Wiley Publishing - Wireless Networks

Author’s Acknowledgments

We’d like to offer special thanks to Pat O’Brien, who started this rolling. Peter worked as the technical editor for Pat on Hacking For Dummies. Thanks for passing on Melody’s name.
Thanks to Melody Layne, acquisitions editor, for pitching the book to the edi­torial committee and getting us a contract. Much appreciated.

Thanks to Becky Huehls, who started us out on this project as editor but wisely got herself re-assigned. Thanks to Kelly Ewing for picking up the ball and running with it after Becky. Unfortunately, Kelly fumbled it, but Colleen Totz was able to struggle with it over the goal line.
Dan DiNicolo, technical editor, is commended for his diligence in reviewing the material. Thanks, Dan.

Peter would like to thank Kevin Beaver, Ken Cutler, Gerry Grindler, Ronnie Holland, Carl Jackson, Ray Kaplan, Kevin Kobelsky, Carrie Liddie, Dexter Mills Jr., and Larry Simon for responding to a request for wireless informa­tion. Thanks for answering the call for help. The provided information shows in this book.

Barry would like to thank his co-author Peter. Always a pleasure, sir. He would also like to acknowledge Craig McGuffin and John Tannahill who are always there for him, as friends and business associates , and never fail to lend a helping hand.

Introduction

Recently, a very knowledgeable speaker at a presentation for a wireless vendor talked about wireless as ubiquitous. We would have to disagree. Wireless is widespread, but it is not everywhere. But it is rapidly becoming ubiquitous.

In about 1990, cell phone users carried around a phone that looked and felt like a World War II walkie-talkie. You didn’t casually whip that baby out and start a conversation. At that time, you either had a deep wallet, a big ego, or a compelling need to talk to your mother. Now, depending on where you live in the world, the cell phone provides better quality at a lower cost — and in a much smaller form factor.

In about 1994, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) equipment manufacturers sold gear that was comparable to the wireless phone market. The devices were large and very expensive and provided poor bandwidth. You had to have a compelling reason to spend the money on the low bandwidth. But that has changed. In 2004, you can buy a reasonably priced laptop with onboard sup­port for 802.11b and Bluetooth. You can add a fairly inexpensive 802.11a and g PC Card and easily connect wirelessly and, if you have a Centrino-based system or Microsoft Windows XP, somewhat seamlessly. The WLAN market of today is analogous to the Ethernet market of the mid 1980s. In those years, solutions were proprietary, and standards were being approved. Companies were jockeying for position. Now, you would have difficulty finding a desktop or laptop computer that does not come with Ethernet support. When we look back from the future, we will see some parallels between 802.3 and 802.11 development.

Telephone companies have wrestled with the issue of the “last mile” for a while. But forget the last mile; Bluetooth and IrDA provide the last foot. Mice, keyboards, phones, PDAs, and other devices support Bluetooth for wire replacement. When you have a Bluetooth-enabled printer, you no longer need to hook up to the network to print one page or a contact.

Vendors are trying to get along with each other to develop standards so that one day we can walk around with a phone, PDA, or laptop and connect to any network, anywhere, anytime. We wrote this book for those of you who want to release your company f its bondage. If you want to unfetter your clients so that they can access t e-mail before getting on the red-eye to New York or Toronto, this book is you. If your desktop looks like spaghetti junction and you want to rid you of all those wires, this book is for you. If you want to provide up-to-the-m stock quotes to the Chair of your company while she sits in the boardroo this book is for you. If you have a small to medium enterprise (SME) or b ness (SMB) or a small office/home office (SOHO) and don’t want to rewir (or pay someone to rewire) your office, this book is for you. If you have w less at home and want to learn about features that you can expect for ho gear, this book is for you.

About This Book

Mark Twain once wrote, “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” So we have done the easy part for you. We crossed ou all the wrong words and came up with this book. What are left are the wo that will help you plan for, install, acquire, protect, manage, and administ wireless networks from personal area to wide area.

We have started your journey by providing information on

*.Differentiating WPAN, WLAN, WMAN, and WWAN
*. Planning your wireless network
*.Doing a site survey
*.Using IrDA for transferring files
*.Using Bluetooth for wire replacement
*. Securing IrDA and Bluetooth
*. Acquiring the right equipment
*.Installing and configuring an access point
*.Acquiring and installing client hardware
*.Installing and configuring client software
*. Building a network to allow roaming
*.Connecting while on the go
*. Securing your WLAN
*. Understanding WEP, WPA, and RSN
*. Understanding EAP
*.Setting up a VPN using PPTP
*. Troubleshooting your network
*. Evaluating and fixing network performance
*. Using administrator software and utilities

How to Use This Book

You don’t have to start reading this book at the beginning — each chapter stands on its own, as does each and every part. In fact, if you are new to wireless networking but not new to networking, you may want to start with the radio frequency (RF) primer in Appendix C. It’s an exploration of radio frequency. We do suggest, however, that you consider starting at the begin­ning and reading to the end.

