Omada SDN Controller User Guide

2. Get Started with Omada SDN Controller

This chapter guides you on how to get started with Omada SDN Controller to configure the network. Omada Software Controller, Omada Hardware Controller, and Omada Cloud-Based Controller differ in forms, but they have almost the same browser–based management interface for network management. Therefore, they have almost the same initial setup steps, including building your network topology, deploying your controller, and logging in to the controller. The chapter includes the following sections:

�? 2. 1 Set Up Your Software Controller

�? 2. 2 Set Up Your Hardware Controller

�? 2. 3 Set Up Your Cloud-Based Controller (Coming Soon)

2. 1 Set Up Your Software Controller

Omada SDN Controller Solution is designed for scalable networks. Deployments and configurations vary according to actual situations. Understanding your network requirements is the first step when planning to provision any project. After you have identified these requirements, follow the steps below to initially set up Omada Software Controller:

1 ) Determine the network topology.

2 ) Install Omada Software Controller.

3 ) Start and log in to the controller.

2. 1. 1 Determine the Network Topology

The network topology that you create for Omada SDN Controller varies depending on your business requirements. The following figure shows a typical topology for a high-availability use case.

Note:

When using Omada SDN Controller, we recommend that you deploy the full Omada topology with supported TP-Link devices. If you use third-party devices, Omada SDN Controller cannot discover and manage them.

2. 1. 2 Install Omada Software Controller

Omada Software Controller is provided for both Windows and Linux operating systems. Determine your operating system and follow the introductions below to install Omada Software Controller.

Omada Software Controller can be hosted on any computers with Windows systems on your network. Make sure your PC’s hardware and system meet the following requirements, then properly install the Omada Software Controller.

�? Hardware Requirements

Omada Software Controller can manage up to 1500 EAPs if the Controller Host has enough hardware resources. To guarantee operational stability for managing 1500 EAPs, we recommend that you use the hardware which meets or exceeds the following specifications:

CPU: Intel Core i3-8100, i5-6500, or i7-4700 with 2 or more cores and 4 or more threads.

Memory: 6 GB RAM or more.

�? System Requirements

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7/8/10/Server. (We recommend that you deploy the controller on a 64-bit operating system to guarantee the software stability.)

Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox 32 (or above), Google Chrome 37 (or above), Opera 24 (or above), or Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 (or above).

�? Install Omada Software Controller

Download the installation file of Omada Software Controller from the website . Then follow the instructions to properly install the Omada Software Controller. After a successful installation, a shortcut icon of the Omada Software Controller will be created on your desktop.

Two versions of installation package are provided: .tar.gz file and .deb file. Both of them can be used in multiple versions of Linux operating system, including Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, and Debian.

Make sure your PC’s hardware and system meet the following requirements, then choose the proper installation files to install the Omada Software Controller.

�? Hardware Requirements

Omada Software Controller can manage up to 1500 EAPs if the Controller Host has enough hardware resources. To guarantee operational stability for managing 1500 EAPs, we recommend that you use the hardware which meets or exceeds the following specifications:

CPU: Intel Core i3-8100, i5-6500, or i7-4700 with 2 or more cores and 4 or more threads.

Memory: 6 GB RAM or more.

�? System Requirements

Operating System: 64-bit Linux operating system, including Ubuntu 14.04/16.04/17.04/18.04, CentOS 6.x/7.x, Fedora 20 (or above), and Debian 9.8.

Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox 32 (or above), Google Chrome 37 (or above), Opera 24 (or above), or Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 (or above).

�? Install Omada Software Controller

Download the installation file of Omada Software Controller from the website . Check the prerequisites and follow the steps based on your file version to install the controller. Here takes Omada SDN Controller 4.2.8 as the example.

�? Prerequisites for installing

To successfully install Omada Software Controller, ensure that you have performed the following tasks before your installation:

1. Ensure that the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) have been installed in your system. The controller requires that the system have Java 8 installed. Download the file according to your operating system from the website and follow the instructions to install the JRE.

For Ubuntu16.04 or above, you can use the command: apt-get install openjdk-8-jre-headless to get the Java 8 installed.

