Proxim RangeLAN2 7500, User Manual

Page 1: ...RANGELAN2 Model 7500 User s Guide ...

Page 2: ... the model 7500 Access Point in wireless installations Also note that the Proxim Technical Support information contained in Appendix F of this manual is no longer valid If you need to contact Proxim Technical Support you may do so by voice fax email BBS or mail as follows Tel 800 477 6946 or 650 526 3640 Fax 650 960 1106 Email support proxim com BBS 650 960 2419 14400 bps N 8 1 Proxim Inc Attn Tec...

Page 3: ...empt to tamper with or remove the Adapter s external foil label This warranty does not cover and Proxim will not be liable for any damage or failure caused by misuse abuse acts of God accidents or other causes beyond Proxim s control or claim by other than the original purchaser If after inspection Proxim determines there is a defect Proxim will repair or replace the Adapter at no cost to you To r...

Page 4: ...terference to radio communications Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense This device contains a RangeLAN2 ISA card which complies with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules The RangeLAN2 ISA card has been granted FCC ID IM...

Page 5: ...e Parameters 9 Station_Type 9 Domain 10 Channel 11 Subchannel 11 Master_Name 12 Security ID 12 MAC_Optimize 13 Roam_Config 13 RangeLAN2 Roaming 14 Guidelines for Roaming 17 Spanning Tree Protocol Support 18 Spanning Tree Priority 19 Bridge Max Age 19 Bridge Hello Timer 19 Bridge Forward Delay 20 Aging Time 20 RangeLAN2 Port Priority and Ethernet Port Priority 20 RangeLAN2 Port Enabled and Ethernet...

Page 6: ... Large Executable Files Efficiently 43 Determining Master Stations and Alternate Master Stations 43 Microwave Ovens 45 Range 45 8 Troubleshooting 47 How to Obtain Help with Your LAN Installation 47 General Problems 47 RangeLAN2 7500 LEDs 49 RangeLAN2 7500 Audio Aids 51 Commonly Asked Technical Support Questions 51 Other 53 A Setting the RangeLAN2 Security ID 54 B Upgrading the Software 55 B USA Fr...

Page 7: ...easy expandability of your wireless network increasing range and facilitating mobility applications It operates at the Data Link level layer 2 of the OSI model providing protocol independent access for RangeLAN2 computer users into an existing wired Ethernet LANs Today Proxim is the leading supplier of spread spectrum radio networking technology for local area environments Proxim s unmatched sprea...

Page 8: ...laptop or pen based computer RangeLAN2 7100 is a high performance wireless LAN adapter that fits into a standard PC AT ISA bus slot System Requirements To begin using your RangeLAN2 7500 you need the following minimum system requirements An Ethernet cable drop A DOS based PC either on the network or with a free serial port to run the configuration program OR an SNMP management station At least one...

Page 9: ...loppy disk drive cover One antenna One RangeLAN2 7500 User s Guide One power cord which is intended for use in the United States of America For continued compli ance with harmonized standards an appropriate approved HAR power cord should be used with the RangeLAN2 7500 in countries other than the United States of America One BNC T Adapter If any of these items are missing or damaged please contact...

Page 10: ...4 Figure 1 RangeLAN2 Components Proxim Configuration Tool RANGELAN2 7500 Wireless LAN Access point User s Guide by proxim 2 POWER LAN 1 LAN 2 RangeLAN2 Access Point proxim Proxim Access Point ...

Page 11: ...meets the preceding criteria proceed with the followinginstructions 1 Insert the floppy diskette labeled Access Point into the drive on the front of the RangeLAN2 7500 You can ignore this step if you are using a RangeLAN2 7501 2 Firmly screw the end of the RangeLAN2 antenna cable onto the antenna connector at the back of the RangeLAN2 7500 clockwise Note FCC regulations mandate that the RangeLAN2 ...

Page 12: ...f the RangeLAN2 7500 4 Plug the power cable into the back of the RangeLAN2 7500 and into an AC power outlet 5 Turn the RangeLAN2 7500 on The power switch can be found on the back of the bridge 6 Watch the floppy drive LED to see that the disk is being accessed when power is applied 7 Install the floppy drive cover ...

