Data Sheet

E(z)RF Application Suite

Intelligent Wireless Network Management System

E(z)RF Application Suite

Key Product Benefits
Real-time RF visualization
improves network
management and
increases productivity
Richly-featured graphical
user interface (GUI) delivers
information in a simple,
intuitive format

The Meru Networks E(z)RF Application Suite is an intelligent and comprehensive network management system
for 802.11 Meru networks. Meru E(z)RF provides network administrators with the applications for planning, RF
visualization, locationing, centralized monitoring, fault management, reporting and configuration of enterprise wireless
networks of all sizes.
Meru E(z)RF is a key component of the Meru Wireless LAN System, which also includes Meru Access Points (APs),
Controllers, and Meru System Director software. With Meru, organizations can easily and efficiently enable the AllWireless Enterprisea pervasive wireless infrastructure for business-critical applications, including toll-quality voice,
high-capacity data, and video.
Meru E(z)RF complements the rich, centralized Web-based management interface built into Meru Controllers,
simplifying operations and reducing the total cost of ownership. It runs on a server platform along with an embedded
MySQL database, enabling it to support large-scale enterprises, providing the ability to configure, monitor and manage
hundreds of Meru Controllers and in turn several thousand Meru APs. The Meru E(z)RF Application Suite consists of
several componentsmonitor, visualize, locate, configure, reports, and E(z)RF Coverage Planner. several components
monitor, visualize, locate, configure, reports, and E(z)RF Coverage Planner.

Increase Efficiency with Streamlined

Management System
When deploying business-critical wireless networks for data,
voice-over-IP (VoIP), and real-time location services, network
quality and reliability are key factors. This is especially the case
when deploying campus-wide or global network consisting of
hundreds or thousands of APs. The Meru E(z)RF Application
Suite provides a complete solution for configuring, monitoring,
and visualizing wireless local area networks (WLANs), offering
a scalable system for intelligent and productive management
of Meru Controllers and APs. The unique user interface is
designed to deliver information and easily enable action
within context of network manager activities.

Integrated rogue AP and

client location visualization
enables rapid detection
Configuration templates
streamline multi-controller
deployment and
maintenance
Monitors multiple controllers
to reduce costs and simplify
troubleshooting

Figure 1. E(z)RF Monitor Chart

Real-Time RF Visualization
Critical to WLAN management is the ability to visualize the RF
environment in real time. Meru Controllers and APs maintain
a real-time database containing RF data for all APs and clients
in the network, and the E(z)RF Server communicates with the
controllers to access this data. The data includes RF coverage,
RF performance, rogue AP location, and client location.
Network operators no longer have to manually survey the
environment for this information, thereby increasing efficiency
and simplicity.

Dashboard charts provide

WLAN summary at a glance
Enterprise scalability allows
monitoring of up
to 25,000 APs

Figure 2. E(z)RF Visualize Chart

E(z)RF

Features & Specifications

Graphical User Interface

Administration

Feature

Description

Feature

Description

Network Context Navigation

Geographic Context Navigation
Context-Based Information
and Actions
Enterprise Dashboard

Always-on Summary

Drives display of logical network device info

Drives display of geographical network device info
Mouse rollover provides added details
Right click provides actionable options
Short-term and long-term trend info
Snapshot of WLAN system health
Controllers
APs
Clients

Users and Permissions

Image Manager


Config Logging


Client and Server Logging

Read-only groups
Read / Write groups
Role-based permissions
Controller image inventory
Upgrade controller and APs
Transfer images
Configuration Audit logs by user
Start date / End date settings
Filters
Detailed client logging for troubleshooting
Detailed server logging for troubleshooting

Feature

Description

Search

Multi-level Dashboard


Multi-level Inventory



Alarms/Events Summary


Trend Plotting
(by hour, day, week, month)

Concise info at all levels

Simple click and view
Customizable displays
Enterprise
Controller
AP
Clients
Alarm threshold settings
Clear/Delete/Get Details for each alarm
Complete event listing for each WLAN device
Instant trend reporting
Selectable time frames (hour, day, week, month)
AP parameters
Controller parameters

Dashboard / Monitoring

Feature

Description

Find Client or AP
Search of system info for all
connected APs and Controllers

Search MAC address

Search IP address

Presentation of information in
summary view for next-step actions

Scalability
Feature

Description

Scalable Enterprise-class
Architecture

Three-tier architecture for multiple hardware systems

Scalable to 200 controllers with 25,000 APs

Visualize
Feature

Description

Map Editor
Create geographic navigation

Load maps at each level

Place APs in geographic context

Lock APs in place for visualization
Coverage View
Real-time visualization of coverage

