WLAN Data Plane Options

In Tunneled WLANs, the data plane is the device responsible for the actual transmission of user data packets, instead of the APs.

It manages the forwarding of data between wireless clients and the network and applying security policies such as encryption and access control. The APs will form an encryption tunnel to the data plane and all traffic transmitted from the AP to the Data Plane and vice versa is encrypted.

Note: A tunneled WLAN is a wireless network configuration that encapsulates traffic and send it through a tunnel to a centralized gateway or controller (Data Plane) using protocols like Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE).

Enable the toggle for Access Network to convert this WLAN into a tunneled WLAN and configure the required parameters as follows:

Note: For comprehensive instructions about managing data planes and tunneled WLANs, refer to the RUCKUS SmartZone Tunnel & Data Plane Guide.

  • GRE Tunnel Profile - Keep the Default Tunnel Profile or select an existing profile from the list.
  • Core Network
  • DP DHCP/NAT - Enable the toggles for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Network Address Translation (NAT) separately depending on your requirement to have the Data Plane providing these services to the tunneled WLAN. RUCKUS recommends that you enable DHCP and NAT together to ensure correct IP addressing for the clients.
  • Flexi-VPN Profile - Select a Flexi-VPN profile to configure VPN settings for the tunneled WLAN. This profile defines the VPN parameters and ensures secure communication over the network.
  • Split Tunnel Profile - Choose a Split Tunnel Profile to determine how traffic is routed. Split tunneling allows you to direct some traffic through the VPN while other traffic accesses the internet directly. This profile helps optimize network performance and security.

Forwarding Profile

Select from the drop-down menu a forwarding profile for the tunneled traffic. The options available in the Core Network Forwarding Profile drop-down menu vary based on the selection made in the Core Network field within the Data Plane Options section, The options are:

  • If the Core Network is set to Bridge, the default selection in the drop-down menu is Factory Default. Optionally, click the + icon to create a custom DHCP relay forwarding profile.
  • If the Core Network is set to Bridge, the drop-down menu defaults to Factory Default. To create a custom DHCP relay forwarding profile, click the + icon. This action is optional.
  • If the Core Network is set to L2oGRE, select an existing forwarding profile or click + to create a new one.

The system displays this section only if the Access Network toggle button is set to ON in the Data Plane Options section of the Edit or Create WLAN Configuration page.

Parent topic: Configuring WLANs