Installing and Configuring the Client Adapter
This chapter provides instructions for installing the driver and client utilities and initially configuring your client adapter.
The following topics are covered in this section:
•Installing the Driver and Client Utilities
•Installation Instructions for Red Hat Systems
•Verifying Installation
•Inserting the Client Adapter into a Computing Device
•Additional Procedures
•Configuring Your Client Adapter
•Aironet Client Utility Main Screen
•Selecting the Radio
•Getting Your Client Adapter Up and Running
•Finishing the Installation
Installing the Driver and Client Utilities
You can install the driver and client utilities from the Cisco Aironet Wireless LAN Client Adapters Drivers and Utilities CD or at Cisco.com. Two install routines are available: one for PCMCIA clients and one for PCI card clients.
Note This procedure can be performed only by root users (those with administrative rights).
Note Cisco's Linux driver supports version 2.2.xx and 2.4.xx of the Linux kernel. To determine your kernel version, type uname -a and press Enter. The name of your computer and the Linux kernel version are displayed. For example, in Linux montecito 2.2.16-22#1 Wed Aug 8 164906 EDDT 2001 i686 unknown, montecito represents your computer's name, and 2.2.16-22 is the kernel version.
Caution
If you are using a PCMCIA client adapter, do not insert it into the computer's PCMCIA slot until the driver has been loaded; otherwise, the computer could hang. The procedure indicates when the client adapter should be inserted.
Note If you are using a PCI client adapter, you can install it before you load the drivers. See the "Inserting a PC Card" section.
Note These instructions are the same regardless of whether you are doing an initial install or upgrading from a previous version. If you are upgrading, your previous driver and client utilities will be overwritten by the new ones.
Installation Shell Script Overview
The installation shell scripts are available for PCI and kernel PCMCIA configurations (such as Red Hat 7.2, which ships with kernel PCMCIA enabled). For these systems, execute sh kpciinstall as root. This program builds and installs the drivers and utilities for these configurations. If you have a PCI card only, the driver is properly installed and configured, eliminating the need to download card and socket services.
To remove the drivers and utilities installed by kpciinstall, execute sh kcpiinstall -R. After you have answered yes to the question asked, the drivers and the utilities are removed from your system. Other options are provided for installing the utilities or drivers only. Executing sh kpciinstall -id installs and builds the drivers, and sh kpciinstall -iu installs the utilities.
The options -ru and -rd remove the drivers or utilities repectively. For Red Hat 7.2 this is the kernel source rpm named kernel-source-2.4.7-10.i386.rpm. You can find this on CD 2 of the Red Hat 7.2 distribution in the directory Red Hat/RPMS. Copy the file to a local directory or install it from the CD by entering rpm -iv kernel-source-2.4.7-10.i386.rpm. You must have the kernel source installed, and you can verify the installation by executing ls /usr/src. If the source is installed, you should see the message "linux-2.4 linux-2.4.7-10." If you do not see this message, the sources are not installed. If the kpciinstall script cannot locate the kernel source it prompts you to enter it. The prompt can appear if you compile the kernel sources . The installation of sources using Red Hat 7.2 places a link to the source in the /usr/src/linix-2.4 directory. If the sources are installed, entering this directory in answer to the prompt causes the operation to proceed.
Downloading the Driver and Utilities from Cisco.com
Follow these steps to install the driver and client utilities from Cisco.com.
Step 1 Use your browser to go to http://www.cisco.com.
Step 2 In the Support section, click Software Downloads.
Step 3 In the Select a Software Product Category section, click Wireless Software. The Downloads page appears.
Step 4 Click Client Adapters.
Step 5 Click Cisco Aironet Wireless LAN Client Adapters.
Step 6 Click Cisco Aironet 350 Wireless LAN Client Adapter. The Cisco Aironet 350 Wireless LAN Client Adapter page appears.
Step 7 Click Aironet Client Bundle (Firmware, Driver, Utility).
Step 8 Click Linux. The software Downloads page for Linux appears and contains the downloadable files.
Step 9 Select the filename of the driver you want to download. The Software License Agreement page appears.
