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|| Device | SoftWLC |
|| DocMainTitle | General information |
|| DocTitle3 | Wi-Fi network controller |
|| fwversion | 1.26 |

General information

SoftWLC is a Wi-Fi software controller which includes a number of modules performing various functions to provide a comprehensive solution for organizing centralized Wi-Fi networks with Portal and Enterprise authorization. According to project requirements, certain modules can be included in the system or excluded from it.

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• Management and monitoring of Eltex network equipment on which the Wi-Fi solution is based.
• Flexible distribution of administrative policies of access of SoftWLC users to various objects and functions within a carrier's distributed hierarchy.
• Organization of a Hotspot with portal authorization, within which it is possible to:
  • Integrate advertising providers' resources into the portal
  • Provide integration with payment systems
  • Provide branding the portal design according to customer requirements
• Enterprise authorization
• Integration with external Active Directory
• Providing the end customer with a web tool for managing the service, portal branding and creating user accounts
• SSID scheduling

Main modules of SoftWLC

• EMS server — the central component of the SoftWLC, which provides management and monitoring of other system modules, provides the operator with a GUI for working with SoftWLC.
• SoftWLC NBI — interface for integration with the carrier's OSS.
• WEB portal (Captive Portal) — a web-based module that provides a set of WEB portals for user authorization in hotspot networks, as well as the Portal Constructor for their customization. The list of WEB portal features includes integration with notification gateway, autogeneration of Wi-Fi user accounts in the database (implemented via eltex-mercury).
• B2B Admin Panel — a web resource designed to provide the user with a convenient interface for creating accounts for new Wi-Fi subscribers and basic service management operations, for example, changing the SSID name. Can be used by provider or provider clients' employees.
• Database — a single database of SoftWLC, based on MySQL. It contains all the data about the system: from hardware configuration to user activity statistics. The module consists of several databases.
• RADIUS server — a module intended for AAA operations (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting) based on freeRADIUS.
• DHCP server — a module intended for issuing dynamic IP addresses to user points and Wi-Fi clients. It is based on isc-dhcp-server. Optionally carriers can use their own DHCP-servers.
• APB service — a service designed for centralized synchronization of user status information between access points. It is required for seamless customer roaming between Hotspots.
• Notification Gateway — provides centralized exchange of platform elements with external systems allowing sending SMS and email messages and performing call-based authorization. This module interacts with B2B Admin Panel and WEB portal.
• PCRF — required for SoftWLC and ESR-1000 interaction in BRAS mode, when ESR-1000 implements Wi-Fi subscribers' Internet access policies and redirects users to the authorization portal, and for establishing sogtGRE data tunnels to access points.

Typical connection diagrams

The simplest minimal diagram

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