Case Study: Adding Wireless Solutions to a Secure Network
This case study covers the placement and configuration of a wireless access point in a real scenario. The setup and configuration of the wireless stations are covered, and there are screenshots of both the access point and the station. Figure 14-11 illustrates the Company XYZ network diagram for this scenario.
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Figure
14-11 Company XYZ Top-Level Network Layout
The CIO of Company XYZ has decided to integrate wireless technology throughout the company. The IT department has started the testing and planning phase and wants to roll out a pilot in a branch office of the company. Figure 14-12 zooms in on Figure 14-11 so only the relevant devices for this case study are shown.
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Figure
14-12 Company XYZ—Branch Office Setup
A local IT engineer starts to configure the access point according to the WLAN design specs defined in the company's security policy.
Figure 14-13 features a sample screenshot of the basic configuration of the access point.
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Figure
14-13 Branch Office Access Point—Basic Setup
Table 14-2 displays the main parameters of the express setup page used during the initial setup of the access point.
Table 14-2 Basic Access Point Options
|
Syntax |
Description |
|
System Name |
Identifies the access point on your network |
|
Configuration Server Protocol |
Used to match the method of IP address assignment |
|
Default IP Address |
Assigns the access point's IP address |
|
Default IP Subnet Mask |
Assigns the access point's IP subnet mask |
|
Default IP Gateway |
Assigns the access point's IP gateway |
|
Radio Service Set ID (SSID) |
Is a unique identifier that client devices use to associate with the access point |
|
SNMP Admin. Community |
Enables SNMP through the entry of a string |
Now that the access point is set up, the client (Host 1-192.168.0.2) can be configured using the wireless client software. During the setup, a corresponding SSID of the access point was entered. Figure 14-14 illustrates the main page of the client software utility.
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Figure
14-14 Wireless Client Utility
Figure 14-15 shows the link status meter.
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Figure
14-15 Wireless Link Status
At the bottom of the screen shown in Figure 14-15, notice that the signal strength and signal quality are excellent. Furthermore, Host 1 is associated with access point 192.168.0.4, which is the branch office access point. Figure 14-16 gives the overall status of the wireless connection.
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Figure
14-16 Wireless Status
The wireless case study covered the placement and configuration of a wireless access point and one sample client setup for Company XYZ. The case study illustrated that the implementation of wireless equipment in a network is fairly easy.