Page 13: ...e is the dedicated file server Typically it cannot be used for any other functions while acting as the file server NetWare is an example of a client server operating system POWER LAN 1 LAN 2 RangeLAN2 Access Point proxim PC PC Bridge Printer Server Mainframe POWER LAN 1 LAN 2 RangeLAN2 Access Point proxim POWER LAN 1 LAN 2 RangeLAN2 Access Point proxim RangeLAN2 7500 Access Point Channel 1 RangeLA...

Page 14: ...same cabling type In the wireless arena this means that all wireless stations can talk to all other wireless stations In order to have wireless stations communicate with wired Ethernet clients you need a RangeLAN2 7500 Access Point attached to the Ethernet wire If you have multiple RangeLAN2 7500 Access Points your wireless clients will also be able to roam POWER LAN 1 LAN 2 RangeLAN2 Access Point...

Page 15: ... help you to think of the Master as the conduc tor of a frequency hopping orchestra The Master keeps time so all units know when to hop and what frequency to hop to Units classified as Stations synchronize to the Master and follow its signal to learn what frequency in the pattern the Master is currently using An acting Master can be configured either as a Master or Alternate Master Alternate Maste...

Page 16: ...gs are as follows Master 2 Alternate Master 1 Station 0 The RangeLAN2 7500 default Station_Type is 2 Domain default 0 In order to establish communications all Station_Types require the same Domain number Radios on different Domains cannot communicate with each other The Domain is a software filter which does not affect the actual radio frequency or the fre quency hop sequence You may want to set e...

Page 17: ...through 15 with 1 being the default setting This means that there are 15 different sequences of frequency hops Each Channel is at a different frequency at a different time For networks with multiple Masters like in a roaming environment set each Master to a different channel for optimum performance All Stations will use the same channel as the Master they are syn chronized to You need only set the...

Page 18: ...aster in your network You may not have spaces in the name You need only set the Master_Name on a Master or Alternate Master Stations will ignore the parameter if it is set Security ID To further improve the security of a wireless subnetwork each unit requires the same Security ID to establish communication The Security ID is used on all RangeLAN2 products and all Station_Types This ID is encrypted...

Page 19: ...eter if it is set The MAC_Optimize settings are as follows Light 0 Normal 1 Roam_Config default 1 The Roam_Config parameter allows you to determine how quickly stations will roam from one RangeLAN2 7500 to another In areas with many RangeLAN2 7500 units that provide heavy overlapping coverage set this parameter to Fast to main tain high throughput for each of the wireless nodes In most networks se...

Page 20: ...rlap in order to provide uninterrupted wireless access at any location within the building The RangeLAN2 7500 Access Points act as cells similar in concept to those of a cellular phone network With the installed wireless network mobile clients attach to any RangeLAN2 7500 within range Each RangeLAN2 7500 within a roaming network should be configured as a Master not Alternate Master on a unique Cha...

Page 21: ...RangeLAN2 7500 in the same Domain to con tinue the network connection See the following illustration for an example of a network set up with a RangeLAN2 roaming domain Note that the cells must overlap to ensure that there are no gaps in coverage and that the roaming PC will always have a connection available Note Roaming stations will only roam among RangeLAN2 7500 Access Points with the same Doma...

Page 22: ...AN2 7500 Channel 1 Domain 2 RANGELAN2 7200 RANGELAN2 7500 Channel 3 Domain 2 RANGELAN2 7200 PC PC Printer Server Mainframe PC PC POWER LAN 1 LAN 2 RangeLAN2 Access Point proxim RANGELAN2 7500 Channel 2 Domain 2 Bridge POWER LAN 1 LAN 2 RangeLAN2 Access Point proxim Figure 5 A Network with RangeLAN2 Roaming ...

Page 23: ...Subchannel pair Preferably they should have unique Channels Only use the Subchannel once you have used all 15 Channels in the same coverage area All workstations with RangeLAN2 7100 or RangeLAN2 7200 cards are configured as Stations with Domain and Security ID matching the RangeLAN2 7500s they will roam between The cells created by RangeLAN2 7500s must overlap Roaming will not occur across routers...

