Cabletron Systems RoamAbout User Manual

RoamAbout Access Point

User’s Guide

9032848-02

Notice

Notice

Cabletron Systems res erves the right to make changes in sp ecifications and other informa tion contained in this
document without prior noti ce. The reader should in all cases consult C abletro n Systems to determine whether
any such changes hav e been made.

The hardware, firm w are, or software des cribed in this manual is subject to change wit hout notice.
IN NO EVENT SHALL CABLETRON SYSTEMS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT,

SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVE R (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
LOST PROFITS) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS MANUAL OR THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN IT, EVEN IF CABLETRON SYSTEMS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF, KNOWN, OR
SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, THE POSSIBI LITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

© August 1999 by Cabletron Systems, Inc.
All Ri ghts Reser ved. Printed in the United St ates of America.

Cabletron Systems, Inc.
35 Indu stria l W ay
Rochester, NH 03867

Order Nu m ber: 9032848-02

Cabletr on, Cabletr on Systems, clearVISN
logo, and ThinWire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cabletron Syst em s, Inc.

PC Card is a trademark of PCMCIA.
Micro soft, W indows, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT are either trademar ks or registered

trademarks of Mic rosoft Corporation.
All other trade m arks and registered trademarks are th e property of their respect ive holders.

Web Site: http://www.cabletron.com/wireless

, DEChub, MultiSwitc h, NetRider, RoamAbout, the RoamAbout

i

Notice

FCC Notice

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditi ons: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protect ion against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a comme rcial
environment . Th is equipment uses, genera tes, and can radiate radio freque ncy energy and if not

installe d in accordance with this use r’s guide, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operati on of this equipment in a residenti al area may cause interfe rence in which
case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

WARNING: Changes or modifications made to this device which are not expressly approve d b y
the party resp onsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

VCCI Notice

This is a Clas s A product based on the standard of the Voluntary Control Council for Interference
by Information Technology Equipment (VCCI). If this equipment is used in a domestic
environment, radio disturbance may arise. When such trouble occurs, the user may be required to
take corrective actions.

Industry Canada Notice

This dig ital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions f r om digital
apparatus se t out in the Radio Interference Regulation s of the Cana dian Department of
Communications.

Le présent appa reil numérique n'émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites
applicables aux appareils numériques de la class A prescrites dans le Règlement sur le brouillage
radioél ec trique édicté par le mini stère des Communications du Canada.

ii

Notice

Taiwanese Notice — Class A Computing Device:

CE Notice — Class A Computing Device:

Warning!
This is a Class A produc t. In a domesti c environment , this product may cause radio interference, in
which case the us er may be re quired to take adequate measures.

Achtung!

Dieses ist ein Gerät der Funkstörgrenzwertklasse A. In Wohnbereichen können bei Betrieb dieses
Gerätes Rundf unkstörungen auftreten, in welchen Fällen der Benutzer für entsprechende
Gegenmaßnahmen verantwortlic h is t.

A vertissement!
Cet appareil est un appareil de Classe A. Dans un environnement résidentiel cet appareil peut
provoquer des brouillages radioélectriques. Dans ce cas, il peut être demandé à l'utilisateur de
prendre le s mesures appropriées.

iii

Notice

Declaration of Conformity

Addendum

Application of Council Direct ive(s): 89/336/EEC

73/23/EEC

Manufacturer’s Name: Cabletron Systems, Inc.

Manufact ur er’s Address: 35 Industrial Way

PO Box 5005
Rochester, NH 03867

European Representative Name: Mr. J. Solari

European Representative Address: Cabletron Systems Limited

Nexus House, Newbury Business Park
London Road, Newbury
Berksh ire RG13 2PZ, England

Conformance to Dire ctive(s)/Product Standards: EC Directive 89/336/EEC

EC Directive 73/23/EEC
EN 55022
EN 50082-1
EN 60950

Equipment Type/Environment: Networking Equipment, for use in a

Commercial or Light Industrial
Environment.

We the undersigned, hereby declare, under our sole responsibility, that the equipment
packaged with this notic e conforms to the above directives.

Manufacturer Legal Representative in Europe
Mr. Ronald Fotino Mr. J. Solari

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________

Full Name Full Name

Principal Compliance Engineer Managing Director - E.M.E.A.

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________

Title Title

Rochester, NH, USA Newbury, Berkshire, England

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________

Location Location

iv

Notice

Getting Help

For additiona l support relat ed to this device or documen t, contact Cabletron Systems using one of
the followi ng methods:

World Wide Web
Phone [phone]

Internet mail support@c abletron.com
To send com me nts or suggestions concerning thi s document, contact the

Cabletron Systems Techni cal Writing De partment via the following
email address: [e-mail]

Make sure to include the document Part Number i n the email message.

http: //www.cabletron.com
http: //www.cabletron.com/wire less

Before calling Cabletron Systems, have the following information ready:

• Your Cabletron Systems service contract number

• A description of the problem

• A description of any action(s) already taken to resolve the problem

• The serial and revision numbers of all involved Cabletron Systems products in the network

• A description of your network environment (layout, cable type, etc.)

• Network load and frame size at the time of trouble (if known)

• The device hi st ory (i.e., have you retu rned the device before, is this a recurring prob lem , etc.)

• Any previous Return Material Authorization (RMA) numbers

v

Contents

Preface

Intended Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Terminology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xii

Associated Documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

1 Introducing RoamAbout Access Point

Summary of Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

AP to Wireless Clients Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-6

AP to AP Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

Bridging Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

Configuration Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Console Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

RoamAbout Access P oint Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Other Management Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10

Optional Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Range Extender Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Outdoor Antenna Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

2 Preparing for Installation

Unpacking and Checking the Contents of the Shipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Selecting the Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Reviewing the Site Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4

Hardware Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Electrical and Environmental Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Cabling Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-7

vii

Table of Contents

3 Installing the RoamAbout Access Point

Installing the PC Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Installing the AP into a MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Removing the Back Cover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Seating the AP in the MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Installing the AP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Verifying the Operation of the RoamAbout Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10

Connecting a Device to the Console Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Console Port Signaling Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Connecting to the Console Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Installing the RoamAbout Access Point Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15

Setting the AP Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 -1 6

Verifying Wireless Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16

4 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

Starting a Configuration Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

RoamAbout Access P oint Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Console Port Device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Showing Current Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4

Wireless Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Wireless Network Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Station Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4- 7

AP Density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Transmit (Tx) Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4- 7

RTS Threshold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4- 8

IEEE Power Management (DTIM Period). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

Secure Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - 9

Setting Bridge Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

Setting Default Rate Limiting (Multicast Traffic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

Setting Encryption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11

Setting RMON Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12

Checking the Configuration on Multiple APs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13

Resetting the RoamAbout Access P o int . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14

Configuring the AP for LAN-to-LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15

Configuring the AP for SNMP Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Set In-Band Interface Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Set SNMP Read/Write Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18

Set SNMP Trap Addresses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19

Upgrading the RoamAbout Access Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20

viii

Table of Contents

5 Problem Solving

Using the LEDs to Determine the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Reset Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7

Setting Upline Dump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7

Showing Counters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

Displaying Error Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-10

Removing the AP from the MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11

A Connector, Cable, and Adapter Pin Assignments

Figures

Front, Side, and Rear View of the AP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-3

Roaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Building-to-Building Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-7

Range Extender Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

Mounting the AP in a Central Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Normal LED Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11

Console Port Cabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-14

10BaseT (8-pin MJ) Connector Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1

Console Port (DB-9) Connector Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2

BN24H Cable Pin Assignments (Used with Console Port) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2

BC16E Cable Pin Assignments (Used with Console Port) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2

H8571-J Adapter Pin Assignments (Used with Console Port) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3

H8575-A Adapter Pin Assignments (Used with Console Port) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3

Tables

AP Physical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Electrical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

AP Power Supply Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-6

AP Acoustical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Console Port Cabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-13

LED Summary Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

LED Problem Solving Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Normal Operating Mode LED Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5

Diagnostics LED Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-5

Network Loading/Upline Dumping LED Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

ix

The RoamAbout™ Access Point is a 2-port bridge that connects a wired Ethernet
(ThinWire™ or 10Base T) loc al area network (LAN) and a wireless LAN.

This manual describes how to install and configure the RoamAbout Access Point. It
also describes how to troubleshoot problems that may arise during installation or
operation.

Intended Audience

Preface

This manual is intended for the device installer and networ k man ager. This manual
assumes that you have a working knowledge of local area networking and bridging
functions.

xi

Terminology

Terminology

The following terms are used throughout th is manual. You should be famil iar with
these terms before you continue.

T erm Definit ion

RoamAbout Access Poi nt A 2-port bridge that connects a wireless LAN to a

RoamAbout PC Card™ A PC Card that installs in a RoamAbout Access

PCMCIA The Personal Computer Memory Card

wired Ethernet LAN. Referred to as AP.

Point or wireless client to provide wireless
connectivity in a LAN environme n t.

International Association (PCMCIA) is the
standards body for the type of PC car d used with
the AP.

RoamAbout Access Point
Manager

Range Extender Antenna An indoor antenna that extends the coverage area

LAN-to-LAN Wireless
Bridge

wireless LAN A collection of end-user systems connect ed

wireless client A computer such a s a PC, laptop , or note book, that

Software used to manage and configure one or
more APs. The software is in stalle d on a Windows
computer that connects to the AP via a wire d LAN
or wireless LAN.

of the AP.
An AP mode that allows two APs to c ommunicate,

effectively connecting two wir ed LANs through a
wireless link.

together using a medium such as radio frequency
or infrared technol ogy. The RoamAbout products
use radio frequencies

uses the PC card for wireless LAN connectivity . A
wireless client is also referr ed to as a station.

xii

Associat e d D o c u ments

The following table lists each comp onent, with its associated document, that can be
used with your RoamAbout Access Point.

Component Document

PC Card RoamAbout IEEE DS/PC Card and ISA

Associated Documents

Adapter Card User’s Guide

RoamAbout Access Point
Manager

RoamAbout Building-to­Building

Online Help

RoamAbout 802.11 Outdoor Antenna
Installation Guide

xiii

Chapter 1

Introducing RoamAbout Access Point

This chapt er provides an overview of the RoamAbout Access Point (AP) and it s
operati on.

The AP is a 2-port bridge . One por t connects the AP to an Ethernet LAN through a
10BaseT or ThinWire cab le (or through a MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90 Ethernet
backplane). The other port conne cts the AP to the wireless network through a
RoamAbout PC Card.

The wireless network can consis t of multiple wire less clients and multiple APs. A
client can be a laptop or notebook computer or des ktop PC. Typically, a single AP is
used to enable several wireless clients to connect to a wired Ethernet LAN.

The AP fully supports wireless clients equipped with any 802. 11
Sequence (DS) PC Card.

You can also configure the AP to communicate with another AP in a LAN-to-LAN
configura tion. This allows you to connect two Ethernet LANs (usu ally in separate
buildings) through a wireless link.

