Step 2: Connect Pods to a Network

Solstice can be configured flexibly to meet the requirements of your IT security policy and network topology. By default, the Solstice Pod comes both with Ethernet enabled, and with its wireless network card configured to act as a wireless access point by default. When deployed in WAP mode, users can connect to the Pod’s hotspot network. However, for performance reasons, Mersive highly recommends disabling WAP mode and attaching the Pod to your enterprise network.

You may have connected your Pods to the network to import them into the Solstice Dashboard for streamlined deployment. However, there may be some additional network configurations needed. Mersive recommends reviewing the options below on how to attach the Solstice Pod to your network. For additional network configurations, see Network Settings.

The following are the primary options for how to attach the Solstice Pod to your network:

Attached via Ethernet – Connect an existing network jack directly into the Pod's Ethernet port. It is best practice to connect the Pod to the primary network via Ethernet. The Pod comes with Ethernet enabled by default, so connecting an active network jack should result in an automatic network connection, although you may still need to set additional configurations. The Pod can also be configured to communicate with up to four VLANs over the Ethernet interface.
Attached Wirelessly – Connect the Pod to an existing network wirelessly when there is no Ethernet jack in the room.
Dual Networks (Attached via Ethernet and Wirelessly) - Connect the Pod to the primary network via Ethernet and the secondary/guest network wirelessly. Many deployments take advantage of the Pod’s dual-network capabilities to support secure collaboration between users on separate networks, such as corporate and guest users. The Pod’s two network interface cards are completely distinct with separate routing tables, enabling seamless collaboration without compromising the security of either network.
Note
When the dual-network configuration is implemented, the firewall feature should be enabled (Network tab > Firewall Settings).

How To

Plug a network-connected Ethernet cable into the Ethernet port on the back of each Pod you want to configure.
In Solstice Dashboard, select the Pods to be configured from the list of Your Solstice Instances.
Go to the Network tab and ensure Ethernet is enabled.
Change the Network Name to the one that users see in their device's list of available networks to connect to.
To use DNS resolution and have added a DNS entry in your DNS server that resolves to the Pod's IP address, you can enter the configured DNS hostname (e.g., hostname.domain) in the DNS Hostname field. This shows the DNS hostname on the Pod's welcome screen instead of the its IP address, which allows users to type the hostname into a browser to access links to download the Solstice app and Pod settings (if enabled).
Select either DHCP, for the Pod to be dynamically assigned an IP address, or Static IP, to enter your network configuration manually.
To allow admin access to make configuration changes on this network, select the Allow administrative configuration access checkbox.
If your network is 802.1x authenticated:
1. First, request and install an 802.1x user certificate for the Pod in the Security tab > Certificate Tools.
  Note
  Network access between the Pod and the Windows machine running Dashboard is required. The Pod also needs access to a timeserver so that it can validate the certificate.
2. If you have a 802.1x user certificate for the Pod, select Enable 802.1x.
3. Select the appropriate EAP Method.
4. Browse to select the CA certificate. PEM and PFX certificates are supported. You can View the certificate after it is successfully loaded.
5. You can also View the 802.1x User certificate.
6. Fill in the Identity as required by your certificate authority.
Click Apply.

In Solstice Dashboard, select the Pods to configure from the list of Your Solstice Instances.
Go to the Network tab.
Enable Wireless Settings.
Select Attached to Existing Network radio button.
Click Apply to populate a list of networks. The list may take a few seconds to populate.
Select your desired wireless network from the Networks Available list.
If you are unable to find the network you want to connect to:
1. Click Add Wireless Network.
2. Enter in the name of the network in the SSID field.
3. Select the type of network from the radio buttons listed below it.
4. Click Ok.
In the Password field, enter the WiFi password for the selected network.
To use DNS resolution and have added a DNS entry in your DNS server to resolve to the Pod's IP address, you can enter in the DNS Hostname (for example, hostname.domain) that to show on the display's welcome screen.
Select either DHCP, for the Pod to be dynamically assigned an IP address, or Static IP, to enter your network configuration manually.
If your network is 802.1x authenticated:
1. First, request and install an 802.1x user certificate for the Pod in the Security tab > Certificate Tools.
  Note
  Network access between the Pod and the Windows machine running Dashboard is required. The Pod also needs access to a timeserver so that it can validate the certificate.
2. Select the appropriate EAP Method and the Phase 2 Authentication (if applicable) from the menus.
3. Browse to select the CA certificate. PEM and PFX certificates are supported. You can View the certificate after it is successfully loaded.
4. Fill in the Identity as required by your certificate authority.
To allow admin access to make configuration changes on this network, select the Allow administrative configuration access checkbox.
Click Apply.

In addition to handling the usual untagged Ethernet traffic on the default VLAN for the connected switch port, Solstice Pods can now communicate using tagged traffic over the wired Ethernet interface on up to three additional VLANs.

Note

A default VLAN for the physical switch port must be configured within the switch port’s settings. This default VLAN should be configured as the primary Ethernet network in the Dashboard.

In Solstice Dashboard, select the Pods to connect to one or more VLANs from the list of My Solstice Instances.
Go to the Network tab.
Enable VLAN Settings.
In the Label field, enter the name of the network that you want users to see.
To use DNS resolution and have added a DNS entry in your DNS server to resolve to the Pod's IP address, you can enter in the DNS Hostname (for example, hostname.domain) that to show on the display's welcome screen.
In the Tag field, enter in the VLAN ID number.
Select either DHCP, for the Pod to be dynamically assigned an IP address, or Static IP, to enter your network configuration manually.
To allow administrative access on this VLAN, select the Allow administration configuration access checkbox.
Click Apply.
If attaching the Pod to additional VLANs, select Enabled for VLAN 2 and VLAN 3, as needed, then repeat steps 4 through 8.
If using SDS, go to the Display Discovery section on the Network tab and enter in the SDS Host IP address for each SDS server instance.
Note
One SDS server instance using SDS version 3.1 or later is required per VLAN. SDS Host IP addresses can be entered in any order.

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