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Documentation Home for Self-Managed and Enterprise-Managed APs | Manufacturers Guide
Introduction to Manufacturers Guide
The Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP (EMAP) and Self-Managed AP (SMAP) software is designed for rapid, out-of-the-box deployment by manufacturers using our custom-built binary executable software on access point (AP) hardware devices at or near production-ready quality.
This guide provides an overview of the manufacturing process and a detailed summary of what Devicescape needs from the the manufacturer in order to customize the SMAP software per product requirements, rebrand it, and produce the AP binary images appropriate to the given platform.
This guide includes the following topics:
Overview of SMAP Software Delivery and AP Manufacturing Process
Preparing and producing an SMAP-powered AP is a partnership process that can be broadly outlined as described in the diagram and table below. (Note: Tasks are numbered mainly for reference to associated annotations in the table. Many tasks/deliverables shown here can be accomplished concurrently.)
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Task
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Owner
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Description
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1. Delivery of AP Boards and Porting Information to Devicescape
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Manufacturer
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Manufacturer sends the boards (2 or more) they plan to use for their APs along with board porting details to Devicescape.
See Requesting a Board Port for details on what information and tools Devicescape needs from the Manufacturer to do the board port.
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2. Board Port
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Devicescape
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Devicescape ports the Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP software to the Manufacturer's system platform (board, chip, CPU, etc.).
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3. Delivery of Manufacturing and Test Requirements to Devicescape
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Manufacturer
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Manufacturer sends details of their manufacturing requirements to Devicescape.
See Providing Your Manufacturing Requirements for details on what information and tools Devicescape needs from the Manufacturer to
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4. Delivery of Rebranding Requirements to Devicescape
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Manufacturer
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Manufacturer sends details of their manufacturing requirements to Devicescape.
See Specifying Your Rebranding Requirements for details on what information and files Devicescape needs from the Manufacturer to do the rebranding.
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5. Software Development
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Devicescape
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Devicescape develops a customized version of the Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP software based on the Manufactuer's:
- Platform
- End-product requirements
- Production/test requirements (features, default parameters, etc.)
- Rebranding specifications
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6. Delivery of FCS SMAP software to Manufacturer
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Devicescape
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Devicescape delivers Final Customer Ship (FCS) SMAP software to the Manufacturer
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7. Manufacturing Process Preparation and Peformance Testing
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Manufacturer
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Manufacturer performs trial run-throughs and tests of production tasks including installing the SMAP software onto the AP, provisioning MAC addresses, and upgrading the default configuration as needed.
Manufacturer also conducts performance testing during this phase.
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8. Volume Production and Quality Check
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Manufacturer
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Manufacturer performs volume production of the devices which have been fitted with Devicescape Enterprise-Managed AP software.
As a part of this process, quality check testing is performed on the first few devices coming off the line.
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Typically, original design manufacturers (ODMs) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of APs who are Devicescape customers/partners can FTP-download platform-specific, binary images of SMAP from our clients Web site. Devicescape can port and tune the SMAP software for optimal performance on the manufacturer's board, customize the AP features (compile time options), and rebrand externals (Administration UI and Online Help) to suit the manufacturer's end-product requirements. The AP binaries available on a manufacturer's client download site are specific to that manufacturer's platform (board and chip) and product vision.
This allows manufacturers to download the SMAP binaries, and quickly program the Flash ROM onto their AP for quality testing, Wi-Fi certification, volume production, and shipment. The process allows for a partnership "deploy, test, and optimize" scenario leading up to volume production. ODMs or OEMs perform testing of SMAP on their APs, report problems or questions related to SMAP binaries through Devicescape bug tracking and support, and receive updated builds of SMAP at the client download site. Devicescape mirrors some of the manufacturer testing in-house to verify reported problems and identify solutions.
When the SMAP software is fully tuned per the manufacturer requirements and the system is deemed ready for volume production, Devicescape provides production-ready SMAP binaries to the manufacturer based on a set of manufacturing requirements specific to the OEM/ODM manufacturing environment.
Devicescape can also provides guidance to manufacturers on programming the Flash ROM with SMAP and provisioning MAC addresses to production-ready APs.
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