Cisco Meraki Fundamentals: Cloud-Managed Operations

by Arun Paul, Mike Woolley, Medi Jaafari, Jeffry Handal

Overview

Are you ready to challenge the ways you have always approached networking? The IT world has undergone a transformation, and fast solutions just aren’t fast enough anymore. A platform-based approach with automated processing of data is no longer a dream of the future—it's a requirement of the present.

In Cisco Meraki Fundamentals, you will learn how to “think” platform: end-to-end control, management, and visibility of operations, all with less complexity. As you embrace this thinking, the possibilities for producing optimized solutions to problems now and in the future become constraints merely of your imagination.

Cisco Meraki Fundamentals provides everything you need to get started forging a platform-centric journey. From the basics of cloud architecture and building the Dashboard, through automation, best practices, and a look at the Meraki admin experience, Cisco Meraki Fundamentals provides a powerful foundation from which to forge a digital operation for the future.

• Learn the origins of the Cisco Meraki cloud-managed platform, from founding concept through philosophy and goals
• Learn to manage data that emerges from day-to-day operations and how to get to outcomes more quickly
• Understand the differences between cloud-managed Meraki networks and more traditional networks
• Get to know the basics of administering a network with the Meraki Dashboard
• See examples of Meraki-specific best practices, as well as how to integrate and automate with non-Meraki tools and services
• See an overview of how the cloud platform assists in identifying and troubleshooting potential issues more easily
• Look in on a day in the life of a Meraki-based platform administrator, including use cases for the Meraki cloud platform

Online Bonus Content:

Access all the images from the book on the book's companion website.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780138167578
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	04/01/2024
Series:	Networking Technology
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	7.38(w) x 9.13(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Arun Paul serves as a technical solutions architect at Cisco Meraki, focusing on supporting public sector – SLED customers in the Midwest states. With more than a decade of experience in the technology industry, Arun has held diverse roles ranging from engineering to technical sales.

Arun’s tech journey began as a software engineer at the Cisco Catalyst 6500 BU, where he played a pivotal role as a point of contact for Catalyst design recommendations and escalations. Arun showcased his innovative spirit by proposing Cisco innovation ideas and process improvements.

Beyond corporate roles, Arun co-founded a security consulting and training business, gaining valuable entrepreneurial experience. This venture provided insights into customer challenges in the modern technology landscape. Arun holds an MS in Information Security from George Mason University, graduating with a Distinguished Achievement Award.

Arun has consistently demonstrated dedication to excellence, innovation, and customer success throughout his career, earning accolades and awards for his noteworthy contributions to the field.

Mike Woolley is a support product specialist at Cisco Meraki with more than eight years of experience dedicated to supporting Meraki products and solutions. Starting in 2016 after receiving a BT in Network Administration from Alfred State College, Mike began as an intern within Meraki Support in San Francisco and rose through to the highest tiers of the technical support structure. Through this experience Mike has worked directly with customers and deployments of all types and sizes. From independent small businesses to massive international corporations, Mike has developed a tried-and-true approach to working with Cisco Meraki solutions based on these experiences. During this time Mike has also written and contributed to core pieces of Meraki documentation and has since become a leading source of knowledge within his specialization of Meraki’s cellular-enabled product lines.

Mike currently lives in western New York with his wife Sara and their dog Noki and enjoys occasional outdoor activities like dirt biking and snowmobiling when not helping on the family farm or playing tabletop games.

Medi Jaafari has more than two decades of industry experience in roles ranging from advanced engineering architectures to director of engineering for a startup ISP colocation specializing in LAN/WAN transport, IoT, SDWAN, SASE, ZTNA, XDR, and observability for multinational, multitenant environments. Medi was an early participant in SDN networking developments working with key tier-one U.S.-based universities while at Cisco and is currently a technical solutions architect for the Cisco Meraki business unit, with more than five years of experience working closely on product design with a focus on SW features, UI, and AI design.

Jeffry Handal is a principal solutions engineer at Cisco. He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering at Louisiana State University (LSU) and has more than 18 years of experience in the area of information communication technology, with special interest in IPv6, cybersecurity, big data, and experimental networks. Before joining Cisco, Jeffry was a very active customer, always pushing the envelope designing and maintaining networks with new technologies, testing new protocols, and providing Cisco and others a large-scale testbed for new products, features, and functionality. Currently, he plays an active role in several Cisco groups (e.g., TACops, IPv6 Ambassadors, Security Technical Advisory Group, Meraki).