Environmental calibration based on
AP RF coordination

By channel

By data rate

By signal strength

By ESSID
Performance View
Real-time visualization of performance

Automated environmental calibration based on
AP RF coordination
Customized Settings
Customize min/max scale for each parameter

Locate
Feature

Description

Client Location
Rogue AP Location

Find and display client location

Find and display rogue AP location

Configure
Feature

Description

Settings
Set individual parameters on APs

Set individual parameters on Controllers
Multi-controller Templates
Create configuration from existing controller

Modify existing template

Simple step-by-step template creation

Summary review

Return-to-factory default configuration

Use Diff to review configuration changes

Schedule applying templates per
maintenance windows

Reports
Feature

Description

Selectable Via Navigation

and View

By controller and AP
Set start time and end time along with date ranges
Export to text and PDF

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
The following table lists the product specifications for the Meru E(z)RF
Application Suite.
Meru E(z)RF Application Suite Specifications
Item

Specification

Minimum server requirements

Processor: Pentium 4, 2.4 GHz

Memory: 1 GB

Hard disk size: 40 GB

OS: Windows 2003 Server

SP1 or better
Minimum client requirements
Processor: Pentium P4,

Memory: 512 MB

Hard disk free space: 1 GB

OS: Windows XP SP2

Browser: Internet Explorer 6.0
SP1 or Mozilla Fire Fox 1.5
Managed Devices
Meru Networks Controllers: MC 3000, MC 1100,
MC 1000, and MC 500

Meru Networks Access Points

Meru System Director
Database
Integrated MySQL bundled with server software

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about the Meru E(z)RF Application Suite, visit
www.merunetworks.com/products/ezrf.shtml, contact your regional account
manager, call (408) 215-5300, or email info@merunetworks.com.

E(z)RF
Meru Access Points
Meru MC3000
Controller

E(z)RF
Server

Meru MC3000
Controller

E(z)RF
Client

Meru MC1000
Controller

E(z)RF
Client

Figure 3. Meru E(z)RF Application Suite typical deployment scenario

Likewise, over-the-air RF performance can be viewed from a central location

using Meru E(z)RF. Rather than searching for rogue APs by sending someone
to the building with a survey tool, network managers can use Meru E(z)RF
to locate rogue APs, which can then be physically removed. Clients with
connectivity issues can also be located easily for efficient troubleshooting. All of
these tasks are performed in real time from a central E(z)RF console. Network
managers have access to the server from anywhere in the enterprise via
multiple clients from laptops or desktops.

Rich In-Context Graphical User Interface

The Meru E(z)RF Application Suite GUI provides a rich, visual information
environment to improve management accessibility and efficiency. Dashboard
information provides a summary of all WLAN statistics from a single view.
Logical and geographic network screens enable information to be retrieved
quickly, as needed, for monitoring, configuration, or RF visualization. Use
the context-sensitive Locate tool on the Alarm and Inventory list views to
immediately locate clients, APs, or controllers.
For configuring WLAN settings, network operators can use templates to
automatically configure a large number of Meru Controllers and APs. Template
settings can be leveraged from an existing Meru Controller, or operators
can use a wizard to guide them through each step of the template
ESSID creation, security profile creation, VLANs, Quality of Service (QoS)
configuration, and summary review. Configuration parameters are divided
into must-configure, and optional advanced settings. The template summary
and Diff functionality allows for configuration review and checking against
existing controller settings prior to applying the configuration to specific Meru
Controllers.

Scalable for the Enterprise

The Meru E(z)RF Application Suite is scalable for managing networks with
hundreds of controllers and tens of thousands APs. The Meru E(z)RF
Application server utilizes a three-tiered architecturefront end, back end, and
databasethat enables easy scaling and migration as WLAN requirements grow.
Ultimately, the system is scalable to 25,000 APs and associated Meru Controllers
across multiple geographic regions.

Meru Networks
Corporate Headquarters
894 Ross Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089 USA
P 408.215.5300
F 408.215.5301
Copyright 2007 Meru Networks, Inc. All
rights reserved worldwide. No part of this
document may be reproduced by any means
nor translated to any electronic medium without the written consent of Meru Networks,
Inc. Specifications are subject to change
without notice. Information contained in this
document is believed to be accurate and reliable, however, Meru Networks, Inc. assumes
no responsibility for its use, Meru Networks
is a registered trademark of Meru Networks,
Inc. in the U.S. and worldwide. All other
trademarks mentioned in this document are
the property of their respective owners.
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