The AP is shown in Figure 1-1.

-Compliant Direct

Introducing RoamAbout Access Point 1-1

Summary of Features

Summary of Fe atures

The AP includes the following features:

• Supports any 802.11 Direct Sequence (DS) compliant radio in a wireless client

• Supports ThinWire (10base2) and 10BaseT Ethernet LANs.

• Ideally, an AP can support up to 250 users. However, thi s number can be

significa ntl y reduc ed by v ari ous fact ors, such as ob struc tions in the c overage area
and the amount of ne twork utilization by each client.

• Can be configured to communicate with another RoamAbout Access Point in a

LAN-to-LAN configuration

1

.

2

.

• Supports 802. 11 Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

3

and Secure Access Mode.

• Allows wireless clients to roam f r om one Access Point to another in the same

wireless LAN without losing connectivity.

• Can be standa lone or mountable in a MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90.

• Can be managed via its local console port or remotel y by the RoamAbout Acces s

Point Manager software, clearVISN system, or Network Management Station
(NMS).

• Supports RMON Groups 1, 2, 3, and 9 (Statistics, History, Alarms, and Events).

• Can be upgraded via a downline-load using BOOTP an d TFTP.

• Supports IEEE power management.

• Contains an 8000 node forwarding addres s database.

• Redundancy through 802.1D Spanning Tre e.

• Supports protocol filtering.

• Supports source and destinat ion address filtering.

• Contains various user-select able parameters.

1. As of V3.0, the AP no longer supports the legacy, non-802.11 PC Cards. If you require the AP to support the earlier ver-

sions of the RoamAbout DS or Frequency Hopping (FH) cards, use AP firmware V2.4, which is included in the AP Manager
disket te s.

2. Requires the AP firmware to be V3.4 or later.

3. Requires the AP firmware to be V4.0 or later.

1-2 Introducing RoamAbout Access Point

2
3
4

5
6

7
8

9

10
11

Summary of Features

Figure 1-1: Front, Side, and Rear View of the AP

15

1

Access Point

1

R

o

a

m
A

b

o

u

t

1
2

16

14

17

12

13

Heig ht: 27.31 cm (10.75 in)
Width: 3.18 cm (1.25 in)
Dept h: 13.3 cm (5.25 in)

18

LKG-8679-931-02

The AP contains the following LEDs, connectors, ports , and controls:

Item Name Description

1Network

Connector
(BNC)

Connects the AP to a ThinWire network. This
connector is not used if the AP is conne cted to a
10BaseT netwo rk or i nsta lled i n a MultiS witch 900 or
DEChub 90.

2 Power OK

Lights (green) when the AP has power.

LED

3 Module OK

LED

Lights (green) when the AP passes its power-up
self-test. If the AP fails the test, the Module OK LED
is off. If this LED is flashing, the Ethernet or wireless
port (or bot h) ha s a fau lt, pr eventi ng conne ction to the
network.

Introducing RoamAbout Access Point 1-3

Summary of Features

Item Name Description

4 Wired LAN

Activity
LED

510BaseT

Ethern et
Connector

6 Brid g e Stat e

LED

Indicates the status of the wired Et hernet segment. The
LED lights (green) when packets are:

• Received on the Et her net port and forward ed t o the

wireless port.

• Addressed to or generated by the AP using the

Ethernet port .

Packets received and f i ltered are not sho wn. Data
traffic forwarded to the Ethernet port is not shown.
The average bright ness of the LED indic ates the level
of activity on the Etherne t port. If the LED is flashing
together with th e Bridge State LED (6), the Ethernet
port has a fau lt that prevent s the AP from establ ishi ng
a connection to the network.

Connects the AP to a 10BaseT network. This
connector is not used if the AP is conne cted to a
ThinW ire net work or i nstalled in a Mult iSwitch 900 or
DEChub 90.

Lights (green) when the AP is forwarding packets.

7 Access Point

Saturated
LED

8 Wireless LAN

Activity
LED

Lights (yellow) when the AP is saturated. Saturation
occurs when the AP cannot for ward packets from the
Etherne t to the wireless side due to the lower
throughput of the wireless network. The degree of
LED brightness indicates the level of saturation. Th e
LED dims (and eventually extingui shes) as the
network congestion is processed.

Indicates the status of the wireless Ethernet segment.
The LED lights (g r een) when packets are:

• Received on the wireless port and forwarde d to the

Ethernet port .

• Addressed to or generated by the AP using the

wireless port.

Packets received and f i ltered are not sho wn. Data
traffi c forwarded to the wireless port is not shown. The
average brightness of the LED indic ates the level of
activity on the wireless port. If the LED is flashing
together with the Bridge Stat e LED (6), the wireless
port has a fau lt that prevent s the AP from establ ishi ng
a connection to the network.

1-4 Introducing RoamAbout Access Point

Item Name Description

Summary of Features

9 PC Card

Present

Lights (green) when the PC Card i s correctl y instal led
at power-up.

LED

10 Local Console

Used to configure the AP.

Port
11 PC Card Slot Used for the PC Card.
12 Ethernet

Unique physica l address of the AP.
Hardware
Address

13 Reset Button Forces a downline load of the AP’s firmware from a

load host and resets the AP to its factory default

setti ngs.

14 Ba ck Cover Present on s tandalone APs onl y . Covers th e backplan e

connector and mounting assembly.

15 Locking Tab Lock s the AP into a MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90.
16 48-Pin

Backplane

Provides network and power connections to the AP

when installed in a MultiSwitc h 900 or DEChub 90.
Connector

17 Power Supply

Connector

Receives +5 Vdc fro m the AP’s standalone power

supply. Not used when the AP is installed in a

MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90.

18 Mou nting T ab Secures the AP to the MultiSwi tch 900 or DEChub 90

backplan e.

Introducing RoamAbout Access Point 1-5

AP to Wireless Clients Configuration

AP to Wireless Clients Configuration

The AP enables wireless clients to move from the coverage area of one AP into the
coverage are a of another AP while maintaining LAN connectivity. This capabilit y is
called roaming. Figure 1-2 il lust rates a wireles s clie nt roamin g from one AP coverag e
area to another. Each coverag e area i s called a cell, w h ere a cell is a single AP and its
wire le s s cl ie nts with in a networ k of m u lt ip le APs.

Figure 1-2: Roaming

Coverage

Cell 1 Cell 2

Areas

PC

(Ap1)

PC

(Ap1)

(Ap1)

R

o

a

m
A

b

o

u

t

1
2

(Ap1)

PC

(Ap1)

PC

AP1

PC

PC

(Ap2)

Wireless

Client

R

o

a

m
A

b

o

u

t

1
2

PC

(Ap2)

AP2

PC

(Ap2)

LKG-8892-931-01

In Figure 1-2, Cell 1 and Ce ll 2 share overlapping areas of coverage. As a wireless
client moves from Cell 2 to Cell 1, the necessary network information is passed from
AP2 to AP1.

When a wireless client (such as the laptop computer in Figure 1-2) approaches the
boundary of a coverage a rea, th e wireless cl ient s earch es for a new AP that provide s a
better qua lity signal, res u lting in more rel iable data throu ghput.

1-6 Introducing RoamAbout Access Point

AP to AP Configuration

You can connect two separate LANs over a wireless li nk by configuring two
RoamAbout Access Points to communicate with each other. This is called a
LAN-to-LAN connec tion.

Figure 1-3 sho w s t wo APs in different buil dings using an outdoor antenna to connec t
the LANs in those buildings.

Figure 1-3: B ui ld i ng- to-Buildin g C on figuration

AP to AP Configuration

R

o

a

m
A

b

o

u

t

1
2

R

o

a

m
A

b

o

u

t

1
2

2844-01-03

You can also configure APs to connect two LANs in the same building.
Contact your Cabl etron s ales rep rese ntati ve or v isit the RoamAbou t web si te f or more

information about the optional outdoor antenna kits.

Introducing RoamAbout Access Point 1-7

Bridging Services

Bridging Services

The AP provides the following bridging services:

• Store-and-forward capability

The AP r eceives, checks, and transmits frames to o ther LANs , enabling the
configuration of extended LANs.

• Frame filtering based on address

Using the address dat abase and the source and destination addresses from
incoming frames, the A P isolates the traffic that should not be allowed on other
LANs. This action re duces the total data traffic on an extended LAN by not
forwarding the packets that have local destina tion addre sses or packets t hat are not
allowed to be forwarded. This increases bandwidth efficiency.

• Data Link layer relay

The AP operates at th e Data Link layer of th e Open System Interconn ection (OSI)
model. Operation at this layer makes the AP transparent to the protocols that use
the LAN connecti vity service. Th is protocol trans parency is a key factor in the
extended LAN service.

• Dynamic address learning

The forwarding and translating proc es s module automatically adds new source
addresses to t he addre ss data base whi le the AP i s op erati ng. This rever se learning
of the address and port association al lows automatic network configurati on
without prior downline loading of configuration data to the AP. Note that the
address learning is protocol and mana gement entity inde pendent.

How long an address remains in the database is determined by an Aging Timer
that me asures ho w muc h tim e ha s e lapsed sin ce d ata was la st addr essed to or f rom

a particular node. If the timer lapses without any traffic, the node’s address is
removed from the database.

• LAN-to-LAN Bridge mode

LAN-to-LAN mode is used to co nfigu re the AP to co mmunicate with anoth er AP.
In LAN-to-LAN mode, the AP learns addresses from both the wireless network
and the wired Ethernet LAN. The AP filters packets based on their destination
address and forwards all packets with unknown addresses. The defau lt Aging
Timer interval is 2 minutes.

• Workgroup Bridge mode

Workgroup Bridge mode (the default mode) is used to confi gure the AP to
communicate with wireless clients. In Workgroup Bridge mode, the AP learns
addresses only from the wireless side of the netwo rk. T he AP only forwards
packets to mult icast addresse s, broadcast address es , and known addresses on the
wireless LAN. The default Aging Timer interval is 32 minutes.

1-8 Introducing RoamAbout Access Point

Configuration Tools

You can configure the AP using these tools:

• RoamAbout Access Point Console Port

• RoamAbout Access Point Manager

• clearVISN and Network Management Stations (NMS)

Console Port

The AP has a local cons ole port that ena bles you to configure and manage the AP usi ng
a console port devic e (a terminal or personal computer running terminal emulation
software). The device needs to be directly connected to the AP console port.

RoamAbout Access Point Manager

The RoamAbout Access Point Manager is included in the RoamAbo ut Access Point
kit. You install the AP Manager on a Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT
system.

Configuration Tools

The AP Manager can be used as a setup/configuration tool for new APs and as a
management tool to assist the ongoing management and support of RoamAbout
wireless LANs. The AP Manager can manage multiple APs simultaneously.