Outside of work, Jeffry is an active volunteer in organizations ranging from search and rescue operations with the Air Force to humanitarian technology groups such as NetHope. He sits on several boards within IEEE, actively promotes IPv6 adoption via different task forces, volunteers to teach networking classes in third-world countries, and promotes STEM for women and minorities. In addition, Jeffry serves the public through his participation in conferences and standards bodies (IETF, IEEE); speaking at local and international events (Internet2, CANS, IPv6 Summits, AI/ML Symposiums, IEEE events, WALC, Cisco Live); contributing to and reviewing publications; and appearing as a guest in podcasts like IPv6 Buzz and Meraki Unboxed. He is a big promoter of technological change for the betterment of humanity.

Table of Contents

Foreword xxii
Introduction xxiv
Part I Knowledge Is Power: Understanding the Cloud Architecture
Chapter 1 Cisco Meraki Cloud Architecture Basics 1
Dashboard Architecture 1
Cloud/Back-end Architecture 3
Device to Cloud Communication 4
Data Security and Retention 6
Firmware Management and Lifecycle 7
Summary 9
Additional Reading 10
Chapter 2 Building the Dashboard 11
Creating an Organization 12
Creating a Network 14
Claiming and Adding Devices 15
Defining Administrators and Privileges 17
Special Access Roles 18
SAML Roles 20
Maintaining Control of the Dashboard 21
Tagging to Scope 22
Intro to Tags 22
Tagging for Administrative Privileges 22
Network and Device Configurations 23
Configuring SSID Availability on MR Access Points 23
Configuring Non-Meraki VPN Peer Availability for MX and Z Series Devices 24
Meraki Systems Manager 25
Dashboard Alerting and Reporting 25
Dashboard Email Alerts 26
Webhooks 27
Syslog 28
SNMP and SNMP Traps 29
Automated Summary Reports 29
Meraki Insight Alerts 31
Alert Hubs 33
Global Overview 34
Summary 35
Additional Reading 35
Part II Building a Scalable Foundation with Dashboard
Chapter 3 The Meraki Admin Experience 37
Org-wide Health 38
Firmware Status 39
Detailed Firmware Status and Security 40
Proactive Replacements 41
Dashboard Early Access Program 42
Magnetic Design System 42
New Landing Page 43
New Organization Alert Page & Alert Hub Enhancement 44
Switching Overview 46
Global Overview 47
Network-wide Health Views 48
Network-wide and Uplink Health 48
Wireless Network Health 50
Automated Topology Views 53
Network-wide Layer 2 Topology 53
Network-wide Layer 3 Topology 55
Network-wide Multicast Topology 55
Summary 57
Additional Reading 57
Chapter 4 Automating the Dashboard 59
Configuration Templates 59
How Do Templates Work? 59
Local Overrides 61
Template Caveats and Limitations 62
Template Best Practice Considerations 64
Using Webhooks, Syslog, and SNMP to Trigger Outside Automation 65
Webhooks 66
Syslog 67
SNMP 68
Dashboard API 70
What Is the Dashboard API and How Is It Used? 70
API Tips and Tricks 71
Dashboard API Examples 72
Automated API-based Organization Status 73
Automated MR Naming Based on Upstream Switch 75
MT Automation 78
Dashboard-Based Automation 78
Summary 82
Additional Reading 82
Part III The MX—The Cloud-Managed Swiss Army Knife
Chapter 5 MX and MG Best Practices 83
MX Scaling 84
Deployment Modes 84
Routed Mode 84
Passthrough or VPN Concentrator Mode 85
Security 85
L3/L7 Firewall 86
HTTP Content Filtering (TALOS) 87
Cisco AMP 87
IDS/IPS 88
Cisco Umbrella 89
Dashboard Group Policy 90
Adaptive Policy (SGT) 91
VPN 92
Meraki Auto VPN 92
Client VPN 93
Cisco AnyConnect 94
Non-Meraki VPN 94
Routing 95
Route Priority 95
Static Routes 95
OSPF 96
BGP 97
Deploying Meraki Auto VPN 97
Configuring Auto VPN 98
Hub Versus Spoke 100
NAT Traversal 100
Hub and Spoke Recommendations 101
Sizing It Right 101
Hub Prioritization 102
Full Tunnel Versus Split Tunnel 102
Advanced Configurations 103
Monitoring Your Deployment 104
Meraki Insight 104
Web Application Health 105
WAN Health 108
