Cabletron Systems 3Com - Manuals

10 C HAPTER 1: O VERVIEW OF D IGITAL W IRELESS N ETWORKING Same-Site Separate Networks In this scenario, as shown in the following figure, Multiple APs can coexist as separate networks at the same site without interference using different network identifiers (wireless LAN service areas). The wireles...

AirConnect Network Topologies 11 Single AP Bridge Another possible AirConnect topology is a single AP bridging an Ethernet and wireless network. As shown in the next figure, the AP, wired to a network server or LAN through an Ethernet cable, serves as a network node and provides the link between the...

12 C HAPTER 1: O VERVIEW OF D IGITAL W IRELESS N ETWORKING Multiple-AP Full Coverage Network This network topology will be used in most enterprise environments: multiple APs wired to an existing LAN to provide complete wireless network coverage. In this scenario, as shown in the following figure, wi...

AirConnect Access Point 13 A wireless client communicating with an AP appears on the network as a peer to other network devices, rendering the wireless interface transparent. The AP receives data from its wired interfaces and forwards the data to the proper interface. The AP has connections for wire...

14 C HAPTER 1: O VERVIEW OF D IGITAL W IRELESS N ETWORKING For details concerning the installation of your PowerBASE-T, see “Using the PowerBASE-T”. Radio Basics AirConnect devices use radio signals to transmit and receive data without wires. You can communicate with the network by establishing radi...

Radio Basics 15 AirConnect devices, like other Ethernet devices, have unique, hardware-encoded Media Access Control (MAC), or IEEE, addresses. MAC addresses determine the device sending or receiving data. A MAC address is a 48-bit number written as six hexadecimal bytes separated by colons. A typica...

16 C HAPTER 1: O VERVIEW OF D IGITAL W IRELESS N ETWORKING APs with the same WLAN service area define a coverage area. The wireless client searches for APs with a matching wireless LAN service area and synchronizes with an AP to establish communications. This allows wireless clients within the cover...

Theory of Operation 17 Site Topography For optimal performance, place wireless clients and APs away from transformers, heavy-duty motors, fluorescent lights, microwave ovens, refrigerators and other industrial equipment. Signal loss can occur when metal, concrete, brick, walls or floors block transm...

Theory of Operation 19 The DB-9 , 9-pin, RS-232 serial port provides a User Interface (UI) or a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP ) connection. The UI provides basic management tools for the AP. The PPP provides a link between APs using a serial connection. The serial link supports short haul (direct ser...

20 C HAPTER 1: O VERVIEW OF D IGITAL W IRELESS N ETWORKING PPP Connection Connecting an AP and a computer with a direct serial link requires the use of a null-modem serial cable. Connecting an AP and computer with modem devices requires the use of straight-through cables between the APs and modems. ...

Theory of Operation 21 Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) uses a high-speed, non-information bearing signal to spread the transmitted information over a segment of the radio frequency band or spectrum. The AirConnect access point uses DSSS for radio communication....

22 C HAPTER 1: O VERVIEW OF D IGITAL W IRELESS N ETWORKING and the addition of the AP to the AP table with a proximity classification. An unsuccessful AP packet transmission generates another wireless client probe on the same channel. If the wireless client fails to receive a probe response within t...

Theory of Operation 23 Enabling the extended roaming feature is like giving an individual a local post office forwarding address when leaving home for an extended period. When mail arrives for the individual home address, it is forwarded by the local post office to the current care-of-address. Using...

24 C HAPTER 1: O VERVIEW OF D IGITAL W IRELESS N ETWORKING them to the wireless client and the wireless client goes back to sleep. A DTIM field, also called a countdown field, informs wireless clients of the next window for listening to broadcast and multicast messages. The AP sends the messages fol...

Theory of Operation 25 Changing one AP does not affect the configuration of other APs on the network. Make configuration changes to APs individually. Each AP requires an individual IP address. Programmable SNMP Trap Support The SNMP protocol defines the method for obtaining information about network...

26 C HAPTER 1: O VERVIEW OF D IGITAL W IRELESS N ETWORKING Using the User Interface The User Interface (UI) is a text-based maintenance tool integrated into the AP. It provides statistical displays, AP configuration options, and firmware upgrades. Access to the UI requires one of the methods listed ...

2 I NSTALLING A CCESS P OINT HARDWARE Introduction To install an AP, you will have to connect the AP to your network, mount the AP in a location best suited for reception, and provide power to the AP. Precautions Before installing the AP, review the following guidelines and precautions. ■ Ensure tha...

28 C HAPTER 2: I NSTALLING A CCESS P OINT HARDWARE Network Connection Locate the Ethernet port and power plug on the back of the AP, as shown by items 2 (power plug) and 3 (Ethernet port) in the figure below. Item 1 is the serial port. Ethernet configurations vary according to the environment. Deter...