The AP Manager has the following features:

• Ability to mana ge multiple APs remotel y, including changing parameters on

multiple APs in a wireless network with a single command.

• Ability to view AP parameters, such as AP stati st ics, AP firmware version

number, MAC addresses, amount of memory, and card type.

• Integrity checking for many wireless parameter c hanges. This warn s t he user if a

common wireless network management mistake is about to be made, or if the
operation requested is unusual and usually not recommended.

• Integrity checking of an existing wireless network configuration for consistent

settings and c ommon management errors.

• Improved wireless network performance through easy packet filtering and

recommended fil ter settings.

• Integrated with a BootP/ TFTP appl icat ion for simpl e AP firmware upgra des, a lso

called flash upgrades.

• Support for 802.11 radio technolo gy as well as the earlier versions of the

RoamAbout Direct Seque nce (DS) and Frequency Hopping (FH) pro ducts.

Introducing RoamAbout Access Point 1-9

Configuration Tools

Other Management Tools

The AP supports the Si mp le Network Management Prot ocol (SNMP) through any
standard Net work Management Statio n (NMS) that supports SNMP. The SNMP
management capability enables you to manage standard SNMP MIB characteristics,
such as protocol filtering and address filtering.

To manage the AP with an NMS system, you must configure the AP with a val id IP

address, as described in “Co nfiguring the AP for SNMP Mana gement” on page 4-16.
The management systems use MIB objects to manage the AP. The AP supports the

following MIB objects:

• MIB II (RFC–1213)

• IETF Bridge MIB (RFC–1493)

• Ethernet MIB (RFC–1398)

• DEC ELAN Vendor MIB

• HUB PCOM MIB

• RoamAbout Access Point MIB

• RMON MIB (RFC-1757)

• 802.11 MIB

For details on the management features of each MIB, consult your NMS
documentation.

The Cabletro n clearVISN system also supports the AP.

NOTE

The AP Manager and consol e port do not support RMON. To set RMON
parameters and the multicast lim iting rate value, you ne ed an NMS system or
clearVISN.

1-10 Introducing RoamAbout Access Poin t

Optional Antennas

When the AP is configured to support wireless clients, you may need the Range
Extender antenna to improve signal quality when the PC Card in the AP is shielded.

In a LAN-to- LAN confi guratio n, you m ay nee d to inst all out door antenn as, es peci ally
when the APs are located in separate buildings.

Range Exte nder Antenna

The RoamAbout PC Car d in the AP has two integrated an tennas that perform best in
an open environment with as few obstacles as possible. Use the Range E xtender
Antenna (Figure 1-4) to ensure optimal transmission and reception quality for
situations where the integrated antennas are shiel d ed, such as :

• The PC Card is clo se to m etal surf a ces.

• The AP is installed in a hidden locati on, e.g. under a desk or inside a cabinet.

• Objects shield the PC Card.

Optional Antennas

You c an co nnect the Rang e Ex tender ante nna t o th e PC Card b y i nsert ing t he co nnec tor
into the socke t on the extende d side of the PC card. To prote ct the socke t from dust, it
is shielded with a cap. Remove this cap before you connect the antenna.

The Range Extende r antenna h as a mounting b racket a nd a ba se for v ertical pos itio ning
that a llows you t o pl ace the an tenna on t op o f a ta ble or fil ing cabine t, or hang it on the
wall or ceiling.

NOTE

Many computer monitors support a degauss option. The electromagnetic
discharge that may occur when degaussing the monitor may cause damage t o the
antenna. To a voi d d amage, do no t pla ce t he Ra nge E xt ender Antenna on top of, or
too close to, a monitor.

Introducing RoamAbout Access Point 1-11

Optional Antennas

Figure 1-4: R ange Extend e r Ant enna

Outdoor Antenna Kit

The RoamAbout out door antenna kit al lows you to connect multiple buildi ngs or
LANs via a wireless out door point-to-point link. The kit provides a selection of
high-gain, low-noise antennas and components.

Refer to the RoamAbout 802.11 Outdoor Antenna Installation Guide or the
RoamAbout web site for more information.

1-12 Introducing RoamAbout Access Poin t

Chapter 2

Preparing for Installation

Before insta lling the AP, you must complete the following tasks:

• Unpack the AP and check the contents of the shipment.

• Selec t the loca ti o n to in s t al l the AP.

• Review the si te requirements.

Unpacking and Checking the Contents of the Shipment

Unpack and check the s hipm ent for damage or missing parts. The shipment inc ludes:

• RoamAbout Access Point

• Power supply

• RoamAbout Access Point Manager software on diskettes.

Optionally, you could also have thes e kits:

• RoamAbout PC Cards for wireless clients

• Range Extender Antenna

• Outdoor ante nna kit (building-to-building)

If any item is damaged or missing, immediately notify the delive ry agent and your
sales r epresen tative.

Preparing for Installation 2-1

Selecting the Location

Selecti ng the Location

If the AP is not installed in a MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90, you can mount the AP
on a wall, ceiling, or cubicle partition.

Depending on you r configuration, choos e the location to install the AP based on the
following guidelines.

For an AP to wire less client configur ation:

• The size of the coverage area (in open air) is det ermined by the type of PC Card

in the AP a nd wireless client(s). The Roa m About PC Card has an effective range
of up to a 550-ft. radius area (in a n open environment). If using a card other th an

the RoamAbout PC Card in wirel ess clie nts, refer to that card’ s documentatio n for
information about allowable distances.

• Centr ally lo cate the AP withi n th e group of wireless clients to have all w ir eless

clients with in the AP’s c overage area . If permanent obs tructions pr event you fro m
centrally mounting the AP, mount it as high as pos sible. Figure 2-1 shows an
example of a centrally located, st andalone AP.

• Minimize obstructions, suc h as walls (especially those made of steel rei nforced

concrete or masonry), between the AP and its wireless clients. Obstructions can
reduce the effective range of the radio transm issions from the PC Cards.

• If it is necessary to install the AP in an obstructed location, use the optional range

extender antenna, as described in “Optional Antennas” on page 1-11.

• If using multiple APs in the same wireless n etwork, make sur e that they have

overlapp ing coverage areas. You many need to adjust the place ment of the APs
after the initial ins tallation to obtain the best signal quality and coverage.

For a LAN-to-LAN configuration:

• If using an outdoor antenna, make sure that the AP and the outdoor antenna use

the same grounding system, as described in the RoamAbout 802.11 Outdoor
Antenna Installation Guide.

• If not using an antenna, the APs should be within 500 feet of each other; less if

there are obstructions.

2-2 Preparing for Installation

Figure 2-1: Mounting the AP in a Central Loc a tio n

R

o

a

m
A

b

o

u

t

1
2

Selecting the Location

LKG-8805-931-01

Preparing for Installation 2-3

Reviewing the Site Requirements

Reviewing the Site Requir ements

Review the following to ensure that all site pre par ation tasks were compl eted.

Hardware Requirements

• Ensure that the Ethernet LAN is in place and operable.

• If you are installing the AP in a standalone configuration, locate the Ethernet

interface device (for example, a ThinWire segment, DECconnect faceplate, or
other appropriate network device) to which to connect the AP. Otherwise, if you
are instal ling the AP in a MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90, ensure that the device
is installed and operable.

• If you are installing the AP in a standalone configuration, ensure that an

appropriate ac power source is within 1.6 m (5.5 ft) of the AP.

• Ensure t hat a PC to inst all the RoamAbout Ac cess Point Mana gement sof tware or

a console port devic e (a terminal or PC with terminal emul ation software) is
available at the site for configuring the AP.

• Ensure that PC Cards are obtained for each wireless client.

• Ensur e th a t th e loc at i on can accom m o d at e th e p hysical si ze of the A P , as

described in the following table.

Table 2-1: AP Physical Specifications

Parameter Value

Width 3.18 cm (1.25 in)
Height 27.31 cm (10.75 in)
Depth 13.34 cm (5.25 in)
Weight 0.68 kg (1.5 lb)

2-4 Preparing for Installation

Electrical and Environmental Requirements

Ensure that the environmental and electrical requirements are within the ranges
described in the following tables.

Table 2-2: Environmental Specifications

Parameter Description

Operating Environment

Reviewing the Site Requirements

Temperature

1

5°C to 50°C (41°F to 122°F)

Maximum rate of change 20°C/h (36°F/h)
Relati ve hum idity 10% to 95% (noncondens ing)
Wet-bulb temperatur e 32°C (90°F)
Altitude Sea level to 2.4 km (8000 ft)
Air flow Convection cooled

Nonoperating Environment

Temperature –40°C to 66°C (–40°F to 151°F)
Relati ve hum idity Up to 95% (noncondensing)
Altitude Up to 4.9 km (16,000 ft)
Certifications CE, CSA, FCC, TÜV, UL, VCCI

1. F or sit es ab ove 49 00 m (16 ,000 ft), de cre ase the o per ating tempe ratur e sp ecific ati on by

1.8

°C for each 1000 m or 3.2°F for each 3200 ft.

Preparing for Installation 2-5

Reviewing the Site Requirements

Table 2-3: Electrical Specifications

Voltage Current (Amperes) Power (Watts)

+5.0 V 1.2 A 6.0 W

Table 2-4: AP Power Supply Specifications

Parameter Value

Input voltage 100 Vac to 240 Vac
Current at 120 V 0.25 A
Frequency 50 Hz to 60 Hz
Power consumption 16 W
Output voltage 5.1 Vdc
Output current (m aximum) 1.8 A

Table 2-5: AP Acoustical Specifications

Acoustics — Declared values per ISO 9296 and ISO 7779

Product

Sound Power Level L

WAd , B

Sound Pressure Level
L

pAm , dBA

(bystander positions)

Idle/Operate Idle/Operate

RoamAbout Access Point No acoustic noise No acoustic noise

Schallemissionswerte — Werteangaben nach ISO 9296 un d
ISO 7779/DIN EN27779

Produkt

Schalleistungspegel
L

WAd , B

Schalldruckpegel L

pAm , dB A

(Zuschauerpositi onen)

Leerlauf/Be t r ieb Leerlauf/Be t r ieb

RoamAbout Acces s Point keine meßbaren

2-6 Preparing for Installation

Schallemissionen

keine meßbaren
Schallemis sionen

Cabling Requirements

For a standa lone configu ration only: Ens ure t hat you ha ve th e appro pria te t ype s an d
lengths of cab le for connecting the AP to the wired Ethernet. For a 10BaseT
connection, use a BN26K cabl e. For a ThinWire conne ction, yo u need a BC16M cabl e,
T-connector (H8223-00), and 50-ohm terminator (H8225-00).

If you are using the console port:

• For standalone and DEChub 90 configurations: Ensure that y ou have t wo 9-pin

DECconnect adapt ers (H8571-J) and an MMJ DECconnect BC16E cabl e for
connecting the console por t device to the AP.

