Enhancing Network Performance with Miss

Enhancing Network Performance with Miss

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Concept of Series
3. Understanding the Wi-Fi Problems
4. The Creation of SLEs
   • SLE: Time to Connect
   • SLE: Successful Connects
   • SLE: Roaming
   • SLE: Coverage
   • SLE: Throughput
   • SLE: Channel Capacity
   • SLE: AP Availability
5. Taking Control with Custom Settings
6. Troubleshooting with Attack Cases
7. Analyzing Client Events
8. Understanding Marvis: The AI Engine
9. Use Cases of Marvis
   • Troubleshooting with Marvis
   • Asset Visibility
   • Proximity Messaging
   • Indoor Wayfinding
10. Leveraging Location Technology
    • Virtual Beacons
    • Asset Visibility
    • Indoor Wayfinding
11. Wide Assurance for Wired Networks
    • SLES for Wired Networks
    • Dynamic Packet Captures for Wired Networks
    • Managing Switches with Mist Dashboard
12. Conclusion

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss the various features and functionalities of a wireless solution called Miss, developed by Juniper Networks. Miss aims to address the common problems faced in Wi-Fi networks and provide solutions for a better user experience. We will explore the concept of series and the importance of service level expectations (SLEs) in wireless networks. We will also dive into the capabilities of Marvis, the AI engine behind Miss, and how it can assist in troubleshooting and improving network performance. Furthermore, we will explore the location-Based features of Miss and how they can be leveraged for asset visibility, proximity messaging, and indoor wayfinding. Lastly, we will touch upon the wide assurance framework for managing wired networks using Miss. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Miss and its capabilities, highlighting the benefits it can bring to organizations in enhancing their wireless and wired networks.

The Concept of Series

Before diving into the details of Miss and its features, it is important to understand the concept of series in the Context of wireless networks. A series refers to a set of predefined measurements or metrics that are used to evaluate and improve the performance of a wireless network. These metrics are grouped into different categories, such as time to connect, successful connects, roaming, coverage, throughput, channel capacity, and AP availability. By analyzing these metrics, network administrators can identify areas of improvement, troubleshoot issues, and optimize the network for better user experience. Miss leverages the concept of series to provide actionable insights and recommendations for network optimization.

Understanding the Wi-Fi Problems

Before the development of Miss, a thorough survey was conducted to understand the common problems faced by users in Wi-Fi networks. Participants from different roles, such as network admins, network operations managers, IT personnel, and end users, provided their inputs on the challenges they encountered. The survey revealed that most users faced two primary issues: difficulty in connecting to the Wi-Fi network and poor network performance even after successful connection. These two problems became the focal point for the development of SLEs in Miss. By addressing these issues, Miss aims to enhance the user experience and ensure efficient network connectivity.

The Creation of SLEs

Based on the survey results, SLEs were created to measure and improve the user experience in Wi-Fi networks. The first set of SLEs focuses on the time taken for a client device to connect to the internet, indicating the efficiency of the connection process. The Second set of SLEs evaluates the success of the connection, ensuring that clients are able to access the internet without any issues. The next set of SLEs focuses on roaming, which determines if clients can seamlessly transition between different access points. Coverage SLEs assess the signal strength and quality of the network, ensuring that clients have sufficient coverage to transmit data. Throughput SLEs measure the performance of the network by evaluating the amount of data that can be transmitted. Channel capacity SLEs assess whether the network has sufficient channels to handle the data traffic effectively. Finally, AP availability SLEs ensure that access points are operational at all times. These SLEs provide a holistic view of the user experience and help network administrators identify and resolve issues promptly.

Taking Control with Custom Settings

Miss offers the flexibility for network administrators to customize the SLE values based on their network requirements. By accessing the Miss dashboard settings, administrators can specify the desired values for various SLEs. For example, the time to connect SLE can be set to a specific duration, such as two seconds, depending on the network's capabilities and user expectations. Similarly, values for other SLEs, such as roaming and coverage, can be adjusted to meet the desired performance standards. This customization empowers administrators to Align the network performance with organizational needs and user expectations.

