B-01 | Arista Wireless Setup

Overview

In this lab we are going to explore the Arista Launchpad in more depth, explain how Access Points are onboarded, configured, and troubleshot in a live environment.

Topology

Lab Topology

CV-CUE Login

If you're not already logged into CV-CUE, navigate to the Arista Launchpad for your lab.

Open Launchpad

Login Step 1Login Step 2

Provide your assigned lab/pod email address and password and click Sign In

You will see the various tools tied to your tenant, this includes CVP, AGNI (NAC), and CV-CUE for wireless. Click into CV-CUE (CloudVision WiFi) tile to begin this lab.

Arista Launchpad

Launchpad is the portal to access your Arista cloud services including WiFi Management (CV-CUE) and AGNI (Network Access Control). When you open the launcher, you are presented with management applications on theDashboard menu and access controls with theAdmin menu.

When you open the launcher, you are presented with multiple applications. Each is included with the subscription (as is support).

• :cvp: CV-CUE CloudVision-WiFi: Wireless Manager.
• Guest Manager: looks at the users and how they are interacting with your environment.
• Nano: manage your environment from your smartphone
• Packets: an online .pcap debug allowing you to examine the packet information.
• WiFi Resources" includes documentation and over 6 ½ hours of online training, also included.
• WiFi Device Registration: application for importing APs into your account
• :agni: AGNI: network access control
• :cvp: CVP Staging (CloudVision Portal): switch Management and staging Environment

Add a User and Assign Privileges

1. First, use the Admin menu to add a user.

2. Click on the Admin Tab at the top of the Launchpad window:

   

3. Overview of Launchpad Admin menu:

   1. Users - Assign Access to users with different access levels as well as to specific folders
   2. Keys - Used with API integrations
   3. Profiles - Defines Access levels to CV-CUE, LaunchPad, and Guest Manager
   4. Logs - Download User Action Logs
   5. Settings - Lockout Policy, Password Policy, and 2-Factor settings

Authentication

CloudVision CUE authenticates users via SAML directory integration or via the Launchpad identity providers. These can be customized with local users in Launchpad or directory single-sign-on users. More information on Arista Communities, Integrating Third-Party SAML Authentication Providers

AP Registration

Reference Information

For this lab, these steps have already been done for you by event staff.

Arista AP serial numbers are automatically assigned to the user’s CV-CUE staging area when purchased. In addition, specific devices can be registered for management using the WiFi Device Registration function, accessible from Launchpad Dashboard.

1. Let’s click on the Dashboard menu option on the left hand side of the screen. This opens the Dashboard Overview screen which provides us with numerous metrics for our wireless environment.

   

2. Within the Import function you can provide individual AP serials and keys or upload a CSV.

   

3. Assign Access points to Wireless Manager Service

   

CV-CUE CloudVision WiFi Access

CloudVision CUE - Cognitive Unified Edge, provides the management plane and monitoring functions for the Arista WiFi solution.

1. Click on the CV-CUE (CloudVision WiFi) Tile in the LaunchPad from the Dashboard menu.

   

2. When the CV-CUE interface launches, you are presented with an initial dashboard to monitor your wireless environment at a glance, we will revisit these metrics later in the lab. Since this is a new setup the initial dashboard screen will be mostly empty.

   

3. Use the left menu bar to select monitoring and configuration functions.

   

4. The primary menu navigation functions are the following:

   1. Dashboard - Alerts, Client Access, Infrastructure health, Application Experience, and WIPS
   2. Monitor - Monitor and explore Clients, APs, Radios, SSIDs, Application traffic, Tunnels
   3. Configure - WiFi SSIDs, APs and Radios, Tunnels, RADIUS, and WIPS settings
   4. Troubleshoot - Client connection test, packet trace, live debug logs, historic logging
   5. Engage - User insights, Presence, Usage, 3^rd party integrations
   6. Floor Plans - Floor layouts and AP location map view
   7. Reports - Detailed information for Infrastructure APs/Radios, Client Connectivity and Experience, WIPS detections
   8. System - Locations Hierarchy, AP Groups, 3^rd party server settings, keys and certificates

5. In addition to the menu bar navigation and Locations Hierarchy, the UI provides a common Search bar, Metric summary, and Help button throughout workflows.

   

Assign AP Name

Access points that successfully receive an IP address, DNS, and default gateway via DHCP, and have connectivity over HTTPS/TCP/443 to CV-CUE.

1. Using the left navigation bar in CV-CUE, navigate to Monitor > WiFi.

   

2. Select the Access Points section and observe the discovered AP and default name Arista_ and the last 3 bytes of the MAC address.

