Wireless management - Essay Example

Running head: Wireless Management Wireless Management By _________________ Wireless Management When we talk about Wireless Management, it is for sure that we are discussing proper configuration, management and performance assessment of a WLAN. WLAN allows you at home to share an Internet connection in all rooms, without having to drill holes and put in Network cables between all the rooms. In such cases, you would use a WLAN Router, often available as combination unit of WLAN-router and DSL / ADSL modem. Using a Wireless Access-point, networks can be configured with systems connected via cables and via Wireless connections. (WLAN, 2006) In order to manage wireless applications and voice applications there is a content manager, which enables you to create and organize repository objects. If we analyze an overview of the content manager we would come to know the role "content manager" plays in managing various services. It enables you to edit services, including mobile services. These reusable services can be invoked as a normal service, or by another service to return a result to that service. Wireless provides several mobile services that are ready for deployment, including those for such Personal Information Management (PIM) tools as calendar, address book, fax, and mail. (Oracle 9i, AS) How to manage wireless types Today wireless data networks exist in such a wide variety that it is difficult to compare and categorize them separately. Some wireless data networks run over wireless voice networks such as mobile telephone networks. Examples are CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data), HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switched Data), PDC-P (Packet Data Cellular) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). Other wireless networks run on their own physical networks, utilizing anything from antennas built into handheld devices to large antennas mounted on towers. Examples are 802.11, LMDS and MMDS. A few wireless networks are intended only to connect small devices over short distances. Blue tooth is an example. (Wireless, 2006) Here we would discuss about managing Wifi or 802.11 networks. Like dial-up and cable modems, Wi-Fi networks use a technique called modulation to convert digital signals from your computer into analog RF signals. The speed at which data can be transmitted over a modulated carrier depends on a number of factors, including available bandwidth and the specific type of modulation used. Complex modulation schemes, such as 64-Quadrature Ampliture Modulation on 54-Mbps 802.11 WLANs, carry more bits per unit of time than simpler schemes, like the Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying used on 1-Mbps WLANs. If a complex modulation scheme isn't supported by high-quality RF signals, errors will occur. Because signal quality decreases over the RF medium, there's always a trade-off between speed and distance. Radio waves that travel through the air attenuate faster than RF signals carried by cable modems running over a hybrid fiber-coax cabling system. (Network Computing, 2006) Wi-Fi networks use radio spectrum designated by the FCC and other regulatory bodies for unlicensed operators. This "buy, install and run" approach is one thing that makes Wi-Fi so appealing. Although you don't need a license to operate a Wi-Fi system, vendors' products must be certified to ensure they adhere to FCC rules. (Network Computing, 2006) FCC regulations govern the use of 83.5 MHz of spectrum between 2.4 and 2.4835 GHz, known as the 2.4 GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band, as well as the 300 MHz of spectrum in the 5 GHz UNII (Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure) bands. The 5 GHz UNII bands include 200 MHz between 5.15 and 5.35 GHz and 100 MHz between 5.725 and 5.825 GHz. Each Wi-Fi device, whether it's a PC card, a NIC or an AP (access point), acts as a transceiver that transmits and receives radio signals. Since all Wi-Fi systems use high-frequency microwave signals, the signals attenuate rapidly. Higher-frequency 5-GHz 802.11a signals experience somewhat greater attenuation than 2.4-GHz systems, especially when solid objects like floors and walls are within the coverage area. (Network Computing, 2006) While 802.11i delivers strong link layer security via digital encryption keys generated when a client authenticates with the network, it must be adapted to meet the stringent mobility needs of real-time communications such as voice and video. When a user roams from one AP to another, fresh encryption keys must be completely renegotiated according to the 802.11i specification. This renegotiation often