VoIP Health 108
Insight Alerts 109
ThousandEyes Integration 110
Monitoring VPN 110
Reviewing Dashboard Alerts 112
Alert Hub 112
Organization Alerts 113
Threat Assessment on Meraki Dashboard 114
Security Center 115
Most Prevalent Threats 115
Most Affected Clients 116
Introduction to MG Cellular 117
4G LTE Versus 5G 117
5G NSA Versus 5G SA 118
Dashboard Monitoring for MG 118
MG Deployment Considerations 119
Cellular—Primary or Backup? 120
5G Line of Sight 120
CGNAT and You 121
Prestaging for Deployment 121
Troubleshooting Meraki Devices 122
Local Status Page 122
Safe Mode 124
Support Data Bundle (SDB) Logging 124
Integrated DM Logging 124
Summary 124
Additional Reading 125
Chapter 6 MX SD-WAN Best Practices 127
Introduction to Meraki SD-WAN 127
The Science of Transport Performance 128
The Anatomy of SD-WAN Policies 129
SD-WAN Uplink Policies 130
Custom SD-WAN Performance Classes 131
Traffic Analysis and Identification 133
Dynamic Path Selection Policies 134
Global Preference Policy 135
Basic Load Balancing Policy 136
Basic Policy-Based Routing 137
Performance-Based DPS 137
Policy Routing with Performance-Based DPS 138
SD-WAN over Cellular 138
SD-Internet 140
Integrating MPLS 141
MPLS on the LAN: Failover to Meraki Auto VPN 141
MPLS on the WAN: Meraki Auto VPN Overlay 142
Summary 144
Additional Reading 144
Part IV The Ultimate Cloud-Managed Access Layer
Chapter 7 Meraki Switching Design and Recommendations 145
Introduction to Meraki Switches 145
Meraki Switching Design 145
Designing a Wired Enterprise Network 149
Planning Your Deployment 149
Selecting the Right Switch Product Mix 150
Planning Hybrid Campus LAN Architectures with Cloud Management 152
Designing the Access Layer 154
VLAN Deployment 154
Using Native VLAN 1 155
Planning QoS 156
Fine-Tuning STP in a Hybrid Environment 156
Tags to Optimize Deployment 157
MTU Recommendation 158
Connecting Trunk Ports 158
Connecting MR Access Points 158
Layer 3 Best Practices 159
OSPF Best Practices 159
Multicast Best Practices 160
Securing Layer 2 Operations 160
Infrastructure Security 160
DHCP Snooping 161
Storm Control 161
Dynamic ARP Inspection 162
SecurePort 163
Port Profiles 164
VLAN Profile 164
Network Security 165
Sticky MAC 165
Port Isolation 166
802.1X Authentication 166
MAC Authentication Bypass 169
Change of Authorization with ISE Integration 169
End Point Security 172
Micro-Segmentation with MS (Adaptive Policy) 173
Identity Classification and Propagation 174
Security Policy Definition 174
Policy Enforcement 174
SGT Assignment Methods 175
Caveats in Setting Up Adaptive Policy 176
Operating and Optimizing Meraki Switches 176
Virtual Stacking 177
Firmware Upgrade Consideration on MS 178
Configuration Validations 179
Config-Safe Mechanism 179
Auto-Rollback on Bad Uplink 179
MS PoE Budget 180
MS Power Overview 181
Sustainability Using MS 182
Cloud-Monitored Catalyst 183
Troubleshooting Your Meraki Deployment 184
Dashboard Reporting 184
Dashboard Live Tools 187
Ping 187
Packet Capture 188
MTR 189
MAC Forwarding Table 190
Cable Testing 190
Cycle Port 191
Wake-on-LAN 191
Summary 192
Additional Reading 192
Chapter 8 Meraki Wireless Best Practices and Design 195
Scoping and Scaling the Dashboard 196
Physical WLAN Design 197
Location-Aware Wireless Network 197
Wi-Fi 6E and Dual 5-GHz Mode 198
6-GHz RF Propagation 199
AP Mounting Recommendations 199
AP Adjacency and Overlap 201
Configuring Meraki Wireless 201
RF Profile Best Practices and Recommendations 203
Band Selection: Per SSID Versus All SSIDs 204
Client Balancing 205
Minimum Bitrate 206
Channel Planning Best Practices 209
Frequency Bands 209
Channel Width 209
Channel Selection: DFS Channels 210
Meraki Auto RF 211
Other Design Considerations for Meraki Wireless 213
Why Distributed Networks? 213
Authentication and Encryption 214
VLAN Considerations 215
AP Tag Use Cases 216
Setting Up Enterprise-Grade Meraki Wireless 217
Defining Roaming 218