Step 10 Scroll to the bottom of the license agreement and click Accept to download the file. A page describing the driver appears.
Step 11 Click on the driver filename to start the download process.
Step 12 Save the file to a location on your hard drive.
Step 13 Unpack the driver file to a writeable location on your hard drive, such as /tmp.
a. Use the tar zxvf command to unpack the file.
Note Do not unpack the driver files to the root directory.
Step 14 Go to the "Installing the Driver and Utilities" section.
Downloading the Driver and Utilities from the CD-ROM
If you are installing from the the Cisco Aironet Wireless LAN Client Adapters Drivers and Utilities CD, perform these steps:
Step 1 Insert the CD into your computer's CD-ROM drive.
Step 2 Change to the Linux directory.
Step 3 Copy the file to a location on your hard drive.
Step 4 Unpack the file to a writeable location, such as /tmp, and use the tar zxvf command to unpack the file.
Note Do not unpack the file in the root directory.
Note If you downloaded an updated version of pcmcia-cs, upack it and make a note of its location. You can obtain an updated version of pcmcia-cs from http://pcmcia-cs.sourceforge.net.
Installing the Driver and Utilities
This section describes how to install the driver and utilities. There are three installation procedures available:
•PCMCIA installation
•PCI client adapters
•Special instructions for Red Hat users
You can install the PCI and PCMCIA (with kernel PCMCIA enabled) driver and utilities separately.
•To install the driver only, use kpciinstall with the -id option
•To install the utilities only, use kpciinstall with the -iu option
PCMCIA Installation
Follow these steps to install the driver and Aironet Client Utilities for PCMCIA client adapters.
Step 1 Log in as root.
Step 2 Type sh ./cwinstall and press Enter. (Figure 3-1).
Note The installation routine creates the folder /opt/cisco/bin when it installs the driver.
Figure 3-1 Installation Start Screen
Step 3 Press Enter to continue the installation. Information appears showing files that will be installed and their locations. For example, the client utilities will be installed in the /opt/cisco/bin directory (Figure 3-2).
Figure 3-2 Installation Script Screen
Step 4 When prompted, type the path to and name of your browser (such as /user/bin/netscape) and press Enter (Figure 3-3).
Figure 3-3 Specifying a Browser Screen
Step 5 When you are asked if you are using a Red Hat 7.1 system with an unmodified kernel, perform one of the following:
•If you are not using a Red Hat 7.1 system and your distribution does not enable PCMCIA support in the kernel by default, type n, press Enter, and go to Step 6.
•If you are not using a Red Hat 7.1 system but your distribution enables PCMCIA support in the kernel by default, follow the instructions in the "Option 3 for Red Hat Systems" section.
•If you are using a Red Hat 7.1 system, type y (lowercase), press Enter, and go to the "Installation Instructions for Red Hat Systems" section.
Note If you do not enter a lowercase y, your response is treated as negative.
Step 6 When asked if you already have the pcmcia-cs-3.1.26.tar.gz file (the source for Card and Socket Services) or greater unpacked (Figure 3-4), enter y or n and perform one of the following:
Figure 3-4 Installation Verification Screen
a. If you entered n, follow the instructions on the screen to obtain the source for Card and Socket Services; then follow the instructions to unpack it.
–Retype sh ./cwinstall and press Enter to return to the installation process. You are returned to the part of the installation that asks if you are using a Red Hat 7.1 system.
–Follow the instructions to answer the Red Hat question. If you type n, you are again asked if you already have the pcmcia-cs-3.1.31.tar.gz file or greater unpacked. This time type y and press Enter.
–Go to step 7.
b. If you entered y, go to step 7.
Note You can obtain the file at http://sourceforge.net.
Step 7 When prompted, type in the path to Card and Socket Services and press Enter. The driver is copied, and instructions appear for building and installing the driver (Figure 3-5).
Figure 3-5 Copying Driver Files Screen
Note You might want to open another session so you can refer to the instructions on the screen.
