eduroam(UK) Service Provider Assurance Tool User Guide
Introduction
The SP Assurance Tool is the latest test/monitoring module to be added to the eduroam(UK) Support System. The key benefit of the tool for the sys admin at the participating organisation is the facility to test compliance with the Technical Specification of the Wi-Fi and eduroam Visitor network served by the nearest AP to the device.
The unit effectively emulates a visiting user’s device trying to access your eduroam Visitor service and provides you with the means to test satisfactory performance and to monitor your service over time. The aim is to help ensure that the user experiences a consistent service throughout your eduroam service zone – you can move the devices to any part of your campus or other sites as you wish.
The tool comprises:
- Support server web front end
- Support server database extensions for monitoring unit deployments
- Reporting system to enable results of monitoring checks to be returned to server
- Monitoring checks results database
- On-site monitoring unit
Although the devices will nominally remain Jisc Technologies (Janet) property, we are not expecting any return of the units sent out, apart from the case should we need to do a complete upgrade/rebuild of the software image. It is anticipated that the devices will form the basis of a permanent deployment to enhance the service.
One monitoring unit will be registered by eduroam(UK) in the Support server database to each participating organisation and will be delivered to the main technical contact. Additional units will be available in the future to organisations for a modest charge.
Further tests are planned for the tool. The software installed on the monitoring units is open source and available on GitHub should you wish to see it and perhaps contribute to development.
Using the tool
1) Registration of the monitoring unit to the specific site you will be deploying it to will be necessary before it is able to work with the back end SP Assurance Tool system. You will have previously registered your site(s) on the eduroam(UK) Support server and populated the information fields with details about the services at your various sites. Some organisations register just the one default/main campus site, whilst most organisations have registered many of their sites/major buildings individually in order to provide greater granularity for the benefit of users and the European database/map generation system. Now the benefits of having registered sites individually become apparent i) you have a means of recording whereabouts on your extensive and multi-campus/site/building networks you have deployed the monitoring unit and ii) you will be able to deploy multiple monitoring units.
More to follow.....
