Fluidmax Topology

Fluidmax topology configuration and validation

Fluidmax topology configuration is a wireless network setup method that

  • enables any wireless interface to operate in Fluidmax mode for point-to-multipoint connections

  • uses independent sets of Fluidmax parameters for each interface, and

  • allows great flexibility in network topologies for fixed infrastructure.

Cascaded point-to-multipoint clusters

Two cascaded point-to-multipoint clusters demonstrate topology flexibility where the ME (Mesh End) node uses both radios in Fluidmax Primary mode to serve several secondary clients (MP1 (Mesh Point), MP2, and MP3) on two different frequencies. For MP2, the first radio operates in Fluidmax secondary mode to connect to the ME, while the second interface is configured as Fluidmax Primary to serve more downstream clients (MP4 and MP5).

Figure 1. Two cascaded fluidmax topology
Cascaded fluidmax topology illustrates the configuration of two point-to-multipoint clusters, highlighting the use of a Mesh End node with dual radios to connect multiple secondary clients across different frequencies.

Configure point to multipoint topology from CLI

Configure a Fluidmax (point-to-multipoint) topology to establish wireless mesh networks with designated primary and secondary device roles.

The Fluidmax topology enables the creation of mesh networks in which devices function as either primary or secondary nodes. This configuration involves setting up dot11Radio interfaces, selecting operating modes, configuring channels, and specifying bandwidth parameters.

Procedure

Step 1

Use the configure dot11Radio interface command to configure the dot11Radio interface.

Example:

Device# configure dot11Radio 1

interface - Valid dot11Radio interface numbers range from 0-3.

Step 2

Use the configure dot11Radio interface {enable | disable} command to enable or disable the wireless interface.

Example:

Device#configure dot11Radio 1 enable

Step 3

Use the configure dot11Radio interface mode{fluidity | fixed| fluidmax}{primary | secondary} command to set the operating mode and role for the interface.

Example:

Device#configure dot11Radio 1 mode fluidity primary

Step 4

Use the configure dot11Radio interface channel channel-id command to set the operating channel.

Example:

Device# configure dot11Radio 1 channel 10

channel-id - Valid channel IDs range from 1 – 256.

Step 5

Use the configure dot11Radio interface band-width channel-bandwidth command to configure the channel bandwidth.

Example:

Device# configure dot11Radio 1 band-width 40

channel-bandwidth - Supported values are 20, 40, 80, and 160.

Step 6

Use the write command to save the configuration.

Example:

Device# write

Step 7

Configure Fluidmax cluster ID and tower ID as needed.

  1. Use the configure dot11Radio interface mode fluidmax cluster-id fluidmesh command to configure Fluidmax cluster ID.

    Example:

    Device# configure dot11Radio 1 mode fluidmax 10 fluidmesh

    cluster-id : This is an ID assigned to an interface when it is set in Fluidmax mode. This ID should be the same for primary and backup primary nodes. It helps in identifying and grouping devices that belong to the same cluster.

  2. Use the configure dot11Radio interface mode fluidmax tower {enable | disable} command to enable the Fluidmax Tower ID for a specified interface.

    Example:

    
Device# configure dot11Radio 1 mode fluidmax tower enable

    Tower ID enables or disables the Fluidmax Tower ID for the specified interface.

    Note

     

    Use the Tower ID when configurations include both a Gateway and a Mesh Point (MP) that share the same tower ID.

Configuration examples: Point to multipoint topology

ME (Mesh End) Configuration

Device#configure dot11Radio 1 enable
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 mode fluidmax primary
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 channel 36
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 band-width 40
Device#configure dot11Radio 2 enable
Device#configure dot11Radio 2 mode fluidmax primary
Device#configure dot11Radio 2 channel 149
Device#configure dot11Radio 2 band-width 80

MP1 (Mesh point) Configuration

Device#configure dot11Radio 1 enable
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 mode fluidmax secondary
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 channel 36
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 band-width 40

MP2 Configuration

Device#configure dot11Radio 1 enable
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 mode fluidmax secondary
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 channel 149
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 band-width 80
Device#configure dot11Radio 2 enable
Device#configure dot11Radio 2 mode fluidmax primary
Device#configure dot11Radio 2 channel 44
Device#configure dot11Radio 2 band-width 40

MP3 Configuration

Device#configure dot11Radio 1 enable
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 mode fluidmax secondary
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 channel 149
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 band-width 80

MP4 Configuration

Device#configure dot11Radio 1 enable
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 mode fluidmax secondary
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 channel 44
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 band-width 40

MP5 Configuration

Device#configure dot11Radio 1 enable
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 mode fluidmax secondary
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 channel 44
Device#configure dot11Radio 1 band-width 40

Validate point to multipoint topology using CLI

Use the show dot11Radio interface config command to validate the point-to-multipoint (Fluidmax) topology configuration.

Example:

ME (Mesh End) radio2

Device# show dot11Radio 2 config
Interface : enabled
Mode : fluidmax primary
Frequency : 5745 MHz
Channel : 149
…….
Fluidmax Configuration
Tower ID : disabled
Cluster ID : fluidmesh
Automatic scan : enabled
Automatic scan threshold : disabled

MP2 (Mesh Point)

Device# show dot11Radio 1 config
Interface : enabled
Mode : fluidmax secondary
Frequency : 5745 MHz
Channel : 149
…….
Fluidmax Configuration
Tower ID : disabled
Cluster ID : fluidmesh
Automatic scan : enabled
Automatic scan threshold : disabled
Device# show dot11Radio 2 config
Interface : enabled
Mode : fluidmax primary
Frequency : 5220 MHz
Channel : 44
Channel width : 40
…….
Fluidmax Configuration
Tower ID : 100
Cluster ID : fluidmesh
Automatic scan : enabled
Automatic scan threshold : disabled

MP4 radio1

Device# show dot11Radio 1 config
Interface : enabled
Mode : fluidmax secondary
Frequency : 5220 MHz
Channel : 44
Fluidmax Configuration
Tower ID : disabled
Cluster ID : fluidmesh
Automatic scan : enabled
Automatic scan threshold : disabled