Defining Domains 219
Roaming Domains 219
Layer 2 Domains 220
Layer 3 Domains 221
Defining DHCP Scope 221
Security Features and Wireless Security Best Practices 222
Air Marshal 222
Traffic Segregation and Access Control 223
Operating the Network 225
Site-Level Wi-Fi Overview 225
Wireless Health and Overview 227
Anomaly Detection (Smart Thresholds) 228
Server RCA 231
Device Monitoring and Reporting 232
Roaming Analytics 232
Client Overview 232
Client Details 234
Client Timeline 234
Access Point Timeline 235
Summary 236
Additional Reading 236
Part V The Environment: The Next Frontier
Chapter 9 MV Security and MT (IoT) Design 239
Redefining Surveillance: The Meraki Difference 239
Meraki Camera Architecture 239
MV Video Architecture 240
Ensuring Security 241
Built-in Analytics 241
Designing with Purpose: Building an Effective Surveillance System 242
Planning Camera Mounting Options and Accessories 243
Technology Considerations 244
Lens Types 244
Field of View 244
Resolution 245
Other Deployment Needs 245
Cisco Meraki MV52: An Example of MV Camera Offerings 245
Choosing the Right Storage 246
Planning for Power Requirements 246
Planning Camera Connectivity: Wired and Wireless 247
General Network Considerations 247
Considerations for Wired Connections 248
Considerations for Wireless Connections 248
Building an Optimized Camera System 249
Defining Camera Names and Tags 249
Defining Camera Administrators 249
Dashboard-Defined Camera-only Administrators 250
Role-Based Camera Permissions for SAML/SSO 251
Accessing Footage: Meraki MV Camera Views 251
Meraki Dashboard 252
Meraki Vision Portal 253
Meraki Display App 255
Meraki Mobile App 255
Configuring and Optimizing MV Cameras 257
Listing Camera Details 257
Configuring Camera Profiles 258
Assigning Camera Profiles 261
Manual Camera Configurations 261
Recording in Low Light 262
Camera Motion Alerts 263
Fine-Tuning Camera Alerts 264
Configuring Privacy Windows 267
Setting Up RTSP Integration 267
Configuring Video Walls 267
Operating Meraki MV Cameras 268
Navigating the Video Timeline 269
Built-in Analytics 269
Audio Detection 271
Motion Search and Motion Recap 271
Sharing Video 275
Exporting Video 276
Working with Cloud Archive 278
Accessing Video Event Logs 278
Meraki MV Sense 279
Troubleshooting Meraki MV Cameras 280
Enabling Firewall Ports for Meraki Cloud 280
Providing Camera Access to Meraki Support 281
Strengthening Security: Implementing Meraki IoT with MV 281
Building Smarter Spaces with Meraki MT Sensors 281
Designing Smart Spaces with Meraki MT Sensors 281
Ensuring Sustainability 282
Understanding MT Security Architecture 283
Protecting Business Assets Using MT Sensors 285
Environmental 285
Physical 286
Exploring MT Sensors 286
Physical Infrastructure Monitoring 287
MT12—Water/Leak Sensor 287
MT20—Door Sensor 288
MT40—Smart Power Controller 289
Environmental Monitoring 289
MT11—Cold Storage Sensor 289
Temperature, Humidity, and Air Quality Sensors 291
MT30—Smart Automation Button 293
Smart Button Automation 293
Deploying Meraki MT Sensors 294
Basic Configuration and Setup 294
Understanding Meraki IoT Gateways 295
Accounting for Distance to Sensors 295
Power Considerations 295
Configuration Considerations 296
Configuring and Monitoring Alerts 296
Setting Alert Types 296
Reviewing Generated Alerts 296
Sensor Sight 298
IoT Operational Best Practices 299
Troubleshooting Meraki MT Sensors 299
Monitoring Sensor Status 300
Viewing Sensor Event Logs 300
Monitoring BLE Signal Strength 300
Summary 301
Additional Reading 301
MV Camera References 301
MT Sensor References 302
Appendix A Cisco Meraki Licensing 303
Enterprise Licensing Versus Advanced Licensing 309
External Licensing for Integrations 304
Dashboard Licensing Models 304
Co-termination Licensing (Classic) 304
Per-Device Licensing 306
Meraki Subscription Licensing 307
Summary 307
Additional Reading 308


9780138167578 TOC 2/27/2024