• For MultiS wit ch 900 co nf iguration s: Ensu re tha t you ha ve a 9-pin DECconne ct

adapter (H8571-J) and an MMJ DECconnect BN24H cable for connecting the
console port device to the MultiSwitch 900. If your local console port device i s a
PC running terminal emulation software, you can use a 9-pin, D-Sub
(PC-compatible) serial (null modem) cable.

Refer to Table 3-1 on page 3-13 for a list of console port cable part numbers.

Reviewing the Site Requirements

NOTE

Refer to Appendix A for connector, cable and adapter pinout information.

Preparing for Installation 2-7

Chapter 3

Installing the RoamAbout Access Point

This ch apter prov ides a step- by-ste p procedur e to inst all th e RoamAbout Acc ess Point .
Before installing the AP, ensure that all the procedures in Chapter 2 are completed.
Installing the AP involves the following tasks:

• Insta lling the P C Ca r d in t o th e AP

• Installing the AP in a standalone configuration, or in a MultiSwitch 900 or

DEChub 90

• Verifying the operation of the AP

• Connecting a device to the console port (if not using the AP Manager)

• Installing the RoamAbout Access Point Manager

• Setting the AP parameters

• Verifying wire less communication

Installing the RoamAb out Access Point 3-1

Installing the PC Card

Insta lling the PC C a rd

To install the PC Card , do the following:

Step Action
1 With t he log o on the PC C ard facing the same di rection a s the AP’ s BNC

connector, partially insert the card into the PC Card sl ot.

Access Point

R

o

a

m

A

b

o

u

t

BNC
Connector

1
2

PC Card

Logo

2 Gently push the card int o the slot un til i t is fi rmly seat ed. You will sense

a slight resistance as you insert the card. When properly inserted, the
card protrudes approximately 1-1/2 inches from the AP.

2844_01_04

3-2 Installing the RoamAbout Access Point

Installing the AP into a MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90

Installing the AP into a MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90

This section describes how to install the AP in a MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90.

Removing the Back Cover

If there is a cover on the back of the AP, you must remove it before inserti ng the AP
into the backplane. Perform the following steps to remove the back cover:

Step Action
1 Lift up the latch on the back cover by inserting a flat-blad e screwdrive r

into the top mounting hole.

2 With the latch up, pull the to p of the ba ck cover away, pivoting at the

LKG-6722-921-01

bottom of the AP.

Installi ng the RoamAbout Access Point 3-3

Installing the AP into a MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90

Seating the AP in the MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90

You can install the AP in the MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90 without tu rning off
power. Seating the AP initiates the power-up sequence. However, when installing the
AP into a DEChub 90, connect the console port device to the console port before
applying powe r to the AP.

Perform the following steps to install the AP in the MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90.

Step Action
1 Place the AP’s mounting tab into the first mounting slot on the

MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90.

2 Pivot the AP on the mounting tab and align the connectors.
3 Firmly push the AP onto the backplane connec tors until the re lease lever

clicks .

4 Press down on the release lever to ensure that it is locked.

Release Lever
Clicks when
Module is
Seated.

Hub Manager
Status Display

VNswitch 900GV

MultiSwitch 900

VNswitch 900G

V

DEChub 90

VNswitch 900G

V

5 Perform the appropriate steps in “Installing the AP” on page 3-5.

3-4 Installing the RoamAbout Access Point

Mounting Tab

LKG-9453-941-01

Insta lling the A P

Perform the following procedure to install the AP as a standalone module. Also, you
may need to perfor m steps 4 and 5 after installi ng the AP in a DECHub 90 or
MultiSwitch 900.

Step Action
1 Place the AP in the previously defined location. Site requirements are

2 Connect the AP to the wired network using either the 10BaseT or

Installing the AP

defined in Chapter 2.

ThinWi re c onnector, as follows:
To Connect to ThinWire Network –– Connect a Thi n Wire cable,

T-conne ctor, and terminat or to the BNC c onnector on the AP. Note that
instead of a terminator, the other side of the T-connector can be cabled
to another device in the LAN.

50-ohm
Terminator

Access Point

R

o

a

m
A

b

o

u

t

1
2

T-Connector

LKG-8685-931-01

Installi ng the RoamAbout Access Point 3-5

Installing the AP

Step Action

To connect to a 10BaseT Network –– Connect the 10BaseT cable to
the 10BaseT Ethernet connector.

Access Point

R

o

a

m
A

b

o

u

t

1
2

LKG-8686-931-01

3 Connect the other end of the ThinWire cable or 10BaseT cable to an

activ e Ethern et outlet, such as a D ECconnect faceplate or ot her
appropriate net work device.

3-6 Installing the RoamAbout Access Point

Installing the AP

Step Action
4 To configure the AP, you need the RoamAbout Access Point Manager

(see “Installing the RoamAbout Access Poi nt Manager” on page 3-15)
or a con sole device.

To use a console device, connect a 9-pin serial cable to the AP’s 9-pin,
D-Sub, PC-compatible serial port.

Note: The pinouts for the AP’s loc al console connector are listed in
Appendix A.

Access Point

R

o

a

m
A

b

o

u

t

1
2

LKG-8804-931-01

Installi ng the RoamAbout Access Point 3-7

Installing the AP

Step Action
5 If using an antenna (outdoor or range extender antenna), install the

antenna cable to the PC Card. The following figure shows the optional
range extender antenna.

Access Point

Range
Extender
Antenna
(Optional)

R

o

a

m
A

b

o

u

t

1
2

2848-01-02

3-8 Installing the RoamAbout Access Point

Installing the AP

Step Action
6 Connect the AP’s power supp ly cable to the power connector on the

back panel of the AP.
If using an outdoor antenna, make sure that the AP and the outdoor

antenna use the same grounding system, as descri bed in the RoamAbout

802.11 Outdoor Antenna Installation Guide.

7 Connect the power supply to an AC outlet to turn on the AP.

LKG-8673-931-01

8 Go to “Verifying th e Operatio n of the Roa mAb out Acces s Point” on

page 3-10.

Installi ng the RoamAbout Access Point 3-9

Verifying the Operation of the RoamAbout Access Point

Verifying the Operation of the RoamAbout Access Point

The AP runs a series of self-tests on power-up and reports status using its LEDs.
When power-up begins, the following occurs:

Stage Description
1 The firmware begins running diagnostics, initializes minimal hardware,

then sequentially turns LEDs 2 through 6 on and off.

2 After LED 6 turns on and then turns off, the firmware completes its

diagnostics and hardware initialization. During this portion of the
diagnostics and hardware initialization, L EDs 2 through 7 flash on and
then off.

3 The diagn ostic s th en c hecks t o see if the PC C ard is pr op erl y inse rt ed i n

the AP. If a card is present, the PC Card Pres e n t LED lights.

The diagnostics take approximately 10 seconds to complete after power-up. Upon
successful completion of the diagnostics, the LED pat tern shown in Figure 3-1 is
displayed.

If the AP fails to display the proper LED pattern, verify that you have correctly
installed the AP. If the AP still fails to display the LED pattern, refer to Chapter 5.

3-10 Install ing the RoamAbout Access Poin t

Verifying the Operation of the RoamAbout Access Point

Figure 3-1: Normal LED Pattern

Access Point

1
2
3

R

o

a

m

A

b

ou

t

4
5
6
7

1
2

LKG-10067-931-01

Item LED Name Operational State

1 Power OK On = power is okay
2 Module OK On = self-test pass ed
3 Wir ed LAN Activity Blinking = network connection
4 Bridge Sta te On = lights after 30 seconds indicating

that the AP is forwarding packets
5 AP Saturated Off
6 Wir eless LAN Activity Blinking
7 PC Card Present On = PC Card is installed

Installing the RoamAbout Access Point 3-11

Connecting a Device to the Console Port

Connecting a Devi ce to the Console Port

The console port on the AP allows you to access and s et AP parameters. If the AP is

installe d on the Mult iSwit ch 900, you need to connec t the devic e to the hub’s console
port.

You do not need to use the console port if you plan to manage the AP with the AP
Manager.

Consol e Port Signaling S tandards

Signals from the MultiSwitch 900 console port and from the standalone console port
conform to the EIA-232D signaling standard at 9600 bau d only. To the user, the port
appears as a data terminal equipment ( DTE ) device.

Connecting to the Console Port

The console port on the AP standalo ne unit or the MultiSwitch 900 can be connect ed
to a console port device (a terminal or personal computer) by using the cables and
adapters listed in Table 3-1 and shown in Figure 3-2. Refe r to Appendix A for the
console port connector, cable and adapter pinouts.

NOTE

When install ing the AP into a DEChub 90, you must connect the console port
device to the console port before applying power to the AP.

To connect a device to the AP console port, do the following:

• Ensure tha t the transmit and receive baud rat es on the console port device are set

to 9600 baud only.

• Connect the console port device to the console port connector on either the AP

front-pane l s erial port or the MultiS witch 900 console port.

3-12 Install ing the RoamAbout Access Poin t

Table 3-1: Console Port Cabling

Connecting a Device to the Console Port

Connecting
to a...

If the console
port device is
a...

Standa lone AP or
DEChub 90

PC with a 9-pin
D-Sub
communications port
and termina l
emulation

Terminal with a
25-pin D-Sub
connector

Terminal with a
6-pin MMJ
connector

MultiSwitch 900 PC with a 9-pin

D-Sub
communications port
and termina l
emulation

Then use
this c a ble.. .

BC16E-xx

1

or
any std. PC
compatible
9-pin serial
cable.

BC16E-xx

BC16E-xx

BN24H-xx

1

1

1

With these
adapters...

H8571-J (qty = 2)

H8575-A,

2

H8571-J

H8571-J

H8571-J

2

2

2

Terminal with a
25-pin D-Sub
connector

Terminal with a
6-pin MMJ
connector

1. xx indicates ca ble length in meters.

2. The AP requires an H8571-J also.

BN24H-xx

BN24H-xx

1

1

H8575-A

H8575-A

Installing the RoamAbout Access Point 3-13

Connecting a Device to the Console Port

Figure 3-2: Console Port C abl in g

3

3

1

Access Point

H8571-J

BN24H

H8575-A

R

o

a

m

A

b

o

u

t

1
2

H8571-J

2

H8575-A

BC16E

Item Description

1 MultiSwitch 900 console por t
2 AP console port
3 Console port device

3-14 Install ing the RoamAbout Access Poin t

Installing the RoamAbout Access Point Manager

Installing the RoamAbout Access Po int Manager

Before installing the RoamAbout Access Point Manager, fir st select a computer that
meets these requirements:

• Operating system is Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT V4.0 or later.

• The computer is conne cted to the AP’s wired or wireless LAN. However, a

computer connected on the wireless LAN can not upgrade the firmware on its
associated AP.

