Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS)
Cisco WCS is an advanced centralized WLAN solution for Lightweight Access Points (LWAPs). WCS runs on Windows 2003 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 4.0 and AS 4.0 servers. On both Windows and Linux, WCS can run as a normal application or as a service, which runs continuously and resumes running after a reboot.
The three versions of Cisco WCS are
Note
Beginning with WCS 4.1 (Windows version, or 4.0 for Linux version), both Base and Location installations are supported by the same software distribution. Which features are activated is determined by the license PAK.
WCS Login
Note
Cisco WCS requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later. Some features might not function properly if you use a web browser other than Internet Explorer 6.0 or earlier.
Using your browser software, enter the address of the WCS using the HTTPS protocol.
The login page appears, as shown in Figure 6-20. Enter your username and password, which was created during installation, and click Login to continue.
Figure 6-20. WCS Login Page
WCS Summary Pages
The GUI for WCS has different menus on each screen:
-
Reports: View different reports on the WCS.
-
Configure: Configure APs, controllers, and templates.
-
Location: Configure the Cisco Wireless Location Appliances.
-
Administration: Schedule tasks such as backups, device status, network audits, and location server synchronization.
-
Help: Access the online help and licensing pages.
The WCS Home page is shown in Figure 6-21.
Figure 6-21. WCS Summary Pages
Note
When Cisco WCS receives an alarm from the controller, the WCS user interface displays this alarm in the lower-left corner of the screen in an area known as the Alarm Monitor. Figure 6-21 shows this as being titled Alarm Summary. These screen shots are from WCS v4.2. Older versions did not have a title for this section. Alarms can be cleared from the monitor, but the event remains. Different colors are given to help define the severity of the alarm. The alarm color codes are
| Color Code | Type of Alarm |
|---|---|
| Clear | No alarm |
| Red | Critical alarm |
| Orange | Major alarm |
| Yellow | Minor alarm |
Changing the Root Password
There are two different ways to go to the Change Password screen, where you can change the root password:
-
On the top right-hand side of the screen the username of root is listed. Clicking that name takes you to the Change Password page.
-
From the WCS Home page, click the Administration tab, and from the drop-down menu select AAA. This option takes you to the Change Password page.
The Change Password screen is shown in Figure 6-22.
Figure 6-22. Change Password for Root