We encourage you to use the white space and the margins of this book. Mark it up and make it your own. Look up the links that we provideto find a wealth of information. You’ll want to write in the book because it will become an irre­placeable reference when you cross out words and add others yourself.

How This Book Is Organized

We grouped the chapters of this book into manageable chunks, called parts. Each part has a theme. For instance, the first part is like a handshake. We help you get started through planning and acquiring hardware and software. In between, we have some management parts. And the last part is an exchange of data.

Part I: Planning and Acquiring Your Network

Part I is the foundation required for the world of wireless networks. Chapter 1 breaks down the various types of wireless networks and provides examples of each type. If you’re trying to sell wireless within your organization, you will see some benefits of wireless you might want to use. Chapter 2 introduces the necessary planning for a successful implementation. You will see how to do a site survey. Chapter 3 sorts out more terminology and explains the differences between an ad hoc and an infrastructure network. You get the scoop on differ­entiating between BSS, IBSS, and ESS.

Part II: Implementing Your Wireless Network

Part II starts at 10 meters and moves to 100 meters and then beyond. Chapter 4 gives you an overview of IrDA and Bluetooth and security measures for both. You will understand how to use these technologies to replace wires in your office or on your body. Chapters 5 and 6 move on to wireless local area net­working. In Chapter 5, you see how to set up an access point. Chapter 6 talks about connecting Windows 2000, Windows XP, tablet PC, Linux, and Mac OS clients as well as Centrino-based systems. Chapter 7 moves you a little beyond your office through the use of bridges and switches. When you want to roam about your offices, you need to set your system up correctly. You can read how to do this in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 deals with accessing wireless wide area net­works. You will find a discussion about hot spots. But more important, you see how to get your e-mail wirelessly while on the road.

Part III: Using Your Network Securely

In Chapter 9, we introduce you to the additional risks of wireless networks — additional because you have all the risks of a wired network plus those specific to wireless. For instance, signal jamming is not a real risk in wired networks, but it is in wireless networks.

It wouldn’t be fair to just enumerate risks without providing some help. Chapter 10 provides a security architecture for your wireless network. You probably have a healthy paranoia when it comes to wireless and its security. Hopefully, Chapter 11 can allay some of your fears — and add some new ones. Chapter 12 helps you set up a secure channel because, quite frankly, who cares if WEP can be broken when you protect your data at a higher level?

Part IV: Keeping Your Network on the Air — Administration and Troubleshooting

Availability is an integral part of a network. So is administration. After we develop a network that is reliable, available, and secure, we must administer it. This includes documenting components. Chapter 13 highlights known wireless problems and practiced solutions. For instance, when you have a near/far condition, move one of the workstations closer. You’ll find pithy advice like this in Chapter 13. Chapter 14 discusses bridges and bridging technology. When you have a network, you have people complaining about connectivity

and performance. Chapter 15 provides some commonsense solutions to typi­cal wireless problems. Finally, Chapter 16 provides guidance for trying to wrap your hands (and heads) around your network. Whether you have an authorized wireless network or not, you won’t want to miss this chapter.

Part V: The Part of Tens

The Part of Tens provides top-ten that lists authors think are interesting. Our Part of Tens is no different. We provide a look at ten indispensable tools for network administrators and tinkerers alike (Chapter 17); ten ways to secure your WLAN (Chapter 18); and ten ways to use wireless in your busi­ness (Chapter 19).