Mounting the AP 29 Mounting the AP The AP can be mounted in any number of locations, some of which are shown below. Flat Surface To mount an AP on a flat surface, place the AP so that it rests on the four rubber pads on its underside. The surface should be clear of debris and away from traffic. Wall...

30 C HAPTER 2: I NSTALLING A CCESS P OINT HARDWARE Ceiling Mount To mount an AP on a ceiling: 1 Attach the mounting bracket to the AP by lining up the raised flanges in the center of the bracket with the mounting holes on the bottom of the AP. 2 Firmly press the rounded ends of the flanges into both...

Mounting the AP 31 The power adapter connects to the rear of the AP and to a power outlet. 1 Plug the power adapter cable into the socket at the back of the AP. 2 Plug the adapter into an outlet. The AP is functional when the Status indicator on the front of the AP flashes consistently, and the Wire...

32 C HAPTER 2: I NSTALLING A CCESS P OINT HARDWARE Using the PowerBASE-T The PowerBASE-T allows you to power the AP using the Ethernet cable. If you are forced to mount the AP in an area where access to an electrical outlet is limited, the PowerBASE-T can be used to power the AP. The PowerBASE-T can...

LED Indicators 33 LED Indicators The top panel LED indicators provide a status display indicating transmission, error condition, and other activity. LED Off On Blinking Power No power Power on During boot sequence LAN No powerNo networkconnection Link to hub, but no network traffic LAN traffic is de...

34 C HAPTER 2: I NSTALLING A CCESS P OINT HARDWARE Troubleshooting Check the following symptoms and their possible causes before contacting the 3Com Support Center. Verify AP Operation 1 If the AP does not power up, you may be experiencing one of the following: ■ Faulty AP power supply ■ Failed AC s...

Troubleshooting 35 Verify Network Wiring and Topology 1 Verify network wiring and topology for proper configuration: ■ Check that the cables used have proper pinouts and connectors. ■ Verify router configuration and filtration setting. ■ Check that network band use does not exceed 37% of bandwidth. ...

38 C HAPTER 3: M ONITORING S TATISTICS Select any other item or click Access Point at the top of the navigation pane to exit. Ethernet Statistics The AP keeps Ethernet performance statistics, including packet transmission and data retries, until it is reset. To view or change Ethernet statistics, s ...

Miscellaneous Statistics 39 Miscellaneous Statistics The AP keeps statistics on WNMP and SNMP packets, filtering violations, and serial port use in the Miscellaneous Statistics window. to display the Misc System Statistics window, select Main Menu → Misc Statistics . Select Refresh or press the F1 k...

40 C HAPTER 3: M ONITORING S TATISTICS Clearing Statistics To clear statistics, do the following: 1 Select Configuration from the Main Menu . 2 Select Clear All Statistics . 3 Select Perform Function . The AP zeroes out all statistics. Resetting the AP also clears statistics. Known APs The AP displa...

4 C ONFIGURING THE A CCESS P OINT U SING A W EB B ROWSER Introduction Software configuration requires setting up a connection to the Access Point (AP) and gaining access to the User Interface (UI). Gaining Access to the User Interface (UI) Using a Web Browser In order to configure an AP, you need ac...

42 C HAPTER 4: C ONFIGURING THE A CCESS P OINT U SING A W EB B ROWSER 5 Make sure the server WWW service is running. 6 Select Properties-->Service Properties to display the WWW service properties for the server. The WWW Service Properties window opens. 7 Select the Directories tab. 8 Click Add to...

Installing the Access Point 45 Installing the Access Point AP Easy Setup is the program in which you set basic parameters for an AirConnect wireless network. These parameters include designating a gateway address that enables message forwarding across routers on the wired Ethernet. To install an AP,...

46 C HAPTER 4: C ONFIGURING THE A CCESS P OINT U SING A W EB B ROWSER C onfiguring the AP The AP has many configuration parameters. This section discusses all the AP parameters and how to set them. Security One of the first tasks you need to accomplish is to set AP security. By doing so, you define ...

Special Configuration Considerations 47 5 Click Clear Entry if you decide to remove a wireless client from disallowed status with the AP. 6 Repeat step 4 for as many wireless clients as you wish. 7 Click Security Home Page when you have completed your entry on this page. Enabling or Disabling Encryp...

48 C HAPTER 4: C ONFIGURING THE A CCESS P OINT U SING A W EB B ROWSER System Parameters The AP has configuration options to operate the unit, including security access and interface control. Some parameters do not require modification. To configure the system parameters, follow the procedure below. ...