Page 24: ...e lowest spanning tree priority on the network This bridge determines when all the bridges will broadcast their priorities physical addresses activity states etc This communication is sent in what are called hello packets and the root bridge determines the interval between these packets called the hello time Once a root to the tree has been established all other bridges on the network must become ...

Page 25: ...aks the tie The lower value has the higher priority You may choose a value of 0 to 65535 with the RangeLAN2 7500 default being set to 32 768 Bridge Max Age When the RangeLAN2 7500 is acting as the root it will use this parameter to determine the maximum amount of time before discarding hello packet data for all bridges on the network This parameter is specified in seconds between 6 and 40 with a d...

Page 26: ...forward packets properly This parameter is set in seconds between 10 and 1 000 000 seconds with a default value of 300 RangeLAN2 Port Priority and Ethernet Port Priority These parameters are used in the spanning tree algorithm to determine the place of the port in the tree as well as to resolve loop contention problems The lower value has the higher priority You can set this parameter for both the...

Page 27: ... spanning tree for this port of the RangeLAN2 7500 This applies only when the RangeLAN2 7500 is not the root of the tree and when the port you are setting is the root port of the 2 RangeLAN2 7500 ports The parameter range is 1 to 65535 with a default value of 100 for the Ethernet port and 625 for the RangeLAN2 port ...

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Page 29: ...ork There are three ways to configure the RangeLAN2 7500 Locally via a null modem cable and the RangeLAN2 7500 software Remotely across the network using the RangeLAN2 7500 software Using an SNMP management package Locally Out of band You may use the DB 9 Local Management Port on the back of the RangeLAN2 7500 to configure the RangeLAN2 7500 To locally configure the RangeLAN2 7500 you need a femal...

Page 30: ...eLAN2 7500 Configuration Tool diskette to a directory on your PC s hard disk C AP COPY A or B 4 One of the files you copied is a batch file called SLIP BAT This file may be edited with a text editor like MS DOS s Edit If you will be using a serial port on your PC other than COM2 I O 2F8 INT 3 to configure the RangeLAN2 7500 change the SLIP BAT file to reflect the I O Port Address and Interrupt set...

Page 31: ...3 4 0x3E8 COM4 3 0x2E8 For example if your PC s available serial port is COM1 the batch file would look like SLIP8250 0x60 SLIP 4 0x3F8 9600 5 Move to the directory which contains the batch file and the RangeLAN2 7500 Configuration Software and run the batch file C CD AP C AP SLIP 6 Start the configuration software C AP CFG ...

Page 32: ... 4 Remotely In band The second configuration option is remotely across the wired network 1 Install a wired Ethernet card in the PC you intend to use for configuration of your RangeLAN2 7500 This machine will be sending and receiving IP packets to the RangeLAN2 7500 during the configuration process 2 If you are running the CFG tool from a DOS prompt in Windows load WINPKT COM before entering Window...

Page 33: ...e RangeLAN2 7500 leave the default setting in CFG CFG Once the RangeLAN2 7500 has been assigned an IP address re edit the CFG CFG file so that the configuration PC and RangeLAN2 7500 have unique IP addresses but are on the same IP network It also specifies the community that will be used It is editable with a text editor like MS DOS s Edit A sample CFG CFG file looks like Configuration Tool config...

Page 34: ...he Ethernet card s ODI driver copy this driver into the same directory as the RangeLAN2 7500 Configuration Software 6 Edit the NET CFG file for this ODI driver using a text editor like MS DOS s Edit and add the following information LINK SUPPORT BUFFERS 6 1600 Add the following line as the first frame type in the Link Driver Section FRAME ETHERNET_II 7 Load the ODI driver and the ODIPKT program Th...

Page 35: ... an initial configuration and press Select If an IP address has already been assigned to the RangeLAN2 7500 Add the unit to the list of Access Points with its IP address Proceed through the configuration boxes For more information on using the CFG program see chapter 6 For more information on the RangeLAN2 software parameters see chapter 4 ...