2. Ensure that MongoDB has been installed in your system. The controller works when the system runs MongoDB 3.0.15�?.6.18. Download the file according to your operating system from the website and follow the instructions to install the MongoDB.

3. Ensure that you have jsvc and curl installed in your system before installation, which is vital to the smooth running of the system. If your system does not have jsvc or curl installed, you can install it manually with the command: apt-get install or yum install . For example, you can use the command: apt-get install jsvc or yum install jsvc to get jsvc installed. And if dependencies are missing, you can use the command: apt-get -f install to fix the problem.

�? Install the .tar.gz file

1. Make sure your PC is running in the root mode. You can use this command to enter root mode:

sudo

2. Extract the tar.gz file using the command:

tar zxvf Omada_Controller_v4.2.8_linux_x64_targz.tar.gz

3. Install Omada Controller using the command:

sudo bash ./install.sh

�? Install the .deb file

1. Make sure your PC is running in the root mode. You can use this command to enter root mode:

sudo

2. Install the .deb file using the command:

dpkg -i Omada_Controller_v4.2.8_linux_x64.deb

If dependencies are missing during the installation, you can use the command: apt-fix-broken install to fix the problem.

After installing the controller, use the following commands to check and change the status of the controller.

1. tpeap start �? start the controller, use the command.

2. tpeap stop �? stop running the Omada Controller.

3. tpeap status �? show the status of Controller.

For more detailed information about the installation on Linux hosts, refer to the installation instructions .

Note:

�? For installing the .tar.gz, if you want Omada Controller to run as a user (it runs as root by default) you should modify OMADA_USER value in bin/control.sh. �? To uninstall Omada Controller, go to the installation path: /opt/tplink/EAPController, and run the command: sudo bash ./uninstall.sh. �? During uninstallation, you can choose whether to back up the database. The backup folder is /opt/tplink/eap_db_backup. �? During installation, you will be asked whether to restore the database if there is any backup database in the folder /opt/tplink/eap_db_backup.

2. 1. 3 Start and Log In to the Omada Software Controller

Launch Omada Software Controller and follow the instructions to complete the basic configurations, and then you can log in to the management interface.

Double click the icon and the following window will pop up. You can click Hide to hide this window but do not close it. After a while, your web browser will automatically open.

Note:

�? If your browser does not open automatically, click Launch a Browser to Manage the Network. You can also launch a web browser and enter http://127.0.0.1:8088 in the address bar. �? If your web browser opens but prompts a problem with the website’s security certificate, click Continue.

In the web browser, you can see the configuration page. Follow the setup wizard to complete the basic settings for Omada Controller.

1. Click Let’s Get Started .

2. Specify a name for Omada Controller, and set your region and timezone. Then select the application scenario depending on your needs. Click Next .

3. The setup page displays all the discovered devices in the network. Select one or more devices to be managed and click Next .

4. Set a wireless network name (SSID) and password for the EAPs to be managed. Omada Controller will create two wireless networks, a 2.4GHz one and a 5GHz one, both encrypted in WPA-Personal mode. You can set Guest Wi-Fi to provide open Wi-Fi access for guests without disclosing your main network if needed. Click Next .

5. Set a username and password for the login account. Specify the email address for resetting your password in case that you forget the password. After logging in Omada Controller, set a mail server so that you can receive emails and reset your password. For how to set a mail server, refer to 8. 5. 3 Notifications .

6. If you want to access the controller to manage networks remotely, enable the Cloud Access button, and bind your TP-Link ID to your Omada Controller, and then click Next . If not, click Next directly. For more details about Omada Cloud, please refer to 5. 2 Manage Your Controller Remotely via Cloud Access .

7. Review your settings and click Finish .

Once the basic configurations are finished, the browser will be redirected to the following page. Log in to the management interface using the username and password you have set in the basic configurations.

Note:

In addition to the Controller Host, other hosts in the same LAN can also manage EAPs via remote access to the Controller Host. For example, if the IP address of the Controller Host is 192.168.0.100 and Omada Controller is running normally on this host, you can enter https://192.168.0.100:8043, or http://192.168.0.100:8088 in the web browser of other hosts in the same LAN to log in to the Omada Controller and manage EAPs. Or you can log in to Omada Controller using other management devices through Omada Cloud service.