Step 8 Change to the directory in which the source of Card and Socket Services was unpacked. The exact path, which was determined by the information you provided earlier, is included in the on-screen instructions. Type in the cd command exactly as it appears.
Step 9 Type make config. The Make Config screen appears (Figure 3-6).
Figure 3-6 Make Config Screen
Step 10 Press Enter to accept all defaults or select the non-default options that are appropriate for your system.
Step 11 If the make config command runs without errors, type make all. The Make All screen appears (Figure 3-7).
Figure 3-7 Make All Screen
Step 12 If the make all command runs without errors, type make install. The Make All screen appears (Figure 3-8). The driver is now compiled and installed.
Figure 3-8 Make Install Screen
Step 13 Insert your client adapter into the computer and reboot (recommended) or restart Card and Socket Services. The driver loads automatically.
Step 14 Go to the "Additional Procedures" section to see if you need to perform any other procedures before using your client adapter.
PCI Client Adapters Installation
The installation shell script described in this section is for systems using a PCI client adapter and kernel PCMCIA. Red Hat version 7.2 ships with kernel PCMCIA enabled. The installation program builds and installs the drivers and utilities. The PCI installation program eliminates the need to download and run Card and Socket Services. Follow these steps to install the driver, ACU, and other Linux utilities.
Step 1 Open a console screen and log in as root.
Step 2 Type sh ./kpciinstall and press Enter. The installation process begins and the following message displays:
Compiling driver module using source in /usr/src/linux-2.4.7-10
Installing the utilities: acu bcard leapset leapscript leaplogin
Installing Help Files ...
Step 3 Type insmod airo to start the driver.
Step 4 Start the ACU.
Step 5 Go to the "Configuring Your Client Adapter" section and configure your client adapter.
Installation Instructions for Red Hat Systems
If you are using a Red Hat system, version 7.1 or higher, you have three installation options:
1. Use supplied driver binaries—recommended.
2. Using supplied patch and driver source, create your own modules; no kernel compilation is required.
3. Disable kernel PCMCIA support and install pcmcia-cs for PCMCIA support.
Option 1 is highly recommended. Options 2 and 3 require kernel sources and compilation tools. Follow the instructions in one of the following subsections for the option you choose.
Option 1 for Red Hat Systems
Option 1 is the easiest installation method it needs no compilation. We recommend this method for systems installed with the workstation configuration.
Step 1 To select option 1, type 1 and press Enter.
Step 2 After an explanation appears, press Enter to continue.
Step 3 Your kernel information line appears, followed by a choice of default kernel configuration options. Here is an example kernel information line:
Linux leftbox.aironet.com 2.4.2-2 #1 Sun Apr 8 20:41:30 EDT 2001 i686 unknown
In this example, i686 means that this is a kernel for the i686 CPU family. Also note that the example does not contain smp or enterprise. From the list of available options displayed on the screen, the proper choice for this example would be h) kernel-2.4.2-i686.
Caution
Be careful when selecting your option. Some configuration options look similar, and the system does not ensure that you select the correct one.
Type the letter of the configuration that matches your kernel and press Enter. The driver is now installed.
Step 4 Insert your PC card or PCI client adapter into the computer.
Step 5 Perform one of the following, depending on the type of client adapter you have:
•If you have a PC card, reboot your computer (recommended), or restart Card and Socket Services. The driver loads automatically.
•If you have a PCI client adapter, perform one of the following:
–If you have a distribution of Linux that uses linuxconf, such as Red Hat, use this utility to assign the driver to the PCI client adapter.
–If your distribution does not use linuxconf, manually edit one startup file to insert insmod airo.o to load the driver.
Note Follow the recommendations of your distribution regarding which startup file to modify and where to insert the command.
Step 6 Go to the "Additional Procedures" section to see if you need to perform any other procedures before using your client adapter.
Option 2 for Red Hat Systems
Option 2 requires the presence of compilation tools but does not require the complete compilation/replacement of the installed kernel.
Caution
You must use the kernel source in order to properly execute this procedure.
Step 1 To select option 2, type 2 and press Enter.