3. Customize the AP’s name by clicking the 3-dots menu and Rename

   

4. Give the AP a name such as: POD##-AP1 or POD##-AP2 where ## is a 2 digit character between 01-12 that was assigned to your lab/Pod.

   

   

Managing the Configuration Hierarchy

Within CV-CUE, much of the configuration is hierarchical, so everything you configure will be inherited from that level and it's children.

Moving AP to Location

Expand the Locations pane by clicking on the hamburger icon . Now select the three dots to the left of Locations and click on Manage Navigator.

1. Manage Navigator is where you create Folders, Floors, and Groups.
   1. Folders typically represent a company, branch office name or division.
   2. Floors are straightforward and are where maps are placed.
   3. Groups are a way to make a configuration more granular. Let’s say you want a branch location to have all of the same configuration but Outdoor APs need to vary from that. You would create a group for the Outdoor APs, put the APs into that group and override the part of the configuration that is unique. Think of your company and how you would want to lay it out.

2. Add a Folder for your Company Name. In the Navigator, select the 3 dots next to Locations. Select Add Folder/Floor

   

3. Add a new folder using the settings below, depending on your student assignment

   Folder Name

   Student	Folder Name
   student##	ACorp

   

4. Next, create a Floor called 1st Floor. Click on the word ACorp to expose the 3 dots menu.

   

   Add Multiple Floors

   It’s also possible to add multiple floors at once using the Add Multiple Folders/Floors menu option

   

   Use the * key to create floors instead of folders

5. Next, move your AP into the 1st Floor you created. To move your AP from the staging area, Alternate click on the Staging Area folder, and select Show Available Devices.

   

6. Next, right click on the AP name, select Move and then select the 1st Floor folder you created earlier, and then click the Move button at the bottom of the screen.

   Step 1: AP MoveStep 2: AP MoveStep 3: AP Move

   

   

   

7. You’ll see a pop-up message to confirm the move. Click Move again to finish the process

8. You can verify the move by selecting the 1st Floor folder and then Show Available Devices.

   

Adjusting Power/Channels

For this workshop event, we will be reducing WiFi Radio channel width and transmit power levels to avoid interference with the hosting facility.

1. To customize these power settings: Navigate to the Configure > Device > Access Points menu

2. Once in that menu, ensure that ACorp is selected from the tree structure on the left. If you do not see the tree structure, click the hamburger icon next to Locations in the top left to expose the tree.

3. Set the following parameters under the WiFi Radios tab and 5GHz (you can ignore 2.4GHz) and you will override the following:

   • Channel Selection: Select Manual and see the "Channel Settings" table below.
   • Channel Width: 20MHz
   • Transmit Power: Manual to 4bBm

   My settings are greyed out

   At the bottom of your screen you may need to select to override the inheritance policy. It should state: Click here to enable editing and customize the policy.

   Find your pod number and assigned student number, set the Candidate Channel

   All Channel Settings

   Pod	Student	2.4 GHz	5.GHz	Channel Width	Transmit Power
   01	1	Disabled	52	20MHz	4dBm
   02	2	Disabled	56	20MHz	4dBm
   03	3	Disabled	60	20MHz	4dBm
   04	4	Disabled	64	20MHz	4dBm
   05	5	Disabled	100	20MHz	4dBm
   06	6	Disabled	105	20MHz	4dBm
   07	7	Disabled	108	20MHz	4dBm
   08	8	Disabled	112	20MHz	4dBm
   09	9	Disabled	116	20MHz	4dBm
   10	10	Disabled	120	20MHz	4dBm
   11	11	Disabled	124	20MHz	4dBm
   12	12	Disabled	128	20MHz	4dBm
   13	13	Disabled	132	20MHz	4dBm
   14	14	Disabled	136	20MHz	4dBm
   15	15	Disabled	140	20MHz	4dBm
   16	16	Disabled	144	20MHz	4dBm
   17	17	Disabled	149	20MHz	4dBm
   18	18	Disabled	153	20MHz	4dBm
   19	19	Disabled	157	20MHz	4dBm
   20	20	Disabled	161	20MHz	4dBm

4. Click Save at the bottom of the page then click Continue to confirm.

5. Click Continue to commit changes

Assign Floor Plan

Let's assign a floor plan to our 1st Floor for our respective corporation. Depending on the lab guide format, you can either save the image here or download from the email. We are going to use this image and import it into CV-CUE.