Special Configuration Considerations 49 9 Click Clear Entries to reinstate the default settings. 10 Click Save Settings to save your entries on this page. Radio Frequency Parameters The AP automatically configures most radio parameters. Exercise extreme caution when you adjust radio parameters for t...

50 C HAPTER 4: C ONFIGURING THE A CCESS P OINT U SING A W EB B ROWSER 10 Do nothing with the RTS Threshold setting. RTS/CTS operation is not supported at this time. 11 Click Clear Entries to reinstate the default settings. 12 Click Save Settings to save your entries on this page. Configuring the SNM...

Special Configuration Considerations 51 Configuring PPP/Modem To use a Point-to-Point (PPP) connection, choose the appropriate hardware connection (direct or modem). On the System Configuration page, select PPP for Default Interface . The PPP interface provides a connection using modems over a telep...

Special Configuration Considerations 53 Removing Filtered Packet Types (Networking Protocols) You may have set up particular type of packets for discarding or forwarding by the AP. If you chose to remove packet types from your list, do the following. 1 Highlight the hex number representing the packe...

54 C HAPTER 4: C ONFIGURING THE A CCESS P OINT U SING A W EB B ROWSER 7 A message box appears to tell you that the AP will reboot after the HTML file upgrade. Click OK to continue. 8 Return to the Main Menu. To check the upgrade status, return to the Firmware Download page and check Status of last u...

5 M ONITORING W IRELESS C LIENTS Introduction The AP keeps statistics of its transactions during operation. These statistics indicate traffic, transmission success, and the existence of other radio network devices. Clear statistics as needed. Wireless Clients Wireless Client statistics provide infor...

56 C HAPTER 5: M ONITORING W IRELESS C LIENTS 5 Select Start Refresh to have the AP automatically update the display every two seconds. The information displayed about the wireless client includes the following: : 6 Select Refresh at the bottom of the window to update the values manually. 7 Press Cl...

6 C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE Introduction Software configuration consists of setting up a connection to the Access Point (AP) and gaining access to the User Interface (UI). Gaining Access to the User Interface (UI) The method for establishing access to the UI depends on the conn...

58 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE 3 Press ESC. The AP displays the Main Menu. If the session is idle (due to no input, for example) for the configured time, the session terminates. To manually terminate the session, press CTRL+D . 4 Select the Set System Configuration op...

Navigating the UI 59 ■ You can use function keys to enable commands in some windows. For example, statistic windows include Refresh [F1 ] and Timed [F2] command/key combinations to update the display. ■ Some options listed at the bottom of screens indicate possible commands for a selected item. For ...

60 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE Changing the Access to the UI To prevent unauthorized Telnet access, change the configuration access to the UI. This includes enabling or disabling the Telnet Logins or changing the System Password. To change Telnet access to the AP, do ...

Navigating the UI 61 Configure the other settings as required on the AP. The table below explains the other settings. Configuring the Dial-Up System To configure the Dial-up System, (assuming the PPP, serial port, and answer mode are enabled on the AP), follow the procedure below. 1 Attach a null-mo...

62 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE A ccess Point Installation The AP UI includes an AP Installation window in which you can set basic parameters for an AirConnect wireless network. These parameters include designating a gateway address that enables message forwarding acro...

Configuring the AP 63 C onfiguring the AP The AP has many configuration parameters. This section discusses all the AP parameters and how to set them. System Parameters The AP has configuration options to operate the unit, including security access and interface control. Some parameters do not requir...

64 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE 4 To enable or disable interfaces on the AP, modify the following parameters: 5 Verify that values reflect the network environment and change them as needed. 6 Do one of the following: ■ Select OK to register the settings. Or: ■ Select S...

Configuring the AP 65 3 Verify that values reflect the network environment and change them as needed. 4 Do one of the following: ■ Select OK to register the settings. Or: ■ Select Save to write changes to NVM, which generates a confirmation prompt. Parameter Description DTIM Interval Configure DTIM ...

66 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE 5 To save the RF Configuration information to all APs with the same WLAN Service area, select Save ALL APs [F2] . This option saves the configuration changes for the current AP, and sends two WNMP messages to all other APs on the Known A...

Configuring the AP 67 Dial out manually through the Special Functions menu or dial out automatically when the system boots up. Originating AP To configure an originating AP, do the following from the UI of the originating AP: 1 Select Set Serial Port Configuration from the Main Menu. 2 Set the Port ...

68 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE To hang up, do the following: 1 Select Special Functions from the Main Menu. 2 Select Modem Hangup . Configuring the SNMP Agent An SNMP manager application gains access to the AP SNMP agent if it has the AP IP address. The agent configur...

Configuring the AP 69 3 Verify that values reflect the network environment and change them as needed. 4 Do one of the following: ■ Select OK to register the settings. Or: ■ Select Save to write changes to NVM, which generates a confirmation prompt. 5 Select Save ALL APs [F2] to save the SNMP Configu...