Step 2 After an explanation appears, press Enter to continue or Ctrl+C to exit.
Step 3 After another explanation appears, press Enter.
Step 4 Your kernel information line is displayed, followed by a choice of default kernel configuration options. Here is an example kernel information line:
Linux leftbox.aironet.com 2.4.2-2 #1 Sun Apr 8 20:41:30 EDT 2001 i686 unknown
In this example, i686 means that this is a kernel for the i686 CPU family. Also note that the example does not contain smp or enterprise. From the list of available options displayed on the screen, the proper choice for this example would be h) kernel-2.4.2-i686.
Type the letter of the configuration that matches your kernel and press Enter.
Caution
Be careful when selecting your option. Some configuration options look similar, and the system does not ensure that you select the correct one.
Step 5 After an explanation appears on patching the kernel source, press Enter. The driver is now in place to be compiled, and the kernel source is patched.
Caution
You should be using the kernel source as installed from Red Hat's CD-ROM. If the kernel is already in the patched state or has been modified, the patching process fails. If, however, the only change to the kernel is that it has used the Cisco Aironet patch previously, then you can successfully complete the procedure by pressing Enter twice at each series of prompts to skip the patch.
Note You might want to open another session so you can refer to the instructions on the screen.
Step 6 Type cd /usr/src/linux-2.4.2 and press Enter.
Step 7 Type make menuconfig and press Enter.
Step 8 In the menuconfig window, scroll down to Network device support and press Enter.
Step 9 Scroll down to Wireless LAN (non-hamradio) and press Enter.
Step 10 Scroll down to Cisco/Aironet 340/350 and type M (M indicates to make a module).
Step 11 Type E to exit.
Step 12 Scroll down to PCMCIA network device support and press Enter.
Step 13 Scroll down to Cisco/Aironet 340/350 and type M.
Step 14 Continue to select Exit and press Enter until the following message appears: "Do you wish to save your new kernel configuration?"
Step 15 Select Yes and press Enter.
Step 16 Type dep ; make modules ; make modules_install. The driver and client utilities are now installed.
Step 17 Insert your PC card or PCI client adapter into the computer.
Step 18 If you have a PCI client adapter, perform one of the following:
•If you have a distribution of Linux that uses linuxconf, such as Red Hat, use this utility to assign the driver to the PCI client adapter.
•If your distribution does not use linuxconf, manually edit one startup file to insert insmod airo.o to load the driver.
Note Follow the recommendations of your distribution regarding which startup file to modify and where to insert the command.
Step 19 Go to the "Additional Procedures" section to see if you need to perform any other procedures before using your client adapter.
Option 3 for Red Hat Systems
Option 3 is the most advanced installation method because it requires a complete kernel rebuild and installation.
Caution
You must use the kernel source in order to properly execute this procedure.
Note If you are not using a Red Hat system, version 7.1 or higher, but your distribution enables PCMCIA support in the kernel by default, you need to disable it by following the instructions in this section.
Step 1 To select option 3, type 3 and press Enter.
Step 2 Type cd /usr/src/linux-2.4.2 and press Enter.
Step 3 Type make menuconfig and press Enter.
Step 4 In the menuconfig window, scroll down to General setup and press Enter.
Step 5 Scroll down to PCMCIA/Cardbus support and press Enter.
Step 6 Continue to press the spacebar until the selector in front of the option is blank (does not contain an M or an *).
Step 7 Continue to select Exit and press Enter until the following message appears:
"Do you wish to save your new kernel configuration?"
Step 8 Select Yes and press Enter.
Step 9 Rebuild your kernel.
Step 10 After the kernel is remade and reinstalled, reboot your computer.
Step 11 Go to Step 3 of the main upgrade procedure on page 3-4. This time select n when asked in Step 11 if you are using a Red Hat system with an unmodified kernel.
Verifying Installation
To verify that you have properly installed the appropriate driver and client utilities, type /opt/cisco/bin/acu & to open the ACU.
Note /opt/cisco/bin/ is the path where the ACU was installed.