Part VI: Appendixes

We also provide some valuable reference material in the Appendixes. Appendix A lists trade associations and user groups for wireless. You can find out whether there is a WUG (wireless user group) in your neighborhood. If you don’t have one, start one and send us the information. Appendix B pro­vides information on the 802 standards that you need to know for the wireless market. Appendix C, as mentioned earlier, provides the minimum necessary information that you need to set up a wireless network. If you want more infor­mation, refer to Appendixes A and B.
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Networking

Author’s Acknowledgments

I’d like to start by thanking everyone who was involved with the second edition of this book, especially project editor Christopher Morris, who heeded the Hitchhiker’s Guide creed (“Don’t panic!”) when I was occasionally late with submissions and who did a great job following through on all the little editorial details needed to put a book of this scope together on time. Thanks also to Dan DiNicolo, who gave the manuscript a thorough review and offered many excellent suggestions for improvements, and to copy editors Jean Rogers and Andy Hollandbeck, who whipped my prose into shape, crossing all the i’s and dotting all the t’s, or something like that. And, as always, thanks to all the behind-the-scenes people who chipped in with help I’m not even aware of.

Introduction

Welcome to the second edition of Networking All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, the one networking book that’s designed to replace an entire shelf full of the dull and tedious networking books you’d otherwise have to buy. This book contains all the basic and not-so-basic information you need to know to get a network up and running and to stay on top of the network as it grows, develops problems, and encounters trouble.

If you’re just getting started as a network administrator, this book is ideal. As a network administrator, you have to know about a lot of different topics: installing and configuring network hardware, installing and configuring network operating systems, planning a network, working with TCP/IP, securing your network, working with wireless devices, backing up your data, and many others.

You can, and probably eventually will, buy separate books on each of these topics. It won’t take long before your bookshelf is bulging with 10,000 or more pages of detailed information about every imaginable nuance of networking. But before you’re ready to tackle each of those topics in depth, you need to get a birds-eye picture. This book is the ideal way to do that.

And if you already own 10,000 pages or more of network information, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of detail and wonder, “Do I really need to read 1,000 pages about Bind to set up a simple DNS server?” or “Do I really need a six-pound book to show me how to install Linux?” Truth is, most 1,000-page networking books have about 100 or so pages of really useful information — the kind you use every day — and about 900 pages of excruciating details that apply mostly to networks at places like NASA and the CIA.

The basic idea of this book is that I’ve tried to wring out the 100 or so most useful pages of information on nine different networking topics: network basics, building a network, network administration and security, troubleshooting and disaster planning, working with TCP/IP, home networking, wireless networking, Windows server operating systems, and Linux.

So whether you’ve just been put in charge of your first network or you’re a seasoned pro, you’ve found the right book.

About This Book

Networking All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is intended to be a reference for all the great things (and maybe a few not-so-great things) that you may need to know when you’re setting up and managing a network. You can, of course, buy a huge 1,000-page book on each of the networking topics covered in this book. But then, who would you get to carry them home from the bookstore for you? And where would you find the shelf space to store them? In this book, you get the information you need all conveniently packaged for you in between one set of covers.

This book doesn’t pretend to be a comprehensive reference for every detail of these topics. Instead, this book shows you how to get up and running fast so that you have more time to do the things you really want to do. Designed using the easy-to-follow For Dummies format, this book helps you get the information you need without laboring to find it.

Networking All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is a big book made up of several smaller books — minibooks, if you will. Each of these minibooks covers the basics of one key element of network management, such as setting up network hardware, installing a network operating system, or troubleshooting network problems. Whenever one big thing is made up of several smaller things, confusion is always a possibility. That’s why Networking All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is designed to have multiple access points (I hear an acronym coming on — MAP!) to help you find what you want. At the beginning of the book is a detailed table of contents that covers the entire book. Then, each minibook begins with a minitable of contents that shows you at a glance what chapters are included in that minibook. Useful running heads appear at the top of each page to point out the topic discussed on that page. And handy thumb tabs run down the side of the pages to help you quickly find each minibook. Finally, a comprehensive index lets you find information anywhere in the entire book.
This isn’t the kind of book you pick up and read from start to finish, as if it were a cheap novel. If I ever see you reading it at the beach, I’ll kick sand in your face. This book is more like a reference, the kind of book you can pick up, turn to just about any page, and start reading. You don’t have to memorize anything in this book. It’s a “need-to-know” book: You pick it up when you need to know something. Need to know how to set up a DHCP server in Windows? Pick up the book. Need to know how to create a user account in Linux? Pick up the book. Otherwise, put it down and get on with your life.

How to Use This Book

This book works like a reference. Start with the topic you want to find out about. Look for it in the table of contents or in the index to get going. The table of contents is detailed enough that you should be able to find most of the topics you’re looking for. If not, turn to the index, where you can find even more detail.

Of course, the book is loaded with information, so if you want to take a brief excursion into your topic, you’re more than welcome. If you want to know the big security picture, read the whole chapter on security. If you just want to know how to make a decent password, read just the section on passwords. You get the idea.

