Description
How to configure Bridged Mode ESSIDs on the Meru infrastructure.
Scope
KB ARTICLE TYPE: Design
RELATED PRODUCTS: All Meru APs
RELATED SOFTWARE VERSIONS: 4.x, 5.x
KEYWORDS: bridge
Solution
1. To create an ESSID that is of type: "Bridged Mode", change the Dataplane mode to Bridged.
2. In such a configuration, only Meru control info. is exchanged between the controller and the AP.
3. When a client connects, the association phase info. is exchanged with the controller.
4. After this the AP behaves like a thick AP. IP address via DHCP is handled directly by the AP for example. Ergo, the DHCP-Discover that is sent by the client is forwarded onward via the AP's ethernet interface. In case there is more than one bridged ESSID, then to segregate IP assignment, one can create VLANs on the AP. For this, one makes use of the AP-VLAN tag configuration on the AP. Ergo, DHCP messages would be then restricted on a per-VLAN basis.
5. No VLAN needs to be configured globally on the controller for a bridged mode ESSID.
6. Captive Portal Authentication, 802.1X Authentication, etc. is not supported in bridged mode.