If the installation was successful, the ACU main screen appears. Depending on how your wireless network is configured, your client adapter might or might not associate to an access point. The fact that you were able to launch the ACU verifies proper installation because it has found your client adapter's radio. You will need to configure the client adapter to communicate on your wireless network. See the "Configuring Your Client Adapter" section for instructions on how to initially configure your client adapter.
If the installation was not successful, the ACU main screen does not appear. Instead, the message, "radio not found" appears at the Linux command prompt. See Chapter 8, for troubleshooting tips.
Inserting the Client Adapter into a Computing Device
This section provides instructions for inserting a PC card or a PCI client adapter into a computing device.
Caution
These procedures and the physical connections they describe apply generally to conventional PC card slots and PCI expansion slots. In cases of custom or non conventional equipment, be alert to possible differences in PC card slot and PCI expansion slot configurations.
Inserting a PC Card
Step 1 Before you begin, examine the PC card. One end has a dual-row, 68-pin PC card connector. The card is keyed so it can be inserted only one way into the PC card slot.
Step 2 Turn on your computer, let the operating system boot up completely, and follow the remaining steps in this section to insert the PC card.
Caution
Do not force the PC card into your computer's PC card slot. Forcing it will damage both the card and the slot. If the PC card does not insert easily, remove the card and reinsert it.
Step 3 Hold the PC card with the Cisco logo facing up and insert it into the PC card slot, applying just enough pressure to make sure it is fully seated. See Figure 3-9.
Figure 3-9
Inserting a PC Card into a Computing Device
Step 4 Go to the "Additional Procedures" section to install the driver for your computer's operating system.
Note You can remove and reinsert your PC card when necessary. See the "Removing the Client Adapter" section for instructions.
Inserting a PCI Client Adapter
Follow these steps to insert your PCI client adapter in your computer's expansion slot.
Step 1 Turn off the PC and all its components.
Step 2 Remove the computer cover.
On most Pentium PCs, PCI expansion slots are white. Refer to your PC documentation for slot identification.
Step 3 Remove the screw from the top of the CPU back panel above an empty PCI expansion slot. This screw holds the metal bracket on the back panel.
Caution
Static electricity can damage your client adapter. Before removing the adapter from the antistatic packaging, discharge static by touching a metal part of a grounded PC.
Step 4 Examine the client adapter. The antenna connector and the LEDs face out of your computer and are visible when you put the cover back on. The bottom edge of the adapter is the connector that you will insert into an empty expansion slot in your computer. See Figure 3-10.
Figure 3-10 Inserting a PCI Client Adapter into a PC
Step 5 Tilt the adapter to allow the antenna connector and LEDs to slip through the opening in the CPU back panel.
Step 6 Press the client adapter into the empty slot until the connector is firmly seated.
Caution
Do not force the adapter into the expansion slot as this could damage both the adapter and the slot. If the adapter does not insert easily, remove the adapter and reinsert it.
Step 7 Reinstall the screw on the CPU back panel, and replace the computer cover.
Step 8 Attach the 2-dBi antenna to the adapter's antenna connector until it is finger-tight. Do not overtighten.
Step 9 For optimal reception, position the antenna so it is straight up.
Step 10 Boot up your computer.
Note Because PCI client adapters are installed inside desktop computers, you should have little reason to remove the adapter. However, instructions are provided in the "Removing the Client Adapter" section in case you need to remove your PCI client adapter.
Additional Procedures
After the driver and client utilities are properly installed, you might need to perform additional procedures before using your client adapter. This section provides instructions for the following procedures:
•Changing the permission rights regarding configuration of the client adapter
•Assigning an IP address
•Installing the drivers for more than one client adapter and then selecting among them
Changing the Permission Rights
By default, all users are permitted to configure the client adapter. If you want only root users (those with administrative rights) to be able to run the client utilities and configure the client adapter, type
chmod 500 /opt/cisco/bin/* and press Enter.
Assigning an IP Address
You can obtain a dynamic IP address with the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), or you can manually configure a static IP address.