To install the Roa mAbout Access Point Manager, insert the floppy disk (disk 1 of 2)
in the P C an d r un A:SE TUP (this can be done from the Windows Explorer, DOS
prompt or the Run option from the Start button). Follow the Setup instructions.

If you have a previous versi on of the AP Manager, inst all the AP Manager on the same
computer. The setup process automatically upgrades the existing software and keeps
your existing configuration files.

You can access the AP Manager through the MultiChassis Manager (MCM)
component (V6. 2 or later) of the clearVISN system. Simply right click on the device
and sele ct the Ro amAbout Conf igurator m enu item. However, the AP Manager default
director y has changed from an earlier defa ult setting. The r efore, you may need to
change the \Program Files\clearVIS\hubwatch\hubwatch.ini file as follows:

Find th ese line s:

[Applications]
Roam Abo ut Configu r at or = c: \r o am ab t \c o nfig\conf i g. ex e $I $C

Change them to:

[Applications]
RoamAbout Configurator=c:\Program Files \RoamAbout\Manager\Rmab t_APManager.exe $I $C

NOTE

To manage an AP with the AP Manager, you must assign the AP an IP address.
You can use the AP Manager to loa d th e IP address , as describe d in “Configur ing
the AP for SNMP Management” on page 4-16.

Installing the RoamAbout Access Point 3-15

Setting the AP Parameters

Setting the AP Parameters

The AP is shipped with the following default values:

• IP Address: 0.0.0.0

• IEEE Power Management enabl ed

• Secure Access enabled

• Encrypti on disabled

• Workgroup bridge mode

• Station name: RoamAbout AP

• Wireless Network Name: RoamAbout Default Network Na me

• AP Density: Low

• RTS Threshold : 2347 (this value equal s an OFF state)

• Transmit Ra te: Auto Ra te Select

• Limi t m u ltica st tr affic to 1 00 K b/sec

Refer to Chapter 4 to change these and other parameters. Also refer to “Configuring
the AP for SNMP Management” on page 4-16 for instructions to specify the AP’s
SNMP management parameters.

To configure the AP for LAN-to-LAN, refer to “Configuring the AP for
LAN-to-LAN” on page 4-15.

Verifying Wireless Communication

To verify tha t t he AP can communic ate wi th its wi reless clie nts or ano ther AP, u se th e
AP Manager Poi nt-to-Point di agnostic te st as follows. To u se this test, the AP firmware
must be V3.4 or later and the AP Manager must be V3.4 or later.

1) Select the AP in the Managed List field.

2) Click Integrity in th e menu bar.

3) Select Point-to-Point Diagnostics. For more information, press F1 on the

keyboard for the online help topic .

You can also use th e RoamAbout Cl ient Utility to test the communications path from
a wire le s s cl ient to th e A P . Th e cl ient uti li ty is describ ed in the RoamAbout IEEE

DS/PC Card and ISA Adapter Car d User’s Guide.

3-16 Install ing the RoamAbout Access Poin t

Chapter 4

Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

This chapter describes how to configure the AP parameters.
Depending on the co nfiguration of your wireless network, you may need to change the

default settings of various parameters.

Refer to “Configuring the AP for SNMP Management” on pa ge 4-16 to have the AP
managed by an SNMP Manager.

Configuring th e RoamAb out Access Point 4-1

Starting a Configuration Tool

Starting a Configuration Tool

To modify AP parameters a f ter installing the AP, you need to use the RoamAbout
Access Point Manager or a device connected to the console port. The following
sections describe how to start each tool.

RoamAbout Access Point Manager

If you have installed the RoamAbout Access P oint Manage r on a com puter, go to that
computer, click the Start button on the Windows desktop, and select:

Programs

The progr am starts with the f ollowing screen.

→RoamAbout→RoamAbout Access Point Manager

To manage APs from the AP Manager, you need to add the APs by selec ting the
Setup/Add New Access Point button. First, you are prom pted to add a new AP with
or without a n IP address. If the AP has an IP a ddress, sel ect NO; othe rwise, sel ect YES
and fill in the required inf o r mation.

When you first establish communications with the AP, you are prompted for some
general information and then prompted for your wireless parameters. It is highly
recommended that you change the Wireless Network Name from the default, as

described in “Wireless Parameters” on page 4-6.

4-2 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

You can add all your APs with in a wireless domain (defined by the same Wireless
Network Name) so that they show up in one Managed List for fut ure changes. Before
you exit the AP Manager, make sure to save your Managed Lis t file (you will be
prompted). If you are mana ging AP s in multi ple doma ins (d iffe rent Wire less Network
Names) you should save these APs in a separate file.

Press F1 on your keyboard while in any AP Manager window for information about
the parameters in that window.

Console Port Device

If usin g a d evi ce conne cted to th e AP cons ole po rt, y ou n eed t o a ccess the Ro amAbout
Access Point Installation Menu to modify the AP parameters. Perform the following:

Step Action
1 Press Return a few times on the co nsole port device unti l a menu

Starting a Configuration Tool

appears.
If the AP is connected to a DEChub 90 or is a standalone unit, the

RoamAbout Access Point Installation Menu appears.
Note: If the AP is i nstalled in a DEChub 90, the AP must be powered of f

before connecti ng a ca ble to the console port.

2 If the AP is conne cted t o the Mul tiSwitc h 900 consol e port , choose Start

Redirect Mode in the MultiSwitch Installation Menu. Afterwards, enter

the AP slot number as shown in the following example.

Enter selection: 9

================================================

Enter the slot number for redirection (1-8): [n]
setup redirected to 3: RoamAbout Access Point

The init ial installation menu allows you to display and modify the Acces s Point
parameters. Use the Module-Specific Options menu item to display and modify the
wireless networking parameters.

To prevent oth er users fr om access ing the console port menu, choo se Enable /Di sabl e
Console Password from the menu and enable it. Then change the default SNMP

community string as described in “Configuring the AP for SNMP Management” on
page 4-16. Afterwards, the console port will require users to enter the community
string before displaying the menu.

Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point 4-3

Showing Current Settings

Showing Current Settings

You ca n display the se ttings th a t the AP is cu r r e n t ly using .
Using the AP Manager, se lect the AP in the Managed List field and click the var ious

buttons , suc h as Wi reles s Pa ra met er s, Operating Modes, IP Network Parameters,
and Hardware.

In the W ireless Parameters dialog, click the Advanced button to view all the wireles s
parameters . If you see a Normal button instead of Advanced, the dialog is currently
displaying all the wireless parameters. If you have changed any wireless parameters
and have not yet re set the AP, the oper ating (curre nt) set tings are dis played on the left
and the settings that will take affect after the next reset are on the right.

Using the console port, choose Show Current Settings to display the current AP
settings , as shown below.

=================================================================

RoamAbout Access Point,Wireless-to-Wired Bridge:HW=V1.0,RO=V1.4,SW=V4.
SysUpTime : 00:26:37 98 resets
SNMP Read/Write Community : public
Console Password : Disabled
SNMP Trap Addresses : Not Configured
In-Band Interface Hardware Address : 08-00-2B-A3-89-61
In-Band Interface IP Address : 16.20.40.156
In-Band Interface Subnet Mask : 255.0.0.0
In-Band Interface Default Gateway : Not Configured
Wired Ethernet MAC Address : 08-00-2B-A3-89-61
Wireless Ethernet MAC Address : 00-60-6D-92-00-FB
Wireless Network Adapter : RoamAbout IEEE 2.4 GHz DS
Adapter Revisions : Hardware 2.000 Firmware 3.01
Bridge Mode : Work Group
Upline Dump : DISABLED
Memory : 4194304 bytes

===================================================================
Press Return for Main Menu ...

n

4-4 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

Showing Current Settings

To display th e current wireless sett ings, choose Module-Specific Options then select
Show Wireless Configuration. If you have changed a wireless parameter and have

not yet reset the AP, the new setting is NOT reflected in this display. The following
example shows the dialog associated with this option.

=================== =============== ===================== =====

RoamAbout A ccess Point Wire less Co nfigur ation

Current Station Name : RoamAbout AP
Current Wir eless Network Na me : Roam About De fault Network Name
Current Secure Access : Enabled
Current Channel : 2.4220 GHz (802.11-3)
Current AP Density : Low
Current RTS Threshold : 2347
Current Tra nsmit Rate : Auto Rat e Selec t
Current DTIM Period : 001

Press Return for Main Menu ...

Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point 4-5

Wireless Parameters

Wireless Parameters

The wireless parameters affect how the AP communicates with wireless clients or
another AP.

To modify any wireless parameter using the AP Manager, select the AP in the
Managed Lis t field and clic k the Wire le ss Pa ram et ers button. To see al l the wireless
parameters, click the Advanced button.

To modify any wireless para meter using the console port , ch oose Module-Specific
Options then choose Set Wireless Configuration. To not change a value while in its
screen, press Return to go back to the previous menu.

The following sections describe the various wirele ss parameters.

NOTE

To imple ment a change to one or m ore wireless parameters, you need to reset the

AP, as described in “Resetting the RoamAbout Access Point” on page 4- 14.

Channel

The channel sets the cente r frequ ency of the AP. In a LAN-to-L AN configura tion, the
APs need to be set to the same chann el. In a wi reless cl ient co nfigurat ion with m ultiple
APs, adjac ent APs shoul d b e set t o d ifferen t chan nels that are at l eas t 5 ch annels apa rt.
For example, in a con figur ation wit h 3 APs, set the channels to 1, 6, and 11. Note that
some cou ntries only suppor t a l imit ed number of channe ls. The AP doe s not all ow yo u
to set channels outside your country’s band.

Wireless clients with RoamAbout P C Cards a utomatically switch to the AP’s channel
when roaming bet ween APs in a wireless network.

Wireless Network Name

The Wireless Network Name is the network name for your AP. All APs on the same
LAN must be set with the same Wireless Network Name.

If the AP is configured to communicate with wireless clients and the Secure Access
parameter is enable d, ea ch clie nt must be configur ed wit h the s ame Wirele ss Network
Name. If Secure Access is not en abled, clients can be configured with the AP’s
wireless netw or k name, ANY (all uppercase), or keep the Wireles s Network Name
field blank.

4-6 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

Station Name

The Station Nam e is displayed when clients run the Client Utility. Select a name that
will help identify the location of th e AP.

AP Density

The AP Density changes the sensitivity of the roaming client. When APs are placed
close toge ther, you can change the AP Density to Medium or High to force clients to
roam sooner to a closer AP. The de fault val ue is Low. Client s should be s et to the sam e
valu e as the AP.

Transmit (Tx) Rate

The tr ansmit rat e ident ifies the pr eferr ed da ta tran smiss ion sp eed of th e AP. The actua l
data t rans mission spee d is subject to the type of PC Cards at both ends of the wireless
link and the communications quality of the link.