proves fatal for voice and other real-time communications - taking hundreds of milliseconds, or even seconds, and resulting in high latencies, scalability problems and multiple points of failure. Renegotiating 802.11i encryption keys is a multi-step process which first involves the renegotiation of master encryption keys also known as Pair-Wise Master Keys or PMKs in the 802.11i standard specification. This step requires communication with RADIUS back-end servers optimized for storing user credentials but not for real-time key renegotiation. This introduces a new issue for WLAN that involves the scalability of the RADIUS server itself. The second step in the key renegotiation process involves the generation of session keys used for encrypting traffic. PMKs are the root keys used for this step. If a PMK is compromised, then the confidentiality of the entire session is suspect since deriving session keys, given the PMK, is a simple process. (802.11i) 802.11b extends the original 802.11 standard, which included specifications for 1- and 2-Mbps wireless Ethernet transmissions using spread spectrum RF signals in the 2.4-GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. The transmissions use 100 milliwatts (mw) of transmitter power in North America (and less in other parts of the world). In the original standard, two different spread spectrum transmission methods for the physical layer (PHY)1 were defined: Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS). The 802.11b standard extends the original DSSS PHY standard to provide a theoretical maximum data rate of 11 Mbps. (Wifi, 2006) 802.11b networks can be implemented in "infrastructure" mode or "ad hoc" mode. In infrastructure mode-referred to in the IEEE specification as the basic service set-each wireless client computer "associates" with an access point (AP) via a radio link. The AP connects to the 10/100-megabits per second (Mbps) Ethernet enterprise network using a standard Ethernet cable, and provides the wireless client computer with access to the wired Ethernet network. (Wifi, 2006) Ad hoc mode is the peer-to-peer network mode, which is suitable for very small installations. Ad hoc mode is referred to in the 802.11b specification as the independent basic service set. (Wifi, 2006) As far as Wifi security is concerned Current Wi-Fi systems already have some security features in place. The Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) system allows users to set up either 64 or 128-bit encryption keys. Such encryption is probably enough to keep most prying eyes out of network systems, but the current system still has significant holes in it. While managing Wifi security, There is always risk inherent in a network, wired or not. Users of public networks assume their own risk when it comes to security. According to Wi-Fi Alliance, many hotspot providers and Wi-Fi manufacturers are implementing improved security technologies to protect Wi-Fi users against interception and eavesdropping in public hotspots. In the meantime, these are steps taken to protect your guests from unwanted hackers: (Wifi security, 2006) Set up a VPN or VLAN: Make sure your network is compatible with the most widely used virtual private networks or even a virtual local area network for groups of users. These technologies set up a temporary secure access for a single user or a group of users on a common network, protecting them from each other and outside access. (Wifi security, 2006) Authentication techniques: These help ensure only authorized users are using the network access you're providing. (Wifi security, 2006) Use additional encryption: Consider offering dongles-external hardware devices that guests add to their laptops to encrypt the data. (Wifi security, 2006) Ask your vendor: Many Wi-Fi vendors and solution providers may offer additional security and access control measures that ride on top of the network, such as ensuring that two users on a network cannot see each other's traffic. (Wifi security, 2006) Set up firewalls: Firewalls are essential to protect your network from public access. (Wifi security, 2006) References WLAN, 2006 http://www.windowsnetworking.com/j_helmig/wlan.htm Oracle 9i AS http://www.ncsu.edu/it/essentials_dev/oracle_docs/B13866_01/wireless.904/b10685/paconte n.htm Wireles, 2006 http://www.tech-faq.com/wireless-networks.shtml Network Computing, 2006 http://www.networkcomputing.com/showitem.jhtmldocid=1510ws1 802.11i http://www.arubanetworks.com/technology/tech-briefs/80211i_mobility/ Wifi, 2006 www.dell.com/downloads/global/ vectors/wireless_deployment.pdf Wifi Security, 2006 www.micros.com/NR/rdonlyres/ 648C13F8-E002-4FB3-9F1C- C30B71E183F9/0/mobile_wireless.pdf Read More