Configuring for a DHCP Assigned Address
If you want your computer's IP address to be assigned by DHCP and your network has a DHCP server, you must run a DHCP client utility. The two most popular client utilities are dhcpcd and pump. Most Linux distributions should have one of them. If you have neither, you must install one from your distribution CD-ROM or download one from the Internet. Refer to your distribution's home page for more information.
On Red Hat and other distributions that include the linuxconf utility, you should use this utility to configure DHCP on your computer.
Note You must be logged in as root or have equivalent superuser privileges.
Note If you are using a distribution that uses another utility, such as Slackware's netconfig, follow the distribution's recommendations for configuring DHCP.
Follow these steps to configure DHCP with the linuxconf utility.
Step 1 At the command prompt, type linuxconf and press Enter.
Step 2 Under the Config tab, select Networking > Client tasks > Basic host information.
Step 3 Select the appropriate adapter tab for your Cisco Aironet client adapter.
Note Your client adapter's number is Adapter 1 if it is the only Ethernet adapter card installed.
Step 4 Verify that the box marked Enabled is checked.
Step 5 For Config mode, select Dhcp.
Step 6 Next to Net device, use the drop-down menu, or enter your client adapter's device name.
Note Your client adapter's name is eth0 if it is the only Ethernet adapter card installed. If you are unsure about the device name and number, you can verify this information by running the ACU and using the Commands menu to select Status. The Device field of the Status screen shows the name and number of the adapter being used.
Configuring for a Static IP Address
If your computer does not get its IP address from a DHCP server, contact your network administrator and obtain the following information:
•The IP address assigned to your computer
•The subnet mask and default gateway addresses of your computer
How you configure your computer for a static IP address depends on the linux distribution you are running. On Red Hat and other distributions that include it, you should use the linuxconf utility to configure your computer. If you are using a distribution that does not includes linuxconf, follow the distributions recommendations for configuring IP addressing.
Follow these steps to configure a static IP address by using linuxconf.
Note You must be logged in as root or have equivalent superuser privileges.
Step 1 At the command prompt, type linuxconf and press Enter.
Step 2 Under the Config tab, select Networking > Client tasks > Basic host information.
Step 3 Select the appropriate adapter tab for your Cisco Aironet client adapter.
Note Your client adapter's number is Adapter 1 if it is the only Ethernet adapter card installed.
Step 4 Verify that the box marked Enabled is checked.
Step 5 For Config mode, select Manual.
Step 6 Enter the IP address and the subnet mask provided by your network administrator in the appropriate spaces.
Step 7 Next to Net device, use the drop-down menu, or enter the device name of the client adapter.
Note Your client adapter's name and number are eth0 if it is the only Ethernet adapter card installed. If you are unsure about the device name and number, you can verify this information by running the ACU and using the Commands menu to select Status. The Device field of the Status screen shows the name and number of the adapter being used.
Step 8 Under the Config tab, select Routing and gateway > Set defaults.
Step 9 Enter the IP address of the default gateway you obtained from your network administrator.
Step 10 Click Accept, and then click Act/Changes and Quit.
Using Multiple Client Adapters
With Linux, you can select among multiple adapters, which allows you to share the driver and the ACU with multiple client adapters. To accommodate this feature, you need to configure your machine's startup files manually or use the linuxconf command (supplied with Red Hat and other distributions) to assign IP addresses to multiple adapters.
Caution
Do not attempt to configure your machine by installing the client utilities and driver for the additional client adapters. You must configure it as described above.
After modifying your computer's startup files to accommodate the additional adapters, you can switch among them by using the Select Radio parameter in ACU.
Configuring Your Client Adapter
You can perform a variety of functions using the ACU. First, it enables you to upgrade your client adapter's firmware. Second, it enables you to configure your client adapter for use in a wireless enterprise or home network. You can set parameters that prepare the adapter for network use, govern how the adapter transmits or receives data, control the adapter's operation within an infrastructure or ad hoc (or peer-to-peer) network, and control the level of security provided to your network. Finally, you can use the ACU to perform user-level diagnostics on your client adapter. You can view the current status of the adapter as well as statistics showing how data is being transmitted and received.