By default , the PC Card automat ically swit ches to a lower rate when data transmis sions
fail more than once. Transmissions at lower rates are usually more reliable.
Transmissions at higher rates do not cover the same distances as the lower data rates.
Shortly after completing the transmission, the PC Card returns to transmitting data at
the selected rate. This is called the auto-rate select feature.

Wireless Parameters

Use a lower rate in networks where range is more important than speed, or network
response times are affected by numerous retransmi ssions. For example, set the
transmit rat e to a lo w rate when the commu nicat ions quali ty i s low due to a l ow signa l
level. Setting the tr ansmit rate to a lower rate prevents the PC Card from slowing
network respons e times by transmitting data unsucces sfully at a higher rate then
retransmitting at a lower rate.

Use a fixed rate when perform ance slows down as a result of many retransmiss ions,
even thoug h the devices show an excellent ra dio connectio n. T his situation ca n occ ur
when, for example, microwave ovens interfere with communication. A fixed rate
prevents the PC Card from slowing network res ponse time by retransmitting at a
slower r ate. In this environme nt, transmitting at 1 Mbit/s is not more useful than
transmitting at 2 Mbit /s.

The trans mi t rate you select does not aff ect the receive rate. For example, you can set
the transmit rate to 1 Mbit/s and still receive 2 Mbit/s data.

Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point 4-7

Wireless Parameters

RTS Threshold

RTS Threshold, also known as medium reservation, specifies the packet size, where
messag es la rge r th an t h e sp ec ifi ed s i ze mu st us e t he RTS/ CTS ( R equ est t o S en d/Cl ea r
to Send) protoco l. The default value, 2347, effectiv ely turns off the RTS Threshol d.

In a wireless network, only one wireles s device transmits at a time. Each device can
sense trans missions from other devi ces in its network that use th e same frequency. This
behavior is referred to as the Carrier Sense Multiple Acces s/Collision Avoidance
protocol (CSMA/CA).

The RTS Threshold is useful when collis ions frequently occ ur at the AP. This can be
caused when the AP and anot her device tra nsmit data to e ach other si multaneo usly. By
lowering the RTS Threshold on the AP:

• When a mess age i s short er than t he RTS Thre shol d, the AP t ransmit s data when it

• When th e message ex ceeds t h e threshold, the AP sends an RTS to the client (or

senses that the medium is free. The RTS/CTS protocol is not used.

AP in a LAN-to-LAN confi guration). The AP wait s until the device resp onds with
a CTS message.

Lowering the RTS Th reshold imposes additional network ove rhea d that could
negativ ely affect the throughput performance. The r efore, you should only lower the
RTS Threshold when the wireless network experiences frame collisions and lost
messages.

Medium Reservation on the clie nt is useful for resolving a hidden stat ion problem,

where two or more clients cannot sense each other’s transmissions, causing frame
collisions and lost mess ages. This probl em can oc cur with clients located at opposite
ends of the AP coverag e are a. If you have a hidden station problem, move the clients
or AP so that the devices can sense each other’s trans missions, if possible. Otherwise,
set Mediu m Res ervat ion on the Ro amAbout clie nt to the Hidden Stations setting. Fo r
a hidden station problem, change Medium Reservation on the client, not the AP.

4-8 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

IEEE Pow er Management (DTIM Period)

Power Management c an extend b attery li fe of clien ts by allowing t he client to sleep for
short periods of time while the AP buffers mes sages for the client.

You may need to balance wire les s performance versus battery-life. Power
Management can impose a more act ive use of the wireless medium, which might lead
to more frequent transmission delays, experienced as slower network response times
during file transfers.

With slower response times, the client may spend more time in operational mode
resulting in less effective power managem ent. In such cases, disabling power
management on the client might result in better throughput performance.

RoamAbout PC Cards with Station Firmware lower tha n V2.00, do NOT support
Power Management. Enabling Power Management for such cards ca n cause
unpredictable computer behavior and a loss of the network connection. To check the
Station Firmware version, run the RoamAbout Cli ent Utility, choose Diagnose Card
then choo se the ta b Vers ion Info. If the seconda ry fi rmware versio n is le ss tha n V2.0,
check the RoamAbout web site for available upgrades.

Wireless Parameters

The AP supports IEEE Power Management. The DTIM (Delivery Traffic Indication
Mess ag e) in terval va lu e sets the bu f f er i ng ti m e . F or ex a m p le , th e def ault val u e of 1
corresponds to 100m s of sleep ti me. It is high ly recommende d that you do not cha nge
this value.

Secure Access

When Secure Access is enabled, the AP denies access to wireless clients that do not
use the correct Wireless Network Name. When Secure Access is disabled, the AP
allows access to wireless clients that use ANY (all uppercase) as the Wireless Network
Name or have a blank Wireless Network Name.

Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point 4-9

Setting Bridge Mode

Setting Bridge Mode

The options ar e:

• Workgroup Mode confi gures the AP to communicate with wireless clients. This

is the default sett ing.

• LAN-to-LAN Mode configures the AP to communicate with another AP. The AP

to AP con figuration connects two LANs.

To configure an AP for LAN-to-L AN mode, you may need to change other param eters.

For the comple te procedure, refer to “Configuring the AP for LAN-to-LAN” on page
4-15.

The bridge mode se tting is avail able by clicking the Wireless Parameters button in
the AP Manager then clicking the Advance d button. In the console port menu, select
Module-Specific Options.

NOTE

To imple ment thi s chan ge, yo u nee d t o res et t he AP as describ ed in “Reset ting the
RoamAbout Access P oint” on page 4-14.

Setting Default Rate Limiting (Multicast Traffic)

By default , the AP is configured to limit multicast traffic to 100Kb/sec (5%).
You can enable or disable this parameter from the AP Manager or cons ole port.

Disabling thi s parameter coul d cause multica st traffic to us e more network bandwidt h.
Should a broadc as t s torm occur when this paramete r is disabled, the mul ticast traffic
could cause a serious degradation of network pe rformance.

You can change the value of the multicast traffi c limit from a Network Management
Station (NMS).

The Default Rate Limiting setting is available by clicking the Operating Modes
button in the AP Manager, or selecting the Module-Specific Options in the console
port menu.

4-10 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

Setting Encryption

The Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) feature uses a s pec ific key to encrypt all data
transmitted from the Access Point. Howe ver, it uses one of 4 keys to decode receive d
encrypted data. A wireless client without the correct encryption keys cannot receive
and decipher encrypted data from the Access Point. You can configure the AP to
communicate with clients that use WEP and clients that do not.

One versio n of the R oamAbout PC Card i n t he AP suppo rts t he 802. 11 sta ndard 40 -bit
encrypti on only. Another version s upports both 40-bit and 128-bit encrypt ion. The
standard 40-bit encryption uses a 5 character key (or 10 hexadecimal digits). The
128-bit encryption uses a 13 character ke y (or 26 hexa decimal digits).

A hexadecimal dig it key must start wit h 0x, which is not count ed in the number of
digits . Fo r example, 0xABCDEF0123 is a valid 40-bit enc r yption hexadeci mal
key (10 hex digits ).

Settin g Encryp tion

NOTE

There are 4 positions, Key 1, Key 2, Key 3, and Key 4. The position of each key is
important, since the clients must enter the same key in the same position to
communicate with the AP.

In the AP Manager, the Encryption setting is available by clicking the Encryption
button. When you open the Encryption window, pre ss F1 on your keyboard for specific
information on each field.

In the console port menu, select the Module-Specific Options. If you enable
Encrypti on, you must also enter at least one key and choose a transmit key.

If you wish to prevent any SNMP Manage r, includi ng the AP Manager , from changing
the Encryption parameters, select Set Exclude WEP SNMP from the Encryption
menu in the console port and enable it.

NOTE

If you enable/disable Encrypt ion or allow/disallow nonencrypted clients to

communicate with the AP, you ne e d to re set the AP a s de scrib ed in “R esetti ng the
RoamAbout Access Point ” on page 4-14. You do not need to reset the AP to a dd,
delete, or modify keys.

Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point 4-11

Setting RMON Values

Setting RMON Values

The AP supports four of the nine Remot e Network Monitorin g MIB (RMON) gro ups:
Statistics, History, Alarm, and Event. However, the settings for these groups can only
be accessed with an NMS system. The console port and AP Manager can not change
or view the RMON group sett ings.

• Statistics - The Statistics group contains statistics measured by the probe for the

Wired LA N and the Wi r eless LAN in terf aces.

• History - The History group records periodic st atistical samples from a network

and sto r es th em for la ter retr ie v al.

• Alarm - The Alarm group periodica lly take s stati stic al sample s from variab les in

the probe and compares them to previously configured thresholds. If the
monitored variable crosses a thre shold, an event is generated.

• Event - The Even t group controls the generation and notification of events from

this device.

When the AP is initialized, two statistics groups are generated: one for the Wired
interface and one f or the Wirel ess interfa ce. Also, two Histo ry groups a re generate d for
each interface: one with a short term polling period of thirty seconds and one with a
long term polling period of thirty minutes.

The AP has the following limi ts for the RMON MIB becau se of me mory limitati ons:

• A maximum of six Statistics groups.

• A maximum of four History grou ps, each group allowi ng a maximum of fifty (50)

“buckets”, i.e., samples.

• A maximum of ten Alarm groups.

• A maximum of ten Event groups.

With an NMS s yst em, you c an reconf igure e ach gr oup. For example, y ou could assi gn
80 buckets each to the long and short term History groups assigned to the Wired
interface, and 20 buckets each to the long and short term History groups assigned to
the Wir eless interface. This example d o es not exceed the max i mum of 200 b u ck ets.

4-12 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

Checking the Configuration on Multiple APs

Checking the Configuration on Multiple APs

You can use the AP Manager to check the integrit y of your APs’ configuration. This
will ins ure that all your APs (within a domain) ar e configure d correctly. You can s elect
to check the Wirel es s, Mode or Firmware integrity. Before runnin g an integrity test,
click the Select All button under the list of APs to ensure that all the APs are checked.

Wireless IDs - Checks that all APs are configured with the same Wireless Network
Name, different station name, same AP density setting, and the sa me RTS Threshold.

Modes - Checks that all APs are configured with the same ope rating modes, such as
rate limiting, upline dump, and bridge mode.

Firmware Revisions - Verifies that all APs have the same version of the firmware.

Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point 4-13

Resetting the RoamAbout Access Point

Resetting the RoamAbout Access Point

Ther e ar e two ways to reset the AP:

• Reset with Current Settings

This option reboots the AP but leaves the AP’s configured NVRAM parameters
at their current settings.

If you change any wireless configuration paramete r (Wireless Network Name,
Channel, Station Name, etc.), you must select this option to reset the AP.

From the AP Manager, s elect Reset/Reload then select Reset with Current
Settings.