Page 36: ...ckage You may choose to manage the RangeLAN2 7500 by any SNMP management package The RangeLAN2 7500 supports the followingmanagedobjects MIB II RFC 1213 IEEE 802 1d Bridge MIB RFC 1493 Proxim Enterprise MIB The Proxim Enterprise MIB is supplied in ASN 1 format on the RangeLAN2 7500 diskette The filename is PROXIM MIB Follow the instructions in your SNMP management package for incorporating enterpr...

Page 37: ...ys the version of software it is running This field is not editable System Uptime shows the amount of time since the system was last initialized This field is not editable System Contact identifies the contact person for this RangeLAN2 7500 together with information on how to contact this person System Name is an administratively assigned name for this RangeLAN2 7500 System Location indicates the ...

Page 38: ...c tions permitted by this community are read write GET GET NEXT and SET operations are supported within the scope of this community The Trap Target Community parameter specifies the community that will be used by the RangeLAN2 7500 when generating TRAP PDUs to remote managers The Trap Target IP Address specifies the IP address of the device to which generated TRAP PDUs will be sent A value of 0 0 ...

Page 39: ...to manage a RangeLAN2 7500 with an invalidcommunity No Traffic Sent when set to a non zero value and when the RangeLAN2 7500 does not receive any traffic from other radios for the configured period of time The time may be configured in the Configure RangeLAN2 screen ...

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Page 41: ...ugh the buttons dis played Pressing the Help key displays information about the parameters you are setting You may use the CFG program to either locally or remotely manage the RangeLAN2 7500 If you are locally managing the RangeLAN2 7500 choose Local Access Point after opening CFG If remotely managing the RangeLAN2 7500 choose the correct RangeLAN2 7500 once in CFG Once the unit has been selected ...

Page 42: ... or disable repeating When repeating is enabled and the RangeLAN2 7500 is configured as a Master it will repeat any signal coming from one Station and destined for another Station if the two Stations are both within range of the Master but not within range of one another The advantage of repeating is the ability to double the effective range of the RangeLAN2 network However be aware that by en abl...

Page 43: ...nnel Subchannel combinations For more information on the RangeLAN2 software parameters see chapter 4 Configure Bridge The Configure Bridge button is used if you have other kinds of bridges on your network and will be relying on the Spanning Tree Algorithm In general the default parameters will work and modification is not necessary For more information on the Spanning Tree Protocol see chapter 4 ...

Page 44: ...k you can choose to disable this feature Configure TCP IP The Configure TCP IP button is used to change the IP ad dress Subnet Mask and Default Gateway of the RangeLAN2 7500 If you are configuring the RangeLAN2 7500 remotely and change the IP address you may also need to change the CFG CFG file on the configuring PC The IP address of the RangeLAN2 7500 and that of the configuring PC must be part o...

Page 45: ...ter is that can send the packet to its proper destination In the example below there is a RangeLAN2 7500 a router and an Ethernet node The IP Address of the Ethernet node is 192 0 5 7 The router is configured with 2 IP Addresses of 192 0 1 6 and 192 0 5 6 The RangeLAN2 7500 is configured with an IP Address of 192 0 1 5 a Subnet Mask of 255 255 255 0 and a Default Gateway of 192 0 1 6 Your network ...

Page 46: ...he NON RANGELAN2 ADDRESS FILTER when checked will prevent traffic which is destined to a non broadcast non multicast non RangeLAN2 address from being forwarded from Ethernet to wireless DO NOT use this filter when using the node address overwrite feature on RangeLAN2 stations The NOVELL IPX BROADCAST FILTERS prevent IPX broadcasts of the specified types from being forwarded from Ethernet to RangeL...

Page 47: ...R enables IP ARP broadcast filtering When this filter is enabled ARP broadcasts will be forwarded from Ethernet to RangeLAN2 only if the destination IP address is on the IP network defined by the IP Network Address and Subnet Maskfields BROADCAST BANDWIDTH ALLOCATION allows you to specify the maximum percentage of broadcast packets that will be sent from the Ethernet network to the wireless client...

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Page 49: ...formance Determining Master Stations and Alternate Master Stations RangeLAN2 uses a spread spectrum frequency hopping tech nique This means that the radio signal is constantly moving from one frequency to another in a predefined sequence In order for several RangeLAN2 radios to communicate they must be at the same frequency at the same time Proxim devised a method whereby one unit called the Maste...

