the router does not support auto-switching of the DHCP server.

Figure 10 Using the router as the DHCP server

¡ The AC and firewall devices acting as TCs must be disabled with the DHCP server function and the auto-switching function of the DHCP server.

¡ The AC or firewall device acting as the TM must be enabled with the auto-switching function of the DHCP server. The TM will continuously detect if a DHCP server exists in the network.

- If a DHCP server is detected, the TM disables the DHCP server function.

- If no DHCP server is detected, the TM enables the DHCP server function and resets the IP addresses of VLAN-interface 1 on all TCs. The TCs re-obtain IP addresses for VLAN-interface 1 assigned by the new DHCP server.

This ensures that only one operating DHCP server exists in the network before the SmartMC network is deployed.

Figure 11 Using the TM as the DHCP server when no router exists in the network

UWEB management system login with a fixed domain name

In a self-mesh SmartMC network, use the UWEB management system for managing and configuring the network as a best practice. The platform is a web-based interface provided by the devices, allowing for easy management and maintenance of numerous network devices, addressing operational issues in small and medium-sized networks.

Typically, accessing the device's web interface requires its IP address or domain name. If you use a domain name, a DNS server must be deployed in the network and the domain-to-IP mapping must be configured. To simplify network deployment and user operations, SmartMC supports accessing the UWEB management system using fixed domain name https://quicknet.h3c.com, even without a DNS server.

The TM automatically establishes a mapping between https://quicknet.h3c.com and the IP address of the TM's VLAN-interface 1 and synchronizes it with all member devices. Users can log into the UWEB management system by connecting to any member device and entering the domain name https://quicknet.h3c.com.

Restrictions and guidelines: Self-mesh SmartMC configuration

SmartMC is supported only on the default MDC.

The device is initially started with factory settings. After administrators initialize the devices on the UWEB management system at https://quicknet.h3c.com, the devices can automatically form a SmartMC network.

Device exchange SmartMC protocol packets and establish/maintain the SmartMC network within VLAN 1. To ensure normal operation of SmartMC, make sure that VLAN 1 packets are allowed to pass through interfaces that connect member devices to each other.

Self-mesh SmartMC tasks at a glance

To configure self-mesh SmartMC, perform the following tasks:

1. Enabling SmartMC

2. Setting the network-wide SmartMC password

For security purposes, set the network-wide SmartMC password as a best practice.

3. (Optional.) Setting the FTP server information

Enabling SmartMC

Restrictions and guidelines

In a self-mesh SmartMC network, avoid manually assigning roles of TM or TC to non-switch devices. Doing so will start the non-SmartMC mode, preventing joining into the SmartMC network. For a switch, you must execute smartmc enable auto tm or smartmc tc enable for the switch to join the self-mesh SmartMC network. Whether a switch comes with these commands in factory settings depends on the switch model.

Make sure only one management device exists in a SmartMC network.

SmartMC requires some ACL resources. Insufficient resources can result in enabling failure of SmartMC. You can use the display acl command to view ACL configuration and running status, and use the undo acl command to delete unused ACLs to release resources. For more information about ACLs, see the ACL and QoS Configuration Guide.

When you enable SmartMC, the device examines if ports 80 and 443 are in use. If they are occupied, SmartMC cannot be enabled because HTTP and HTTPS services require the ports.

When you switch the management device to a member device or disable SmartMC, the system clears SmartMC-related settings in the running configuration.

Procedure

1. Enter system view.

system-view

2. Enable SmartMC.

smartmc enable [ auto tm ]

By default, SmartMC is disabled.

Setting the network-wide SmartMC password

About this task

To manage and maintain a SmartMC network, the TM establishes a NETCONF channel with each TC by using the local username (admin) and the default password. To increase device security, you can perform this task to change the password used for NETCONF channel establishment. With the network-wide password set on the TM, the TM issues the password to all member devices. The TM and TCs use the password to re-establish NETCONF channels.

