This tutorial describes how to configure a basic network with a single company headquarters in minutes. You'll define an organization, establish network zones (including a guest zone), configure the wireless networks, add users, and then deploy SDI-130 wireless gateways into the sites. You design first and deploy the hardware last.

This tutorial steps you through setting up a basic network and putting it into production. It takes about 20 minutes to complete.

SteelConnect Manager (SCM) uses a single control plane for all sites and provides central policy management for the distributed enterprise. You use it to define the network-wide policy and push the policy to all devices. You complete all configurations through the central console using abstract concepts such as users, applications, sites, and zones.

To begin, log in to SCM. By default, the username is admin and the default password is pppp.

After a successful log in, you're greeted by the dashboard.

The dashboard shows a visual representation of your organization. For more details, see Monitoring the Network.

SCM uses these terms to describe your company:

SCM is delivered with a default organization. You’ll want to edit the default site.

After adding the company name, you’ll add basic information. You can always change and customize this information later.

The dashboard map updates dynamically to keep an accurate visual overview of your network. You can always refer to the dashboard map as you define your topology to make sure the deployment is accurate.

After you create the site, it appears on the dashboard map. Repeat steps 2 through 6 to add a site for the data center in Ashburn, and two more sites for branches in Seattle and Dallas.

After you define your organization, you are ready to design a network. You’ll start by editing and creating zones. Zones are Layer 2 network segments (or VLANs within sites) that contain networks and IP addresses. In this tutorial, you’ll change the default zone for the LAN.

The LAN zone is complete. Next, you’ll create a new zone for guests. Within the guest zone, you can determine how guests can register their devices: using their mobile phone number (SMS), email address, or social media apps (Facebook, Twitter, Google).

Two zones are ready for use: one for the corporate LAN in San Francisco and one for the headquarters guests.

When you add an appliance for future deployment, it’s called a shadow appliance. Shadow appliances are basically cardboard cutouts that you can use to represent what will be a physical appliance after registering it with a serial number. In this tutorial, you’ll add gateways initially and access points later.

Before deploying the hardware, you need to establish a policy that the sites have permission to recognize each other. Because the network is going to be transiting zones, you create an outbound/internal rule within a policy that allows this rule.

The next task is to make the zones reachable over WiFi by adding a short name, or service set identifier (SSID), that contains the WiFi definition with authentication options. An SSID distinguishes one wireless network from another. In this tutorial, you’ll create a unified corporate SSID for use at all the sites, and one SSID to allow guests to join the network using a guest portal.

After adding the SSIDs, you can broadcast them by site. Every broadcast can set additional, advanced WiFi options as well as the captive portal. For details, see How do I use SCM to plan and broadcast WiFi?.

The SSID for Cyberdyne employees is ready for use. Next, you need to add an SSID for your guests.

Now that two SSIDs are defined, you need to broadcast them at your sites. (Again, hardware doesn't come into play yet—you’ll add a gateway later.) You can broadcast SSIDs by site and set advanced WiFi options for each broadcast as well as the captive portal. For details, see How do I use SCM to plan and broadcast WiFi? You can either set the broadcast channel selection and transmit power automatically or manually per access point.

First you’ll need to determine how many access points you need. To assist with access point planning, SCM provides an integrated WiFi planner that eliminates expensive planning tools and guesswork. Use the planner to visualize the WiFi coverage in all sites, upload floor plans, and place access point placeholders as required. You can select different coverage-type presets. The WiFi planner will automatically create shadow devices as placeholders that you can turn into real hardware deployments later.

We recommend using the Chrome browser for the best WiFi planning experience.

The next task is to set the general building dimensions to help define the signal strength and ranges.

Because the WiFi planner is integrated in SCM, it uses the concept of shadow appliances for the access points. When you add an access point for future deployment, it’s called a shadow access point. Shadow access points are basically cardboard cutouts that you can use to represent what will be a physical access point.

SteelConnect Manager stores all configurations, including your existing and future plans. This means you can either add an appliance when you physically have it, or you can preplan and configure an appliance for the future and then later drop the physical appliance into the topology with no further configuration needed.

In SCM, an appliance can be an SD-WAN gateway, an Ethernet switch, or a WiFi access point.

When you add an appliance for future deployment, it’s called a shadow appliance. Shadow appliances are basically cardboard cutouts that you can use to represent what will be a physical appliance after registering it with a serial number.

Now you have shadow appliances deployed, zones created, and a WiFi network that is set up and broadcasting SSIDs. The next task is to register the physical devices to transform them from shadow appliances into physical appliances.

All internet connections, or uplinks, are automatically created when you set up your sites. By default, all uplinks use DHCP; however, SteelConnect also supports static IPs and PPPoE with authentication. For details, see Creating uplinks.

A complete mesh overlay connects across all sites and shares all networks that are involved with RouteVPN using full permissions.

After AutoVPN establishes the tunnels, you can view the dashboard map to see a visible representation of the network. Click a site marker to verify that the locations are completely connected with a full-mesh VPN. SCM displays the established connections as green lines between the sites. The lines change to red if the tunnel switches to offline.

For troubleshooting, see Provisioning.

This section steps through the optional procedure of setting up a home office for a CEO that has access to the corporate LAN. When finished, your configuration will reflect Organization with a home office added to the corporate network.

You’ll start by creating a unique site that isn’t part of a dedicated zone shared with the rest of the company. Instead, the new home office site will use an IP address on the headquarters network as though the CEO were working in the building.