Download MkDocs Site

If you are viewing this guide as a MkDocs site, simply right click the image below and Save Image As to your Desktop.

Use your favorite snip program

On your Mac, Command+Shitt+5 and snip the image here and save that image to your computer. On Windows, use your favorite snip program to capture the image below and save it to your computer.

1. In the left hand menu, click on Floor Maps. Make sure to set the location level to be CorpA - 1st Floor. Click the Add Floor Plan button in the upper right corner of the screen.

   

2. Enter floor name as 1st Floor, click the Upload Image button to import the floor plan image, and use the following dimensions: Floor Plan Dimensions: Unit: Feet, Length: 120, Width: 60

   Floor Plan Settings

   Key	Value
   Unit	Feet
   Length	120
   Width	60

   

3. Click Save at the bottom of the screen.

4. Next, drag the AP onto the map, from the right hand side menu, to see how easy placing APs is. Choose Place Access Points.

   I don't see my AP?

   If you do not see an AP, it is because your AP is assigned to another location (folder) and you’ll need to move it to the 1st Floor folder (see steps above). Or, you may have the incorrect menu selected in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

   

   Screenshots

   

   

5. Hover over the AP image to get more information and then right-click on the AP image to see more options.

   • 
   • 

6. Next, explore the other menu options like Start LED Blinking (in the menu on the right hand side of the screen).

   

7. Try exploring the Event Logs under the Troubleshoot menu

Creating a PSK SSID

The Configure section of CV-CUE is broken into several parts, including WiFi, Device,Network Profiles, WIPS, and Alerts.

In this section of the lab, we will be working in the WiFi configuration area. We will create an SSID with a WPA2 PSK for you CorpA/B site.

1. Hover your cursor over the Configure menu option on the left side of the screen, then click WiFi.

   

2. At the top of the screen, you will see where you are in the location hierarchy. Click on the three lines next to Locations to expand the hierarchy and choose/highlight the CorpA folder. Now click the Add SSID button on the right hand side of the screen.

   Hierarchy CollapsedHierarchy Expanded

   

   

3. Once on the SSID page, configuration sub-category menu options will appear across the top of the page related to WiFi (the defaults are Basic, Security, and Network). You can click on these sub-category names to change configuration items related to that area of the configuration.

4. To make additional categories visible, click on the 3 dots next to Network and you can see the other categories that are available to configure (Wifi7,Access Controls, Captive Portal, etc.).

   

5. Walk through the steps (tabs) below to configure the SSID

   Step 1: SSIDBasicStep 2: SSID SecurityStep 3: SSID Network

   In the Basic sub-category option, name the SSID ATD-##A-PSK (where ## is the pod number you were assigned). The Profile Name is used to describe the SSID and should have been auto-filled for you.

   Since this is our corporate SSID, leave the Select SSID Type set to Private

   Guest SSID

   Note: this is where you would change it to Guest if needed.

   

   In the Security sub-category, change the following settings, then select Next at the bottom of the screen.

   

   In the Network configuration sub-category, we’ll leave the VLAN ID set to 0, which means it will use the native VLAN. If the switchport the AP is attached to is trunked, you could change this setting to whichever VLAN you want the traffic dropped off on. We are using Bridged mode in this lab. You could use the following for specific scenarios:

   1. NAT: often done for Guest
   2. L2 Tunnel / L3 Tunnel: as you would see for a Guest Anchor or tunneled corporate traffic

   

   SSID Name

   Student	Student 1	Student 2
   SSID Name	ATD-##-PSK	ATD-##-PSK
   Profile Name	Auto Fill	Auto Fill
   Association Type (drop down)	WPA2	WPA2
   Authentication (radio button)	PSK	PSK
   Passphrase	Wireless!123	Wireless!123

6. The rest of the settings can be left at the default values.

7. Click the Save & Turn SSID On button at the bottom of the page.

8. You will be prompted to customize before enabling, check the Customize button

   

9. Only select the 5 GHz option on the next screen (un-check the 2.4 GHz box), then click Turn SSID On.

   

10. After you turn on the SSID, hover your cursor over Monitor in the left hand side menu, and then click WiFi.

    

11. Now, in the menu options at the top of the page, look at the Radios menu option. Is the 5 GHz radio (Up) and 2.4 GHz radio (down)?

    It may take a minute or two for the radio to become active.

    

12. Next, go ahead and connect your phone to the SSID (PSK is Wireless!123). Navigate to the Clients menu at the top of the screen and you should see your device.

    

🎉 CONGRATS! You have completed this lab! 🎉

LET'S GO TO THE NEXT LAB!