Troubleshooting with Attack Cases

In the event of network issues or complaints, Miss provides a streamlined troubleshooting process through "attack cases." When an issue is reported, administrators can initiate an attack case, which Prompts a series of targeted questions to Gather specific information about the problem. These questions include details about the location, affected clients, timing of the issue, and other Relevant factors. By collecting this information upfront, administrators can provide accurate and comprehensive details to the technical support team, reducing the resolution time significantly. Attack cases serve as a bridge between the network administrators and the technical support team, ensuring efficient collaboration and effective problem resolution.

Analyzing Client Events

To further enhance troubleshooting capabilities, Miss captures and analyzes client events to provide valuable insights into network issues. By understanding the sequence of events experienced by a specific client, administrators can identify the root cause of the problem and take appropriate actions. The Miss dashboard displays detailed logs of client events, allowing administrators to track and analyze connectivity, authentication, and other related events. By using this information, administrators can quickly diagnose and resolve client-specific issues, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Understanding Marvis: The AI Engine

Marvis is an integral part of Miss, serving as an AI-powered virtual network assistant. Marvis leverages natural language processing to analyze real-time data from the network and provide actionable insights and recommendations. It acts as a virtual assistant, assisting network administrators in troubleshooting, performance optimization, and network management. With its AI capabilities, Marvis can understand user queries, convert them into actionable commands, and provide comprehensive responses. This eliminates the need for complex manual configurations or reliance on technical support teams for every network-related query.

Use Cases of Marvis

Marvis can be leveraged for various use cases, enhancing network operations and user experience. One of the key use cases is troubleshooting, where Marvis assists in diagnosing and resolving network issues. By capturing real-time data from network devices and clients, Marvis can provide insights into the root cause of problems, enabling administrators to take prompt actions. Another use case is asset visibility, where Marvis can track and locate devices equipped with BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) tags, providing real-time visibility and enabling efficient asset management. Marvis also enables proximity messaging, allowing administrators to send targeted messages or notifications to users based on their location within the network. This feature can be utilized for marketing promotions, event announcements, or general communication. Lastly, Marvis enables indoor wayfinding, providing users with navigational assistance to reach specific locations within a premises. By leveraging the power of AI and location data, Marvis enhances the user experience and simplifies network management.

Leveraging Location Technology

Miss incorporates location-based features that can be leveraged for asset visibility, proximity messaging, and indoor wayfinding. Virtual beacons serve as a cost-effective solution for asset visibility, eliminating the need for physical beacons in deployments. By utilizing the AP's antennas, virtual beacons can be created to act as precise location markers for assets equipped with BLE tags. This enables real-time tracking and visibility of assets within the network. Proximity messaging utilizes the virtual beacons to send targeted messages to users based on their proximity to specific areas or assets. This feature enhances engagement and enables personalized communication. Indoor wayfinding utilizes the location data and the Miss mobile application to provide users with navigational assistance within a premises. Users can input their destination, and the application will generate the shortest path and guide them using the Blue dot representation. By offering these location-based features, Miss empowers organizations to optimize operations, enhance customer experiences, and improve overall efficiency.

Wide Assurance for Wired Networks

In addition to wireless networks, Miss offers wide assurance capabilities for managing wired networks. Network administrators can manage and monitor Juniper switches directly from the Miss dashboard, providing a unified management experience. Wide Assurance enables the configuration of switch ports, dynamic port allocation based on device Type, and extensive monitoring and reporting of switch performance. With the ability to manage switches and wireless networks from a single platform, organizations can streamline their network management processes and ensure consistent performance across both wired and wireless domains.

Conclusion

Miss, with its series concept, AI-powered Marvis engine, and location-based features, offers a comprehensive solution for enhancing network performance, troubleshooting, and improving user experience in both wireless and wired networks. By leveraging the power of AI, natural language processing, and location data, Miss enables network administrators to proactively manage and optimize their networks, leading to increased efficiency and customer satisfaction. With its easy-to-use interface and robust capabilities, Miss is a powerful tool for organizations seeking to enhance their network capabilities and deliver a seamless user experience.