Opening the Client Utilities
To open ACU, type /opt/cisco/bin/acu & from an X windows terminal on your computer. The Aironet Client Utility screen appears (Figure 3-11)
Figure 3-11 Aironet Client Utility Main Screen
Buttons on the Client Utility Screens
The buttons on the bottom of the client utility screens perform specific functions. Table 3-1 describes each of the buttons.
Table 3-1 Buttons on the Client Utility Screens
|
|
Cancel |
Exits the screen without saving any changes. |
OK |
Saves any changes and exits the screen. |
Pause |
Freezes the information on the screen and prevents it from being updated. |
Reset |
Temporarily clears any values and resets them to 0. |
Defaults |
Restores the screen's default settings. |
Help |
Provides information on the screen and its parameters through a web browser. |
Selecting the Radio
The ACU for the Linux operating system allows you to choose between client adapters if more than one is installed in your computer. The Select Radio screen (Figure 3-12) appears when you run the ACU on computers having more than one client adapter installed.
Figure 3-12 Select Radio Screen
Click the ethx button that corresponds to the client adapter that you want to use, where x is the number of the adapter. The client adapters are numbered according to the order in which they are installed; therefore, the adapter that was installed first has the lowest number. A brief description of the client adapter that is being used appears in the bottom left-hand corner of the Aironet Client Utility screen, and the Device field of the Status screen also shows which adapter is being used.
After you initially select the client adapter you want to use, you can switch back and forth between the installed adapters at any time by selecting the Select Radio parameter from the Commands drop-down menu. The Select Radio screen appears, and you can select a different client adapter.
Getting Your Client Adapter Up and Running
This section explains how to get your client adapter connected to your wireless network with little or no configuration changes. The amount of configuring you need to do depends on how your wireless network is set up. Cisco has designed its wireless devices to communicate with each other by using default settings. Therefore, if you are connecting to a Cisco access points running default settings, your client adapter should associate with the access point within radio range.
However, if the access point's default settings have been changed, you must configure your client adapter to the changed settings. If this is the case, you must obtain the following information from your system administrator.
•The wireless network's SSID
•The network's security configuration
–WEP key if WEP is enabled
–LEAP status (enabled or disabled)
Note See Chapter 5, for a comprehensive listing of the client adapter's advanced configuration parameters.
Setting the Client Name and SSID
After you have obtained the above information, follow these steps to set the adapter's client name
and SSID.
Step 1 Open ACU.
Step 2 Click the Commands tab. The Commands drop-down menu appears.
Step 3 Select Edit Properties.
Step 4 Click the Systems Parameters tab. The Systems Parameters screen appears (Figure 3-13).
Figure 3-13 Systems Parameters Screen
Step 5 In the Client Name field, enter the unique name for your computer.
Note Entering a client name is optional and not entering one does not affect system operation. Client names are often used to differentiate between devices in multiple-client card installations.
Step 6 Click the SSID 1 field, and enter the SSID you obtained from your systems administrator.
Step 7 Click OK to exit the Systems Parameters screen, and return to the Aironet Client Utility screen.
Note For a complete explanation of the SSID parameter, see the "Setting System Parameters" section.
Setting the Security Parameters
Along with the SSID, the Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP) settings must match those used by the access point. You must also know whether your wireless network is using LEAP.
Note See Chapter 4, for a complete description and comprehensive listing of the security features and parameters.
There are a number of security combinations available, depending on the client card that you are using:
•WEP is required to use LEAP.
•WEP can be used with or without LEAP.
•LEAP can be used only with WEP.
Note To use LEAP, your client adapter firmware must be later than version 4.13, and the access point firmware must be release 11.00 or later.
To use WEP with LEAP, your client adapter must be capable of the same WEP key as the access point to which it associates.
•A 340 or 350 series adapter cannot use WEP.
•A 341 or 351 adapter can use only 40-bit WEP, so the access point must be configured accordingly.
•A 342 or 352 adapter can use either 40- or 128-bit WEP.
Entering the WEP Key and Enabling WEP
Follow these steps to enter the WEP key and enable WEP.
