Ruckus Network Director: Advanced inventory and network management for a complex world

For large-scale network operators, like communication service providers (CSPs), managed service providers (MSPs) and large enterprises, the demand for connectivity has been growing exponentially—new devices, new applications, and new services. To keep up, the number of Wi-Fi access points (APs) and controllers has grown at a steady and seemingly unending pace. However, keeping track of network edge equipment (e.g., APs and controllers) is proving to be an ever more complex task.

To address this growing challenge, we’ve developed the Ruckus Network Director (Figure 1). The Ruckus Network Director is an advanced inventory and network management tool designed specifically for Ruckus network APs and controllers.

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The Ruckus Network Director provides large-scale network operators with a private AP registry platform and integrated controller management. This enables operators to automate processes that have traditionally been time- and labor-intensive, thus providing significant savings. For example, registering an AP MAC address and serial number to an inventory database – and then assigning it to a field office for installation and ultimately configuring the AP to a controller cluster can be a labor-intensive, time-consuming series of tasks that are prone to error.

With the Ruckus Network Director, operators can pre-provision APs to unique controller clusters. This allows network operators to have a distributor drop ship APs directly to field depots for faster deployment. By pre-provisioning APs and assigning them to unique controllers, field operators or installers can immediately begin installation. When the AP powers up, it will automatically locate and register to the Ruckus Network Director, which will direct the AP to the appropriate controller cluster. All the while, the AP is already accounted for in the inventory management system by MAC address, serial number, and ultimately, by location.

As the number of APs in the field grows, an operator may want to split a controller cluster. Historically, such an endeavor would have been a major undertaking. With the Ruckus Network Director, a bulk move of APs from one controller cluster to another is now a simple set of mouse clicks. This eliminates countless hours of human effort to catalog, reprogram, and validate such a large-scale network change.

In addition to bulk movement of APs, the Ruckus Network Director provides operators with bulk AP and controller management options. This includes the ability to schedule backups, quickly add and change provisioning rules, and monitor the health of the Ruckus network. The Ruckus Network Director supports a rich set of APIs for integration with third-party management systems.

Please visit our website for more information about the Ruckus Network Director.