70 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE 12 Select Exit [ESC] to return to the previous menu. When you enable the Access Control option, all wireless clients within the specified range can associate with the AP. Specify additional ranges as needed or add to the ACL using indivi...

72 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE Removing Filter Types To remove packet types from the Type Filtering list, do the following: 1 Select Set Type Filtering from the Main Menu. 1 Highlight the packet type by pressing up/down arrows . 2 Select Delete . Controlling Type Filt...

Manually Updating AP Firmware 73 4 Press space bar or left/right arrows to toggle between Enabled and Disabled . 5 Verify that values reflect the network environment and change them as needed. 6 Do one of the following: ■ Select OK to register the settings. Or: ■ Select Save to write changes to NVM,...

74 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE Update using TFTP The Ethernet TFTP upgrade method requires a connection between the AP and PC on the same Ethernet segment. Verify the PC has a TFTP server running on it. Running the server requires third party software such as FTP PC/T...

Manually Updating AP Firmware 75 To update the AP firmware using Xmodem, follow the procedure below. 1 Copy the firmware files dsap_fw.bin and 3cap_htm.bin to the PC hard disk that runs a terminal emulation program. 2 Attach a null-modem serial cable from the AP to the PC serial port. 3 Start the co...

76 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE 17 Repeat step 12 through step 16 to download the next file and avoid a transfer time-out error if you are downloading both the firmware and HTML files. The download is complete when the UI displays: Download Successful Updating AP Updat...

Performing Pings 77 10 Select Special Functions from the Main Menu. 11 Select Use TFTP to Update All Access Points and press Enter, which generates the following prompt: “Are you sure (Y/N)?” 12 Type y . The Telnet session ends at this point . The AP resets when the file transfer and flash programmi...

Saving, Resetting, and Restoring Configurations 79 3 Press the Tab key to highlight .Short RF Preamble Enabled. 4 Press the space bar to change the selection to Disabled . 5 Press F1 to save the setting. 6 Reset the AP as described in “Resetting an AP” on page 79 for your setting to take effect. WLA...

80 C HAPTER 6: C ONFIGURING THE AP U SING THE ASCII I NTERFACE Restoring the Default AP Configuration If an AP fails to communicate because of improper settings, restore the factory configuration defaults. Restoring the factory default settings clears all configuration and statistics for an AP. To r...

A A CCESS P OINT S PECIFICATIONS Physical Characteristics Dimensions 1.25” H x 5.5” L x 7.75” W (3.18 cm H x 14.97 cm L x 19.69 cm W) Weight (w/power supply) 1 lbs (0.454 kg) Operating Temperature -4º F to 131º F (-20º C to 55º C) Storage Temperature -40º F to 149º F (-40º C to 65º C) Humidity 10% t...

82 A PPENDIX A: A CCESS P OINT S PECIFICATIONS Network Characteristics Ethernet Frame DIX, Ethernet_II, IEEE 802.3 Filtering Packet Rate 14,400 frames per second filtering and forwarding Ethernet Connection 10Base-T (RJ-45) Serial PC/AT serial port - DB9 Female, RS-232 using a DTE termination, 19200...

B T ECHNICAL S UPPORT Online Technical Services 3Com offers worldwide product support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through the following online systems: ■ World Wide Web site ■ 3Com FTP site World Wide Web Site Access the latest networking information on the 3Com Corporation World Wide Web site by...

84 A PPENDIX B: T ECHNICAL S UPPORT Support from 3Com If you are unable to obtain assistance from the 3Com online technical resources or from your network supplier, 3Com offers technical telephone support services. To find out more about your support options, please call the 3Com technical telephone...

87 I NDEX Numbers 10BASE-T connection 28 3Com URL 83 802.1d spanning tree support 16 A access control 18 access point configuring in ASCII UI 62 description 12 features 13 installing 29 network characteristics 82 output characteristics 81 physical characteristics 81 radio characteristics 81 accessin...

W ARRANTY AND R EGULATORY C OMPLIANCE 3Com Corporation Limited Warranty This warranty applies to customers located in the United States, Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, U.K., and other English language countries, and countries for which a translation into the local language ...

Regulatory Compliance Information R ADIO F REQUENCY I NTERFERENCE R EQUIREMENTS This device has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the Federal Communications Commissions Rules and Regulation. These limits are designed to provide reason...

3Com End User Software License Agreement IMPORTANT: Read Before Using This Product YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE USING THIS PRODUCT. IT CONTAINS SOFTWARE, THE USE OF WHICH IS LICENSED BY 3COM CORPORATION (“3COM”) TO ITS CUSTOMERS FOR THEIR USE ONLY AS SET FORTH ...