Step 1 Select Enter WEP key from the Commands drop-down menu. The Enter CEM Password screen appears. (Figure 3-14.)
Figure 3-14 Enter CEM Password Screen
Note You can disable the CEM Password feature. See the "Getting Started" section for more information.
Step 2 Enter your CEM password.
Note The default password is Cisco (uppercase C followed by lowercase isco)
Step 3 Click OK. The Enter WEP key(s) screen appears.
Figure 3-15 Enter WEP Key(s) screen.
You can create up to four WEP keys with this screen.
Note Use of 128-bit WEP is subject to U.S. export restrictions.
Step 4 In the first blank field, enter the WEP key provided by your network administrator.
Note After you enter a WEP key, you can write over it, but you cannot edit or delete it.
Step 5 Click Transmit Key next to the key that you just created to indicate that this is the key you want to use to transmit packets.
Step 6 Click Persistent under WEP Key Type so that your client adapter retains this WEP key even when power to the adapter is removed or the computer in which it is installed is rebooted.
Note If you select Temporary, the WEP key is lost when power is removed from your client adapter.
Step 7 Click Apply or OK to return to the Aironet Client Utility screen.
Note Entering a WEP key does not enable WEP.
Step 8 Select Edit Properties from the Commands drop-down menu.
Step 9 Click the Network Security tab. The Network Security screen appears (Figure 3-16).
Figure 3-16 Network Security Screen
Step 10 Check the Enable WEP check box.
Step 11 Click OK to return to the Aironet Client Utility screen.
Note For a complete explanation of the WEP parameter, see the "WEP" section.
Enabling LEAP
If the LEAP feature is enabled on your network, you must enable it on your client adapter. Follow these steps to enable LEAP.
Step 1 Open the Network Security screen.
Step 2 In the Server Based Authentication box, click the LEAP button to enable LEAP.
Step 3 Click OK to return to the ACU main screen, and click the Commands tab. Note that the Set LEAP Information option is now accessible.
Step 4 Select Set LEAP Information from the Commands drop-down menu. The Set LEAP Username and Password screen appears (Figure 3-17).
Figure 3-17 Set LEAP Username and Password Screen
Step 5 Enter your username in the Username field.
Step 6 Enter your password in the Password field.
Note Usernames and passwords are case-sensitive and can contain up to 32 characters. The default password is Cisco (uppercase C, lower case isco).
Step 7 Re-enter your password in the Verify Password field.
Step 8 Click OK.
Your client adapter authenticates to the RADIUS server by using your username and password.
Note For a complete explanation of the LEAP feature, see the section "Server-Based Authentication" section and the "Enabling LEAP" section.
Using the Bcard Utility
When you run ACU to set a card configuration, it writes that configuration to a file on your hard drive. The file contains all of the configuration options and settings, including the SSID, RF parameters, and security settings. These settings can be subsequently used to reconfigure the client adapter at any time after you have executed ACU using Bcard, which automates the configuration process.
Operation Overview
Bcard uses the settings contained in the configuration file to reconfigure the radio, thereby eliminating the need to run ACU again when you restart your computer. Bcard can be executed from the system startup script or from the /etc/pcmcia/network script (assuming you have card and socket services installed).
If you add bcard to the PCMCIA network script, it executes each time you insert a client adapter into your computer's PCMCIA slot. If you are using a PCI card, run bcard when you boot up your computer to configure the client adapter at startup.
The following example assumes you are running Red Hat 7.2 without card and socket services. Edit /etc/rc.d/init.d/network to include the following first line:
/opt/cisco/bin/bcard
Bcard takes no arguments and this line configures the radio when the network is accessed at system startup. If you do not run bcard at system startup, the client adapter is not configured until you run ACU and configure the card manually.
Finishing the Installation
When the driver installation and utility configuration are complete, you can restart the network services or reboot your computer. Your client adapter is now configured to communicate on your wireless network and should associate to an access point within range. If it does not communicate, refer to the readme.txt file that accompanied your drivers, or contact your system administrator.