An Introduction to Omada SDN Controller

Nowadays, the Internet has become an indispensable part of our life. The increasing number of wired and wireless clients and bandwidth-demanding applications has seen more network devices enter our lives. It has resulted in more complex network management. Traditionally, both control and data forwarding are integrated on the same device. However, each vendor has its unique management software, so it is time-consuming to configure the device separately.

TP-Link proposes centralized control and programmatically configuration with Omada SDN Controller to alleviate the configuration and management difficulties. “Omada,” the Greek word for “team,” perfectly captures TP-Link’s ambition in developing an integrated and efficient network solution. Omada SDN Controller works as the core in the network to realize automatic deployment of network services and data distribution across gateways, switches, and access points. In this way, the controller provides comprehensive and robust wired and wireless networking solutions across demanding internet environments to fit various scenarios, including campuses, hotels, offices, and malls.

Omada SDN Controller’s idea of centralized management provides a unified approach for enterprise network configurations comprised of routers, switches, and wireless access points. It is a command center and management platform at the heart of the Omada network. With a single platform, the network administrators can set up and manage enterprise network devices in batches. This unleashes new levels of management to avoid complex and costly provisioning.

One-Step Configuration Based on Sites

The provisioning process with Omada SDN Controller is based on sites, which are logically separated network locations. The site is the largest unit for managing networks. Therefore, the same types of Omada devices on the same site can share the same configuration except their IP addresses and device names. Take the SSID configuration of access points as an example. An SSID configured for one access point on a site is not limited to that single access point. It can be automatically provisioned on all access points on the same site, saving you from repeatedly setting up the same information.

This is particularly important and productive for large network deployment. A perfect example is when IT staff need to create unified configurations for a specific department and its devices. The IT staff can create an exclusive departmental network. The IT staff can provide devices at the same time as the associated wired and wireless networks. In this way, the configurations that used to take hours are now done in minutes.

With sites, the workload to configure the same features for multiple devices will be significantly reduced. Meanwhile, configuration consistency is also guaranteed.

Straightforward Monitoring with Easy-to-Use Dashboard

Network configuration is just the first step in management. When the network is set up, network monitoring and maintenance become routine. Omada SDN Controller boasts a concise and visualized dashboard for showing the real-time status of the whole network, including the device status, client information, and traffic distribution. Also, the dashboard supports customization.

Omada SDN Controller also provides emails and push notifications of logs, covering many network events and alerts. Thus, they keep the network administrator informed of the network status in a timely fashion. These comprehensive records and dashboard information allow proactive troubleshooting and therefore make the monitoring work less effort-consuming.

Anytime-and-Anywhere Management Powered by Cloud Access

Many businesses may have branches and IT staff in different locations, so remote access has become central to today’s network management. Omada SDN Controller offers cloud access to its on-premises centralized management platforms (Omada Software Controller and Omada Hardware Controller). These platforms give network administrators control of the whole network wherever they are through the Omada app or Web UI, without any additional service fee.

Apart from the remote access of the main administrator, the controller also allows multi-level administrative accounts to log in to the controller, both locally and remotely. Three levels of access are available for users: Main Administrator, Administrator, and Viewer. Only the main administrator account can create and delete administrator accounts and viewer accounts. Administrator accounts also have access to all features. However, they can be deleted, while viewer accounts can only view the status and network settings. Thus, the permissions hierarchy can be configured to provide finely tuned levels of access to the controller as required by individual enterprises.