Omada SDN Controller Solution is designed for scalable networks. Deployments and configurations vary according to actual situations. Understanding your network requirements is the first step when planning to provision any project. After you have identified these requirements, follow the steps below to initially set up Omada Hardware Controller:

2. 2 Set Up Your Hardware Controller

1 ) Determine the network topology.

2 ) Deploy Omada Hardware Controller.

3 ) Start and log in to the controller.

2. 2. 1 Determine the Network Topology

The network topology that you create for Omada SDN Controller varies depending on your business requirements. The following figure shows a typical topology for a high-availability use case.

Note:

When using Omada SDN Controller, we recommend that you deploy the full Omada topology with supported TP-Link devices. If you use third-party devices, Omada SDN Controller cannot discover and manage them.

2. 2. 2 Deploy Omada Hardware Controller

Omada Hardware Controller comes with the pre-installed controller software, so installation is not necessary. After deploying Omada Hardware Controller on your network infrastructure, proceed to configure the controller.

2. 2. 3 Start and Log in to the Controller

Follow the steps below to enter the management interface of Omada Hardware Controller:

1. Make sure that your management device has the route to access the controller.

2. Check the DHCP server (typically a router) for the IP Address of the controller. If the controller fails to get a dynamic IP address from the DHCP server, the default fallback IP address 192.168.0.253, is used.

3. Launch a web browser and type the IP address of the controller in the address bar, then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac).

In the web browser, you can see the configuration page. Follow the setup wizard to complete the basic settings for Omada Controller.

1. Click Let’s Get Started .

2. Specify a name for Omada Controller, and set your region and timezone. Then select the application scenario depending on your needs. Click Next .

3. The setup page displays all the discovered devices in the network. Select one or more devices to be managed and click Next .

4. Set a wireless network name (SSID) and password for the EAPs to be managed. Omada Controller will create two wireless networks, a 2.4GHz one and a 5GHz one, both encrypted in WPA-Personal mode. You can set Guest Wi-Fi to provide open Wi-Fi access for guests without disclosing your main network if needed. Click Next .

5. Set a username and password for the login account. Specify the email address for resetting your password in case that you forget the password. After logging in Omada Controller, set a mail server so that you can receive emails and reset your password. For how to set a mail server, refer to 8. 5. 3 Notifications .

6. If you want to access the controller to manage networks remotely, enable the Cloud Access button, and bind your TP-Link ID to your Omada Controller, and then click Next . If not, click Next directly. For more details about Omada Cloud, please refer to 5. 2 Manage Your Controller Remotely via Cloud Access .

7. Review your settings and click Finish .

Once the basic configurations are finished, the browser will be redirected to the following page. Log in to the management interface using the username and password you have set in the basic configurations.

Note:

In addition to the Controller Host, other hosts in the same LAN can also manage EAPs via remote access to the Controller Host. For example, if the IP address of the Controller Host is 192.168.0.100 and Omada Controller is running normally on this host, you can enter https://192.168.0.100:8043, or http://192.168.0.100:8088 in the web browser of other hosts in the same LAN to log in to the Omada Controller and manage EAPs. Or you can log in to Omada Controller using other management devices through Omada Cloud service.

2. 3 Set Up Your Cloud-Based Controller (Coming Soon)

Omada SDN Controller Solution is designed for scalable networks. Deployments and configurations vary according to actual situations. Understanding your network requirements is the first step when planning to provision any project. After you have identified these requirements, follow the steps below to initially set up Omada Cloud-Based Controller:

1 ) Launch a web browser and enter https://omada.tplinkcloud.com in the address bar. Enter your TP-Link ID and password to log in. If you do not have a TP-Link ID, create a TP-Link ID first.

2 ) Click Add Controller and register for an Omada Cloud-Based Controller. Follow the instructions to complete the setup process.

3 ) Add devices with the serial number, make sure the devices are online and in factory default.

4 ) Assign appropriate licenses in order to manage and configure the devices on the cloud-based controller. Then wait until your controller is deployed

For detailed information about device-based licensing, refer to Know more about licensing .

Note:

Only when you have available licenses can you register for the Cloud-Based Controller and manage the devices. To successfully register for a Cloud-Based Controller, purchase appropriate licenses.