Procedure

1. Enter system view.

system-view

2. Set the network-wide SmartMC password.

smartmc password [ cipher ] string

By default, the default password is h3capadmin for APs and admin for devices of other types.

Enabling AUTONET

About this task

Devices supporting self-mesh SmartMC come with the SmartMC feature enabled. Through auto election, the member devices select a TM and other devices become TCs, which will be managed by the TM. With AUTONET enabled, the TM automatically issues wireless-related configuration in the SmartMC network to the TCs.

Restrictions and guidelines

In a self-mesh SmartMC network, you must enable AUTONET and SmartMC at the same time.

When a device starts up with the factory settings, if AUTONET is enabled, the firmware upgrade feature (firmware-upgrade) configured in global configuration view is automatically disabled. Once the SmartMC network is deployed or the save command is executed, the enabling status of the firmware upgrade feature in global configuration view will be restored.

When a device starts up with the factory settings, if AUTONET is enabled and the total startup time of the device is shorter than or equal to 30 days, the AP can connect to the AC and provide wireless services without licenses. This helps the SmartMC network to complete deployment. However, once the SmartMC network is deployed or the save command is executed, the AP must obtain a license to connect to the AC.

Procedure

1. Enter system view.

system-view

2. Enable AUTONET.

autonet enable

By default, AUTONET is disabled.

Setting the FTP server information

About this task

In a SmartMC network, an FTP server is used to store the following files:

· Upgrade startup software files and upgrade configuration file for members.

· Backup configuration files of the commander and members.

After you configure FTP server information on the TM, the TM deploys the information to all member devices. This ensures that the FTP configuration remains active when another device takes up the TM role.

Restrictions and guidelines

You can use the following methods to specify an FTP server:

· Use the TM as the FTP server. Make sure the TM has sufficient space to save files required by TCs. For more information about FTP servers, see Fundamentals Configuration Guide.

· Use an independent FTP server. To use an independent FTP server, connect the FTP server to the TM as a best practice. The FTP server uses VLAN 1 to communicate with the SmartMC network. If you connect the FTP server to TCs, creating a VLAN for members will assign member interfaces connecting to the FTP server to the created VLAN, causing FTP server disconnection.

Procedure

1. Enter system view.

system-view

2. Configure FTP server information.

smartmc ftp-server server-address username username password { cipher | simple } string

By default, no FTP server is specified.

Display and maintenance commands for self-mesh SmartMC

Execute display commands in any view.

Task	Command
Display information of wired clients that come online through the AutoNet service module.	display autonet wired-client [ ip ipv4-address [ ] [ verbose ]
Display SmartMC configuration.	display smartmc configuration
Display member device information.	display smartmc tc [ tc-id ] [ verbose ]
Display information about inter-device connections in the SmartMC network.	display smartmc device-link

Self-mesh SmartMC configuration examples

Example: Configuring self-mesh SmartMC

Network configuration

As shown in Figure 12, the network contains a gateway, an aggregation switch, access switches, and fat APs. The gateway acts as the DHCP server to assign an IP address to VLAN-interface 1. The IP address of the DHCP server is 192.168.0.1/24 and the allocable address range for address allocation is 192.168.0.0/24 (except 192.168.0.1).

Configure self-mesh SmartMC for devices to automatically form a SmartMC network upon starting up and allow users to manage all the network devices through the UWEB management system.

Figure 12 Network diagram

Procedure

1. Power on all devices with the default factory configurations. No additional settings are required.

2. Once devices finish booting up, connect a PC to the TM and enter https://quicknet.h3c.com in the address bar of a browser to log in to the UWEB management system.

Then, set up the SmartMC network as instructed.

Table 1 Home page of the UWEB management system

Verifying the configuration

Verify that you can view the topology and information about all member devices on the summary page of the UWEB management system.

20-Network Management and Monitoring Configuration Guide

Self-mesh SmartMC splitting

Restrictions and guidelines

Procedure

About this task

Procedure

About this task

Restrictions and guidelines

Procedure

About this task

Restrictions and guidelines

Procedure

Network configuration

Procedure

Verifying the configuration

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