Whenever I describe a message or information that you see on the screen, I present it as follows:

A message from your friendly network

If you need to type something, you’ll see the text you need to type like this: Type this stuff. In this example, you type Type this stuff at the keyboard and press Enter. An explanation usually follows, just in case you’re scratching your head and grunting, “Huh?”

How This Book Is Organized

Each of the nine minibooks contained in Networking All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, 2nd Edition, can stand by themselves. The first minibook covers the networking basics that you should know to help you understand the rest of the stuff in this book. Of course, if you’ve been managing a network for awhile already, you probably know all this stuff, so you can probably skip Book I or just skim it over quickly for laughs. The remaining minibooks cover a variety of networking topics that you would normally find covered in separate books. Here is a brief description of what you find in each minibook.

Book I: Networking Basics

This minibook covers the networking basics that you need to understand to get going. You find out what a network is, how networking standards work, what hardware components are required to make up a network, and what network operating systems do. You discover the difference between peer-to-peer networking and client-server networking. And you also get a comparison of the most popular network operating systems, including Windows NT Server, Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, Novell’s NetWare, and Linux.

Book II: Building a Network

In this minibook, you find out the ins and outs of building a network. First, you see how to create a plan for your network. After all, planning is the first step of any great endeavor. Then, you discover how to install network hardware such as network interface cards and how to work with various types of networking cable. You receive some general pointers about installing a network server operating system. And finally, you gain insight into how to configure various versions of Windows to access a network.

Book III: Network Administration and Security

In this minibook, you discover what it means to be a network administrator, with an emphasis on how to secure your network so that it’s safe from intruders, but at the same time allows your network’s users access to everything they need. In the real world, this responsibility isn’t as easy as it sounds. This minibook begins with an overview of what network administrators do. Then, it describes some of the basic practices of good network security, such as using strong passwords and providing physical security for your servers. Then, it presents an overview of setting up network user accounts. And it concludes with some additional security techniques, such as using virus scanners and setting up firewalls.

Book IV: Network Troubleshooting and Disaster Planning

When something goes wrong with your network, you can turn to this mini-book for guidance on isolating the problem and determining how to correct it. This minibook covers not only major network problems (“my network’s dead,”) but also those insidious performance problems (“I can get to the server, but it’s ess-el-oh-double-ewe”). And you find help for one of the most common network complaints: e-mail that doesn’t get through.

Before something goes wrong with your network, I hope you turn to this minibook for guidance on how to protect your network through a good, comprehensive backup scheme, and how to create a disaster recovery plan (known now by the trendy term, Business Continuity Planning).

Book V: TCP/IP and the Internet

This minibook is devoted to the most popular network technology on the planet: TCP/IP. (Actually, it may be the most popular protocol in the universe. The aliens in Independence Day had a TCP/IP network on their spaceship, enabling Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum to hack their way in. The aliens should have read the section on firewalls in Book III.)

In this minibook, you discover the various protocols that make up the entire TCP/IP suite. You find out all about IP addresses, subnetting, routing, and all that good stuff. You encounter DHCP and DNS. And you discover how to use those handy TCP/IP troubleshooting tools like Ping and Tracert.

Book VI: Home Networking

This minibook covers the information you need to know to install a network at home. You discover how to set up a basic Windows network, the various options for networking your home (including wireless, phone networks, and PowerLine networks), and how to incorporate other gadgets into your network. You also find out about VoIP, which lets you replace your telephone service with Internet-based phone service.

Book VII: Wireless Networking

In this minibook, you discover the ins and outs of setting up and securing a wireless network.

Book VIII: Windows Server 2003 Reference

This minibook describes the basics of setting up and administering a server using the latest version of Windows Server 2003. You also find helpful information about its predecessor, Windows 2000 Server. You find chapters on installing a Windows server, managing user accounts, setting up a file server, and securing a Windows server. Plus, you find a handy reference to the many Windows networking commands that you can use from a command prompt.

Book IX: Linux Networking Reference

Linux has fast become an inexpensive alternative to Windows or NetWare. In this minibook, you discover the basics of installing and managing Fedora Core 3 Linux, the current version of the most popular Linux distribution. You find out how to install Fedora, work with Linux commands and GNOME (a popular graphical interface for Linux), configure Linux for networking, set up a Windows-compatible file server using Samba, and run popular Internet servers such as DHCP, Bind, and Sendmail. Plus, you get a concise Linux command reference that will turn you into a Linux command line junkie in no time.
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