Page 50: ...e station must act as the Master Station If you need to set up additional Master stations they should be configured as Alternate Master stations so that there is only one true Master station on the network 2 The Master station must be within range of the other wireless stations on the network 3 The Master station should not be a station which will be moved or turned off like a notebook computer or...

Page 51: ...ocess Additionally Proxim has devel oped some guidelines to estimate the range that users will see when the product is installed in their facility but there are no hard and fast specifications Radio signals may reflect off obstacles or be absorbed by others depending on their construction For example with two RangeLAN2 radios you may achieve up to 1000 in open space outdoors where the two antennas...

Page 52: ...s possible In an office envi ronment try to place it above cubicle walls Do not place a sheet of metal like a filing cabinet between two antennas Two antennas that are communicating should be in the same plane For example do not lie one antenna on its side and have its partner standing upright Additionally if you are interested in antenna options contact your Proxim Sales Representative about ante...

Page 53: ...nce of LANs and will be able to examine your needs and recommend the most cost effective solution for your LAN whether you are installing a new LAN or adding on to an existing one For the location of the RangeLAN2 reseller nearest you contact Proxim at 800 229 1630 and ask for the Sales Department General Problems This section discusses some of the most common problems encountered when using Range...

Page 54: ... other cards in the computer C Verify that you are using a null modem serial cable when attaching a configuration PC to the RangeLAN2 7500 D Verify the Access Point diskette is seated properly inside the RangeLAN2 7500 3 Mismatched domains and security IDs If you are unable to establish communication with another machine on the network it is possible that you do not have the same domain and securi...

Page 55: ... of traffic you are trying to send For example on a Novell network you do not want to check the IPX protocol box On an IP net work you may need to set an ARP filter D Verify the Access Point diskette is seated properly inside the RangeLAN2 7500 RangeLAN2 7500 LEDs There are three LEDs on the front panel of the RangeLAN2 7500 The Power LED should be on whenever the RangeLAN2 7500 is powered on The ...

Page 56: ...ster station There should be only one card on the subnetwork with this light on at any time The yellow LED in the upper right is lit when the RangeLAN2 7100 card is synchronized to a Master The upper left yellow LED indicates the card is transmitting The bottom green LED lights whenever the card detects another unit that is transmitting Red LED acting as master when on Green LED carrier detect Yel...

Page 57: ...chronize to the Master A You may have a different Domain or Security ID Q What happens if I go out of range A This is determined by the network and the amount of time you are out of range but you may be logged off the network The same thing will happen if you unplugged a wired Ethernet cable Q What are the LEDs on the back A The red LED is on steady when the RangeLAN2 7500 is acting as the Master ...

Page 58: ...ocal management port A Verify that you have a null modem cable TX and RX pins are swapped and that you have the correct I O and IRQ indi cated in the SLIP BAT file These should match the settings of the serial port you are using Q What should I do if I can t configure the RangeLAN2 7500 through the Ethernet A Verify that you have the correct IP Address selected in the main screen of the CFG tool I...

Page 59: ...geLAN2 7500 Q What does an X in a filter box mean A It means that kind of traffic will NOT pass through the RangeLAN2 7500 So if you are using NetWare for ex ample DO NOT put an X in the IPX protocol box Other If there is additional information that becomes available after the printing of this manual there will be a README file on the diskette ...

Page 60: ...net work All RangeLAN2 products must have matching secu rity IDs in order to communicate To set the RangeLAN2 Security ID use the CFG program that came on the driver diskette Select the correct RangeLAN2 7500 from the list Choose the Configure RangeLAN2 button followed by the Set Security ID button to set or change the Security ID on the RangeLAN2 7500 ...

Page 61: ...ngeLAN2 7500 resets the new software image will be downloaded to the RangeLAN2 7500 Note that you can download the software using the CFG tool over a RangeLAN2 interface However if you are configuring the RangeLAN2 7500 over RangeLAN2 while the RangeLAN2 7501 is resetting you will not have a Master to synchronize with which may cause unusual things to happen Additionally configuring over a RangeLA...