From a device attac hed to the console port , s elect Reset with Current Settings
from the Installati on Menu.

Allow appr oximately 1 minute for the AP to reset and complete its self-test.

• Reset with Factory Defaults

This option reboots the AP, causing the AP’s configured NVRAM para meters to
be initia lized to factor y default values.

This acti on deletes all configura tion setting s and r eplaces them with factory
default value s. All configuration settings wil l be lost, including the IP addres s.

From the AP Manager, s elect the AP from the Managed List f ield, click the
Reset/Reload button, then cl ick the Reset with Factory Defaults button.

From a device attac hed to the console port , s elect Reset with Factory Defaults
from the Installati on Menu.

Allow appr oximately 1 minute for the AP to reset and complete its self-test.

4-14 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

Configuring the AP for LAN-to-LAN

To configure two APs to communicate with each other in a LAN-to-LAN
configuration, perform the following tasks:

1) Get the wirel es s MAC address of the remote AP.

You can see the wireless address via the AP Manager or console device, as

described in “Sho wing Curre nt Sett ing s” on page 4-4. The wi reless MAC add ress
is NOT the same as the wired MAC addr ess printed on the fr o n t of the AP.

2) Set the Bridge Mode to LAN-to-LAN, as des cribed in “Set ting Bridge Mode” on

page 4-10.

3) Make su r e that th e A Ps use the same channel. To change the AP channel, see

“Wireless Para meters” on page 4-6.

4) Set the Transmit (TX) Rate to Auto Select, which is the default setting. See

“Wireless Parameters” on page 4-6 to change the Transmit Rate.

Configuring the AP for LAN-to-LAN

5) Perform this procedure on the other AP.
The following AP parameters are not used in this mode:

• Wireless Network Name

• Secure Access

• AP Density

• Power Management (DTIM Period)

Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point 4-15

Configuring the AP for SNMP Management

Configuring the AP for SNMP Management

To enable SNMP management for the AP, use the AP Manager or console port to
perform the following tasks:

• Set the in-band interface IP address of the AP.

• Set the in-band interface default gateway address.

• Optionally set the SNMP re ad /write co mmunity n ame (default is “pu b lic”).

• Opti o nally ad d S N M P tr a p ad dress es.

Set In-Band Interface Ad dresses

To perform SNMP management on the AP, you must assign it an IP address, along
with a subnet mas k and de fault gateway. If there is a BootP/TFTP server on the
network confi gured with the MAC address of the AP, the AP will get an IP address
from it.

To enter the AP’s IP address, subnet mask and default gateway using the AP
Manager:

1) Click the Setup/Add New Access Point butt on.

2) In the popup dialog, select Yes to load a new IP addr ess.

3) Enter the AP’s MAC address, IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway.

4) Click OK to reset the AP. All ow approximately 1 mi nute for the AP to reset and

comple te its self-test, the n click OK.

To modify an existing AP’s subnet mask and default gateway using the AP
Manager:

1) Select the AP in the Managed List field.

2) Click the IP Network Parameters button.

3) Enter the subnet mask and default gateway.

4-16 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

Configuring the AP for SNMP Management

To chan ge or dele te th e Ac ces s Po i nt’ s cu rren t IP a ddre s s us in g th e AP Man age r:

1) Select the Access Point in the ma naged list.

2) Click the IP Network P ara me ters button.

3) Set the Address State to Volatile then click OK.

4) In the main AP Mana ger window, cl ick the Re set/Rel oad button. Then click Re set

with Current Settings. This will set the IP address back to 0.0.0.0. The Access
Point is no longer manageable by the AP Manager.

5) Use the Setup/Add New Access Point button to giv e the Access Point a new I P

address and add it back to the list of managed Access Points.

To enter the AP’s IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway using the console
port:

1) At the Roa mAbout Instal lation Menu , choose Set In-Band Interface IP Address.

2) Enter the IP address, subnet mask, and default gatewa y. You do not nee d to reset

the AP.

Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point 4-17

Configuring the AP for SNMP Management

Set SNMP Read/Write Community

To perform SNMP management on the AP, you m ust assign i t a communi ty name. Th e
format for a community name is a string consisting of 4 to 31 print able ASCII
characte rs. This community name can be used by SNMP managers for read/ w rite
access control. The default community name is public.

If you use an SNMP read/write community name other than public, you can also
prevent other us ers from accessing the console port menu. To require users to
enter the community string before di splaying the menu, choose Enable/Disable

Console Password from the console port menu and enable it.

To ente r a com m u ni ty na me for the AP u si n g the A P M a n a g er :

1) Select the AP in the Managed List field.

NOTE

2) Click on the Options menu and select Community Strings.

3) Enter the commun ity name (4 to 31 pri nta ble ASCII cha racte rs) in the dia log box

and click OK. The change is sent to the AP. The AP Manager also changes its
inter nal com munity s tr i ng to ma tc h th e AP.

If the AP has a com munity name, the AP Manager and any ot her SNMP Manager must
have the correct community name associa ted with the AP; otherwise, the tool will be
unable to make any ch anges to the AP.

To ente r a com m u ni ty na me for the AP u si n g the co n sole port:

1) At the RoamAbout Installation Menu, c hoos e Set SNMP Read/Write

Community.

2) Enter the community name (4 to 31 printable ASCII charact ers).

4-18 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

Set SNMP Trap Addresses

To have the AP send SNMP tra ps, you need to ent er the IP address of the device where
the trap is to be sent. A tra p is a defined eve nt or condition detected by the RoamAbout
Access Point SNMP agent.

To enter an SNMP trap address using the console port:

1) At the RoamAbout Installation Menu, c hoos e Add SNMP Trap Addresses.

2) Enter th e SN M P tr ap add r ess.

Note: To not change the existing value, press Return to go back to the previous
menu.

To delete an existing trap address using the console port:

1) At the RoamAbout Installation Menu, c hoos e Delete SNMP Trap Addresses.

2) Enter the exis ting SNMP trap addre ss that you wish to delete.

Note: To not change the existing value, press Return to go back to the previous
menu.

Configuring the AP for SNMP Management

Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point 4-19

Upgrading the RoamAbout Access Point

Upgrading the RoamAbout Access Point

The AP internal firmwa re, also ca lled embedded softwar e, can be easily upgraded.
This firmware is stored in an are a called flas h memory. You s hould regula rly check the
RoamAbout web site (listed in the front of this guide) for the lat es t information
concerning new fi rmware releases, new features, and bug fixes.

Typically, all your parameter settings are retained after the upgrade.
To load the AP with a n upgraded versi on of the fir mware, you should co py the .bin fil e

from the web site to the same di rectory as the AP Manager or BootP/TFTP server. As
part of the upgrade, you will be asked for the location of the .bin file .

You can only upgrade one AP at a time.
The AP Man ager includes a BootP/TF TP loader, called NetRider Loader, that will

upgrade the AP. If you are not using the AP Manager, you need to configure a
BootP/TFTP server.

When you start the upgrade, the AP immediately stops its opera tion. The firmware in

the AP’s memory is then upgraded with an image downline-loaded from the
BootP/T FTP server.

To upgrade the AP using the AP Manager:

1) Select the AP in the Managed List field.

2) Click the Reset/Reload button.

3) Click the Upgrade Flash Software button. You will see an indicat ion of the flash

load on the Ne tRi der L oader scre en. Aft er this happe ns, the AP proc ess es the ne w
firmware and is unavailable for approximately one minute. The easiest way to
know this has compl eted i s to look for nor mal flas hing of the front pan el light s or
try to communic ate with the AP using the AP Manager.

To upgrade the A P u sing the con so l e p o rt :

1) Make sure that you have properly configured a BootP/TFTP server.

2) At the RoamAbout Installation Menu, c hoos e Module-Specific Options.

3) In the next menu, choos e Upgrade Flash. You will be asked to confirm the

upgrade.

4-20 Configuring the RoamAbout Access Point

Chapter 5

Problem Solving

This chap ter con tains pro blem sol ving info rmati on for the AP. Refer to the app ropri ate
section for information about solving specific problems.

Problem Solving 5-1

Using the LEDs to Determine the Problem

Using the LEDs to Determine the Problem

The LEDs on the AP show status and help you diagnose problems. After the AP is
powered up and complet es its power-up self-te st procedure, the LEDs indic ate whether
the AP is functioning properly.

When the power-up self-test diagnostics detect a failure in the AP or you suspect a
failure, r erun the s elf-t est to verify that t he fai lur e can be repeate d. Run the sel f-test by
unplugging the ac power cord and plugging it back in.

Table 5-1 summarizes the AP LEDs.

Table 5-1: LED Sum m ary Table

LED
No.

1 Gre en Power OK Power is on. On
2 Green Module OK Firmware is running OK. On
3 Green Wired LAN

4 Green Bridge State Indicates AP is forwar d in g. On
5YellowAP

6 Green Wireless

7 Gre en PC Card

LED
Color

LED
Signal

Activity

Saturated

LAN
Activity

Present

LED On Status Normal

State

Indicates activity on wired
LAN.

Indicates that packets are
being lost due to congest ion,
or an error condition exists
(see Table 5-2).

Indicates activity on
wireless LAN.

PC Card is present in the AP . On

Blinking

Off

Blinking

LEDs that blink do so in one of two modes :

• Normal mode – At a variable (random) rate with varied intensi ty to indicate the

activity level during normal ope ration.

• Error mode – At a constant (s teady) rate and intensity to indicat e an er ror.

5-2 Problem Solving

Using the LEDs to Determine the Problem

Table 5-2 descri bes possible AP problems and recommend ed co rrec tive actions.

Table 5-2: LED Prob lem S ol v in g S um m ary

If... Then... Do This.. .

Power OK LED (1) is off. AP does not have

power.

Module OK LED (2) is
off.

Either the AP is
performing hardware
diagnostics, the
Ethernet connection is
bad, or the AP hardware
is defective.

Module OK LED (2) is
blinking in Error mode
(constant rate and

The AP is not connected
to either the wired LAN

or wireless LAN.
intensity), and is blinking
in uni s o n wi th th e A P
Saturated LED and in
unison wit h either the
Wi red L AN or Wire le ss
LAN activity LED.

Verify that the outlet has
power.

Check the power
connection to the AP.

Replace the power supply
(if a standalone
configuration).

Return the AP (contact
your sales represen tative).

Verify the Ethernet
connection. If the LED
still fai ls to light, return
the AP (contact your sales
repres enta tive).

Check to see which
network activity LED the
Module OK LED is
blinking in unis o n with,
and verif y the approp riate
connection.

Wire d LAN Activit y LED
(3) is b linking wit h a short
on once per second.

AP Saturated LED (5) is
blinking in Normal mode.

AP Saturated LED (5) is
blinking in Error mode.

AP is not connected to

the wired network, or

there is no ac tivity on

the wired LAN.

