Installation and Con guration Procedures in Software

Creation Data Matrix in Software Installation and Con guration Procedures

FIGURE 7-20

You ve created the connection, and because of the default settings, you can actually connect immediately After configuring the connection, you will see the dialog in Figure 7-22 Here you enter a user name and password created in the internal database on the Buffalo Air Station PPTP server If you want to verify the settings for the VPN connection, click the Properties button in the connection authentication dialog After the Properties dialog is

FIGURE 7-21

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FIGURE 7-22

displayed, click the Networking tab Here you can select either PPTP or L2TP for the VPN type You can also choose Automatic and let the software determine what the server supports The client uses whatever the server supports that is the most secure Figure 7-23 shows this screen

FIGURE 7-23

You are installing a new wireless AP right out of the box Should you connect it to the live network and then configure it, or should you configure it while disconnected from the live network You should configure the device while disconnected from the live network If the device is connected to the live network even for a brief period of time without being properly configured, it may introduce an opportunity for an attacker to gain access to your network

In most cases, when an effective site survey was performed, the installation will go smoothly; however, there are certainly times when problems occur One potential set of problems is related to hardware placement

Common hardware placement difficulties include attempting to install APs in areas where they cannot easily be placed and attempting to connect APs beyond the reach of Ethernet cable limitations

There are two primary solutions to this problem: either add a physical structure for mounting or install only the antenna in the desired location Many APs can use external antennas, and you may be able to run a cable between the AP and the antenna This method allows for the AP to be installed in one location and the antenna to be placed in another If you choose this solution, be sure to check with the vendor for proper FCC compliance and to supply any needed amplification to counter the losses incurred from the cable run The alternate solution is to build or implement a physical structure for mounting If the AP is to be mounted outdoors, you can purchase enclosures that are weather safe and install the AP within the enclosure If you had planned to locate an AP in

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You had planned to install an AP with a dipole antenna in the center of a desired coverage area The area provides no installation point What can you do Use semidirectional antennas, such as patch and panel antennas, at the perimeter of the area This can provide the same or better coverage without the inconvenience that is sometimes introduced by central omni antennas

the center of a coverage area, but that center location lacks a mount point, you may be able to use a semidirectional antenna at the perimeter of the coverage area This last solution is a common quick fix for site survey recommendations that suggest the use of omnidirectional antennas only

It is not uncommon to desire that an AP be placed in an area that is well beyond the reach of Ethernet cable runs A category 5 (CAT 5) or category 6 (CAT 6) cable can be up to 100 meters (in US, ~300 ft) in length What do you do when you need to install an AP 200 meters away from the nearest Ethernet switch You have two primary options: install Ethernet repeaters or use a range extender Ethernet repeaters receive the incoming signal from one cable and transmit it out the other Repeaters can often extend the length to the desired range; however, this solution will require a cable run The alternative to Ethernet repeaters is, effectively, a wireless repeater A wireless repeater is usually called a range extender The device operates off of a simple premise It listens Remember that a range to an AP close to the Ethernet switch and extender can be used to provide wireless acts as the AP to clients at a greater distance coverage at a distance far away from If clients could connect to the AP near the the AP A range extender is much like an Ethernet switch from 80 meters away, they ll Ethernet repeater for wireless links now be able to connect from 160 meters away With the right combination of Ethernet cables to the AP near the Ethernet switch and channels between the range extender and clients, you can easily reach 200 meters away from the switch