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This chapter provides an overview of the Cisco Aironet Client Administration Utility (ACAU) used by administrators to create configuration files and administrative overrides to control the installation of the utilities, driver, firmware, and profiles for the CB21AG PC-Cardbus and PI21AG PCI adapters installed in PCs running Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating system.
The following topic are covered in this chapter:
•Installing ACAU for the First Time
•Obtaining and Installing Wireless LAN Adapter Software
•Uninstalling Wireless LAN Adapter Software
ACAU is a utility used by administrators to configure administrative overrides and create profiles for users who install CB21AG and PI21AG wireless client adapters in PCs running Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating systems. The overrides and profiles are stored in configuration files that are loaded into the Aironet Desktop Utility (ADU) Install Wizard, hereafter called the Install Wizard. Once a user installs the drivers and ADU for their client adapter, the Install Wizard uses the instructions in the configuration file to preconfigure ADU user settings and load one or more user profiles.
Using ACAU, an administrator can perform the following operations:
•Determine and configure the setup options for the ADU software
•Set ADU user functions
•Create preconfigured user profiles for a user or group of users
The ACAU supports the following products:
•PC-Cardbus card (model number: AIR-CB21AG)
An IEEE 802.11a/b/g-compliant 2.4- and 5-GHz 54-Mbps client adapter card radio with a Cardbus interface that can be inserted into any device equipped with an external 32-bit Cardbus slot. See Figure 1-1).
Figure 1-1 PC-Cardbus Card
•PCI card (model number: AIR-PI21AG)
An IEEE 802.11a/b/g-compliant 2.4- and 5-GHz 54-Mbps client adapter card radio module that can be inserted into any device equipped with an empty PCI expansion slot. See Figure 1-2)
Figure 1-2 PCI Card
To obtain the latest ACAU software from the Cisco Web site, follow these steps:
Step 1 Use your web browser to go to the Cisco Software Center at the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/public/sw-center/sw-wireless.shtml
Step 2 Select Option #2: Aironet Wireless Software Display Tables.
Step 3 Select Cisco Aironet Wireless LAN Client Adapters.
Step 4 Scroll down to the Windows System Administration Tool and select Aironet Client Administration Utility (CB21AG and PI21AG). The Software Download page appears.
Step 5 Click ACAU-vxxx.exe. The Software Download Encryption Authorization Form appears.
Step 6 Complete the encryption authorization form and click Submit. The Software License Agreement page appears.
Step 7 If you agree with the terms of the agreement, click Accept. Otherwise, click Decline to cancel the download. The Software Download page appears.
Step 8 Click ACAU-vxxxx.exe.
Step 9 Save the file to a folder you specify.
This section describes a typical installation process when you are installing the ACAU on your PC for the first time. If you are upgrading to a new version or reinstalling the same version, the installation windows give you additional installation choices.
Follow the steps below to install ACAU on your PC for the first time:
Step 1 On the Windows taskbar Click Start > Run. The Run window appears.
Step 2 Browse to the location where you downloaded the software.
Step 3 Click Setup.exe.
Step 4 Click Open. The Run window reappears showing the path you specified in Step 2.
Step 5 Click OK. The ACAU - InstallShield Wizard window appears (Figure 1-3).
Figure 1-3 ACAU - InstallShield Wizard Window
Step 6 Click click Next. The next installation window appears showing you the default location to which the ACAU will be installed (Figure 1-4).
Figure 1-4 ACAU installation location Window
Note If you want to change the default location, click Change and browse to the location of your choice, select it, and click Next.
Step 7 Click Next to accept the default location and begin the installation process.
Step 8 When the ACAU is installed, the Installation Wizard Complete window appears (Figure 1-5).
Figure 1-5 Installation Wizard Complete Window
Step 9 Click Finish. The installation is complete.
Follow these steps to upgrade your ACAU software to release 1.1.
Step 1 Make sure the client adapter is inserted in your computer.
Note If your client adapter is not inserted, the upgrade silently fails.
Step 2 On the Windows taskbar, click Start > Run. The Run window appears.
Step 3 Browse to the location where you downloaded the software.
Step 4 Click Setup.exe.
Step 5 Click Open. The Run window reappears showing the path you specified in Step 3.
Step 6 Click OK. The Preparing Setup window appears followed by the Previous Installation Detected window.
Figure 1-6 Previous Installation Detected Window
Step 7 Perform one of the following:
•If you want to upgrade your ACAU software using new installation settings, you must first uninstall the existing ACAU software from your computer. Follow these steps to do so:
•If you want to upgrade your ACAU software using the installation settings that were selected during the last installation, follow these steps:
When you install ACAU, the installation routine places an Aironet Client Administration Utility icon on your Windows desktop. Double clicking the icon starts the utility. When you start ACAU, a graphical user interface appears (see Figure 1-7) that allows you to easily select and configure global and profile management settings. The ACAU uses two window tabs and drop-down menus.
Figure 1-7 ACAU Main Window
The main ACAU window provides two configuration tabs (see Figure 1-7):
•Global Settings—Enables you to specify how the Install Wizard processes the ADU software installation.
•Profile Management—Enables you to specify configuration parameters for profiles you create that the Install Wizard uses when users install the drivers and utilities on their PCs. The Profile Management section can also be used to modify, import, and export profiles.
The ACAU File drop-down menu provides the following selections:
•New—Opens a new ACAU configuration file for a specified client adapter.
•Open—Finds and opens an existing ACAU configuration file.
•Save—Saves the ACAU configuration file to the default directory and continues.
•Save as—Saves the ACAU configuration file to a filename and location you specify and continues.
•Read from Registry—Imports existing profiles from your computer's Windows registry.
•Exit—Closes and exits the ACAU program.
The ACAU Help drop-down menu option provides the following selections:
•Contents—Provides help information on ACAU options and settings.
•About—Provides the ACAU version number.
Context-sensitive help is not available in the ACAU.
When you create and save a profile and administrative overrides, ACAU creates a configuration file, ciscoadminconfig.dat, using the configuration options you selected. To operate, the ACAU configuration file must be placed in the folder where the Cisco Aironet Install Wizard (Setup.exe) was downloaded. When a user activates the install wizard program by clicking Setup.exe, the install wizard uses the ACAU-generated configuration file to specify the installation options and administrative overrides when it installs the device drivers and ADU.
Note You must save the ciscoadminconfig.dat file to the drive and directory in which the install wizard (setup.exe) resides. If the file is saved to any other location it is not processed by the install wizard.
The ACAU configuration file is encrypted to protect sensitive security data such as SSID, WEP keys, and network security settings. Also, the client adapter profiles created by ACAU can be configured to support static WEP, LEAP, or PEAP network security options. However, it can be read by anyone who downloads ACAU, which is available on Cisco.com.
The CB21AG and PI21AG wireless adapter software (drivers, firmware, and utilities) are not part of the ACAU software package and must be obtained separately. Refer to the Quick Start Guide: Cisco Aironet CB21AG and PI21AG Wireless LAN Adapters or the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless LAN Client Adapters (CB21AG and PI21AG) Installation and Configuration Guide for instructions on obtaining and installing the wireless adapter software.
You can remove the ACAU software from your PC by opening the Windows control panel and selecting Add/Remove Programs.
You can uninstall the wireless LAN adapter software and drivers from your PC by opening the Windows control panel and selecting Add/Remove Programs. See the Cisco Aironet 802.11a/b/g Wireless LAN Client Adapters (CB21AG and PI21AG) Installation and Configuration Guide for additional instructions on uninstalling the software.