AP is dropping packets

due to excessive traffic.

This indicates an error

condition exists.

Verify that the AP is
physically connected to
the network.

Exami n e y ou r
configuration to
determine if there are on e
or more us ers tr ansmit ting
excessive amounts of
data.

See Module OK LED
description.

Problem Solving 5-3

Using the LEDs to Determine the Problem

Table 5-2: LED Prob lem S ol v in g S um m ary (Continued)

If... Then... Do This.. .

Wireless LAN Activity
LED (6) is blinking a short
on once per second.

Bridg e Stat e L ED (4 )
is off.

Bridge State LED ( 4 ) is
blinking.

There is no activity on
the wireless LAN. If
you know there is
act iv ity on th e wireless
LAN , then thi s status
indicates that the PC
Card ha s an in co r r ec t
wireless parameter o r is
not operatin g pr operly.

Self-test in progress or a
spanning tree
reconfiguration is
underway.

Otherwise , this status
may indicate that there
is a redundant AP
handling the network
traffic and that this AP
is in Standby mode.

Downline load is in
progress.

Reconfigure the wireless
parameters. Ensure that
the A P an d al l w ir e less

clients in the AP’s
coverage area have the
same wireless parameters.

Verify tha t th e PC Card is
ins talled prope r ly.

W ait until self-test or
reconfiguration ends.

If the AP is in Standby
mo de, veri f y yo ur
network configuration to
determ ine whet her t here is
another AP configured to
operate in the same
coverage area.

W ait for downline load to
complete.

PC Card Present LED (7)
is off.

There is no PC Card
install ed in the slot, or it
is not properly inserted.

Turn off power and insert
the PC Card into th e AP.

5-4 Problem Solving

Using the LEDs to Determine the Problem

Table 5-3, Table 5-4, and Table 5-5 list c ommon conditions and the corresponding
states of the LED indicators.

Table 5-3: Normal Operating Mode LE D Patterns

LEDs

1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 M ea n in g of LE D Pa t te rn

Normal operating mode.

AP is okay but waiting for Spanning Tree .
AP is okay but occasi onally saturated.

PC Card is defective.

Ethernet problem after power-up.

1. =on, =off, =steady blinking, =ra ndom bli nking

Table 5-4: Diagnostics LED Patterns

LEDs

1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mea n in g of LE D Pa t te rn

No power . (No power a t the outlet o r a fai led
power supply.)

PC Card not inserted properly.

Diagnostics are running.

Ethernet connect ion broken.

Failure while initializing/testing the
memory.

1. =on

,

=off, =steady blinking, =random blinking, =any state

Problem Solving 5-5

Using the LEDs to Determine the Problem

Table 5-5: Network Lo a di ng /U p li ne D u m pi ng LED Patterns

LEDs

1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mea n in g of LE D Pa t te rn

Waiting for downline load from load host

Downline loading image from load host
Firmware error detected while downl ine

loading image f r o m load host
TFTP file not found

Waiting for retry of TFTP load
Upgrading Flash

Flash upgrade succe ssful
Invalid (wrong) load image

Unsuccessful Flash upgrade
Invalid load image: corrupted image

Invalid load image: image too large
TFTP error

Firmware error or number of retries
exceeded

Hardware error

1. =on, =off, =steady blinking, =r and om bl ink i ng , =any state

5-6 Problem Solving

Reset Button

You can force a downline load of the AP’s firmware from a load host and reset to
factory para meters by pressing the Reset button on the front panel of the AP during a
power-up cycle . When y ou pres s the Reset but ton as the AP is powering up, the L EDs
cycle through three times to indicate that the AP recognized the reset request. If the
LEDs do not function prope rly after rese tting the AP to its factory settin gs, remove the
AP and contact your sale s representative.

Setting Upline Dump

This parameter allows you to specify whether the AP’s memory is upli ne dum ped in
the event the AP crashes.

When upline dump mode is enabled, the AP’s memory is dumped to any local
BootP/TFTP l oad host that is confi gured with t he AP’s ad dress . Upline dump mode i s
disabled by de fault.

Reset Button

Depending on t he dump host, you may need to creat e a writable file to accept the dump.
The file name should be a pxxxxx x.dmp, where xxxxx xx is th e last 6 di gits of the AP’s
wired MAC address, which is printed on the front cover of the AP.

The Upline Dump setting is available by cl icking the Operating Modes button in the
AP Manager, or selecting the Module-Specific Options in the console port menu.

Problem Solving 5-7

Showing Counters

Showing Counters

You can displa y the val ues of all the counter s mainta ined by t he AP. This in formation
can help you t o monitor t he performance of y our wireless network or bet ter understa nd
a problem. Typically, this information is used by RoamAbout support personnel to
help you diagnose a problem.

To show a subset of the count ers using the AP Manager:

1) Select the AP in the Managed List field.

2) Click the Statistics button.

To show all the counters using the console port:

1) At the RoamAbout Installation Menu, c hoos e Module-Specific Options.

2) In the next menu, choos e Show Counters.

5-8 Problem Solving

Showing Counters

The following exa mp le shows the dialogs associated with Show Counter s .

Device uptime: 0 00:30:08 ETHERNET Port 0 WIRELESS Port 1
Individually addressed bytes sent: 0 0
Multicast bytes sent: 111446 109406
Individually addressed bytes received: 0 0
Multicast by tes received: 0 0
Individually addressed frames sent: 0 0
Multicast frames sent: 1850 1820
Individual ly addressed fr ames rec eived : 0 0
Multicast frames received: 0 0
Frames deferred: 0 0
Single collision: 0 0
Multiple collisions: 0 0
Excessive collisions: 0 0
Carrier check failed: 0 0
Transmit Frame too long: 0 0
Remote failure to defer: 0 0
Block check error: 0 0
Frame error: 0 0
Receive Frame too long: 0 0
Data Overrun: 0 0
System buffer unavailable: 0 0
Collision detect check fail: 0 0
Press RETURN to continue

Wireless PC card counters
Individually addressed frames sent: 0
Multicast frames sent: 156
Fragments sent: 1665
Individually addressed bytes sent: 0
Multicast bytes sent: 10380
Deferred tr ansmis sions: 126
Single retr y frames sent: 0
Multiple retry frames sent: 0
Transmit re try limi t exceeded fram es: 0
Transmit frames discarded: 0
Individually addressed frames received: 0
Multicast frames received: 3
Fragments received: 3
Individually addressed bytes received: 0
Multicast bytes received: 162
Receive FCS errors: 220
Receive buffer not available: 0
Wrong station address on transmit: 0
Receive WEP errors: 0
Receive message in message fragments: 0
Receive message in bad msg fragments: 0
Receive WEP ICV errors: 0
Receive WEP excluded: 0
Press Ret urn for Ma in Menu ...

Problem Solving 5-9

Displaying Error Logs

Displa ying Error Logs

The AP can display erro r logs used by support person nel when analyzing syst em faults.
Up to four error log dumps can be stored, and the most recent dump is displ ayed first.
There are two types of error logs. One for AP settings and one for wireless settings.

AP Settings

To displa y the AP sett ing s erro r l ogs usin g th e cons ole p ort, choos e Du mp Er ro r L og
from the Roam About Installation Menu.

This error log dis plays various information, including current reset count and
PCMCIA Card present/not present.

Wireless Settings

To display the wireless settings error logs using the co nsole port:

1) At the RoamAbout Installation Menu, c hoos e Module-Specific Options.

2) In the next menu, select Dump Error Log.

The following exa mp le shows the dialog assoc iated with this option.

RoamAbout Access Point
================================================================

Product Specific ERROR LOG
================================================================

Entry Number = 58
Entry Type = OTHER EXCEPTIONS
Error Code = FC000200 Vector offset = 0512
Error Data =

0:0001E8C8 1:00000000 2:20100700 3:C3360200
4:0000EEAC 5:00050400 6:0001CBAC 7:01001596

Dump another Log entry [Y]/N ?

To see the sa me informati on in the AP Manager, select the AP in the Mana ged List
field and click the Hardware and Troubleshooting buttons.

5-10 Problem Solving

Removing the AP from the MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90

Removing the AP from the MultiSwitch 900 or DEChub 90

Follow this procedure if it becomes necessary to remove the AP:

Step Action
1 Lift the release lever located on the top of the MultiSwitch 900 slot or

the DEChub 90 slot.

2 Pivot the AP back on its bottom mounting tab, and disengage the AP

from the backplane.

Hub Manager
Status Display

Lift Release Lever

MultiSwitch 900

Mounting Tab

VNswitch 900GV

V
N
sw
itch
9
00
G

V

DEChub 90

V
N
sw
itch

9
00
G
V

LKG-9454-941-01

Problem Solving 5-11

Appendix A

Connector, Cable, and Adapter

Pin Assignments

The following figures illustrate the connector, adapter, and cable pin assignments for
the RoamAbout Access Po int.

Figure A-1: 10BaseT (8-pin MJ) Connector Pin Assignments

Pin Ass ignm ent
1 Receive (RX+ )
2 Receive (RX-)
3 Transmit (TX+)
4 No connect
5 No connect
6 Transmit (TX-)
7 No connect
8 No connect

Pin 1 8

8-pin MJ connector

LKG-8895-93-01

Connector, Cable, and Adapter Pin Assignments A-1

Figure A-2: Console Port (DB-9) Connector Pin Assignments

Pin As s ignment
1 Da ta Carrier Detect (DCD)
2 Receive Data (RXD)

1 5

3 Transmit Data (TXD)
4 Data Terminal Ready (DTR)
5 Ground
6 Da ta Set Ready (DSR)
7 Request to Send (RTS)

6 9

LKG-8996-931-01

8 Cl ear to Send (CTS)
9 No connect

Figure A-3: BN24H Cable Pin Assignments (Used with Console Port)

8 MMP

WH/GR
GR/WH
WH/OR

OR/WH
WH/BR
BR/WH

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

6 MMP

1
2
3
4
5
6

LKG-4716-91-01

Figure A-4: BC16E Cable Pin Assignments (Used with Console Port)

A-2 Connector, Cabl e, and Adapter Pin Assignments

6 MMP

1
2
3
4
5
6

6 MMP

1
2
3
4
5
6

LKG-4718-911-01

Figure A-5: H8571-J Adapter Pin Assignments (Used with Console Port)

9 D-Sub(F)

1

6 MMJ

1
2
3
4
5
6

LKG-5342-911-01

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
20

DCD
SD
RD
DTR
GRD
DSR
RTS
CTS
RI

Figure A-6: H8575-A Adapter Pin Assignments (Used with Console Port)

25 D-Sub(F)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
20

DTR
TX+
TX ­RX­RX +
DSR

6 MMJ

1
2
3
4
5
6

LKG-8793-931-01

Connector, Cable, and Adapter Pin Assignments A-3