Page 62: ...HF TV Military Military Military UHF TV Aeronautical Navigation 0 1 0 GHz 2 0 GHz Unlicensed Spread Spectrum 2 4 GHz 2 483 GHz 3 0 GHz 4 0 GHz 5 0 GHz 6 0 GHz TV Relay Military Distress Calling Search Rescue Amateur Radio TVRO Radar Altimeter Military Microwave Radar Scientific and Space Aeronautical Unlicensed Spread Spectrum 5 725 GHz 5 85 GHz Weather Radar RangeLAN family of products RangeLAN2 ...

Page 63: ... products that are type approved in the destination country Network Interfaces Ethernet 10BASE2 Thin BNC Ethernet 10BASET Twisted Pair Ethernet 10BASE5 Thick 15 pin AUI optional Data Rate 1 6 Mbps RangeLAN2 10 Mbps Ethernet Media Access Protocol RangeLAN2 CSMA CA Ethernet compatibility Ethernet packet types and Ethernet Addressing Frequency Band 2 4 2 483 GHz spread spectrum frequency hopping Inde...

Page 64: ...e the card follows CSMA CA Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Avoid ance CSMA is a protocol in which each node senses whether or not a channel is in use before attempting to transmit informa tion CA is an optimization by which channel time is reserved to avoidcollisions Frequency Hopping A spread spectrum technique by which the band is divided into a number of channels and the transmis sions ...

Page 65: ... Spectrum A radio data transmission modulation technique by which the transmitted signal is spread over a bandwidth wider than the information bandwidth Spread Spectrum bands are designated by the FCC and require no user license SNMP Simple Network Management Protocol A proto col used to manage network activity TCP IP Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol A suite of protocols developed u...

Page 66: ...you using What were you doing when the error occurred What error message did you see Can you reproduce the problem What version of the RangeLAN2 7500 hardware and software are you using You can reach Proxim Technical Support by voice fax email BBS or mail Tel 800 229 1630 or 415 960 1630 Fax 415 960 0332 Email tech proxim com BBS 415 960 2419 9600 bps N 8 1 Proxim Inc Attn Technical Support 295 N ...

Page 67: ...m any network function through a RangeLAN2 7500 across a router configure the SNMP parameters for IP Address Subnet Mask and Default Gateway IP Address indicates the IP address that will be assigned to the RangeLAN2 7500 It must be a unique number on the network Subnet Mask indicates the mask that will be used to determine what network the RangeLAN2 7500 is on If a packet is destined for an IP hos...

Page 68: ...OTP Interface fields use the Reset Access Point button Leave the CFG tool running When the RangeLAN2 7500 resets the new software image will be downloaded to the RangeLAN2 7500 Note that you can download the software using the CFG tool over a RangeLAN2 interface How ever if you are configuring the RangeLAN2 7500 over RangeLAN2 while the RangeLAN2 7500 is resetting you will not have a Master to syn...

Page 69: ... node address overwrite feature on RangeLAN2 stations The NOVELL IPX BROADCAST FILTERS prevent IPX broadcasts of the specified types from being forwarded from Ethernet to RangeLAN2 Since RIP SAP and LSP broadcasts are of interest to routers and not end stations these can filters can typically be turned on The PROTOCOL TYPE FILTERS prevent traffic of a particular protocol type from being for warded...

Page 70: ... when you want to limit broadcast traffic For example if you know there are more broadcast packets than the 1 6 Mbps speed of the RangeLAN2 interface can handle you might want to limit the broadcasts As another example to prioritize directed packets you might want to free some of the buffers used for broadcast packets by setting this limit Spanning Tree Enabled Disabled One of the Configure Bridge...

Page 71: ...figured as a Master it will repeat any signal coming from one Station and destined for another Station if the two Stations are both within range of the Master but not within range of one another The advantage of repeating is the ability to double the effective range of the RangeLAN2 network However be aware that by enabling the repeating feature the network performance will drop by as much as half...

Page 72: ...s provided with power cord that is intended for use in the United States of America only For continued compliance with harmonized standards an appropriate approved HAR power cord should be used with the RangeLAN2 7500 in countries other than the United States of America ...