Campus Wireless Update

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Campus Wireless Update

• Chudi Igboemeka
• Academic Technology, Pilots Projects
• ITSS

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Topics

• Wireless at Stanford Current Status
• WLAN Areas of concern
• Wireless Pilots Project
• Whats next?

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Wireless networking at Stanford

• Mixed wireless environment at Stanford
• Over five types of access points used
• Several independent WLAN implementations

ITSS wireless solution
- Wireless Backbone (WLAN on separate network)
- Ciscos Aironet 350 Access Points (802.11b)
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Where is wireless access available?
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Future wireless coverage expansion
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Wireless LAN Areas of Concern

• Wireless Security

• Wireless Support

• Wireless Management

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Wireless Security

• Is wireless secure?

• We do not use WEP (wired equivalency protocol)
• WEP is breakable well known fact to hackers
• Shared key everyone has the same key
• Vendor specific dynamic key solutions?

Currently, WLAN cards are registered in NetDB to
access DHCP pool.
Need an authentication and encryption system
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Wireless Security Pilots
Hardware based Solutions
Vernier Networks - Access Manager - Pilot
starting in April
Wireless Authentication
Wireless Authentication System PBL. Developed
by a Students from KTH, Sweden

• Price

• Ease of implementation

• Scalability

Other solutions to investigate 802.1X, VPN,
Cisco LEAP, NoCat
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Supporting wireless at Stanford
How will we support wireless across campus?
Support should be seamless to the client,
regardless of where they are.
Form alliances with support groups across campus
where wireless is deployed.

• build support structure (escalation)
• standardize SSID (Stanford)

Recommend wireless cards to clients

• Currently, we support several cards (Cisco,
  Lucent, Apple)

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Wireless Support (cont)

• ITSS Wireless website end of April
• Information on wireless technologies at Stanford
• Wireless coverage area map
• Support docs (troubleshooting guide, FAQ)
• Do-it-yourself wireless card configuration.
• Contact info, Security info.
• Wireless _at_ home
• Educate users about securely using wireless APs
  with their broadband internet connections at
  home.
• Access Point mapping
• Map the physical location of deployed access
  points

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Wireless Management
Why is wireless management important?

• AP fault and performance monitoring

• AP association reporting Predict coverage area
  expansion

• AP configuration templates and device grouping

• Fits into the campus-wide network management
  solution

Challenges of wireless management - mobile
devices are constantly joining and leaving the
network at random times. - mobile devices roam
between wireless access points

• Wireless Management Pilot April/02
• An AP management tool developed by Cisco (WLSE)
• Pilot at Stern Hall

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Cisco WLSE overview
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Other Wireless Pilots

• 802.11a testing

• Intel PRO/Wireless 5000 AP
• Speed, coverage area, cost

• Bluetooth

• Pico Communications
• Range, interference with 802.11b, applications
  at Stanford

• Stern Hall Pilot

• Cisco Aironet 350
• Wireless management

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Whats next?

• Enhance current wireless network
• Security, management support
• Pilot new technologies (802.11a/b combo,
  security solutions)

• 2. Promote and Communicate WLAN at Stanford
• Wireless Launch late April - early May

• 3. Expansion of current wireless network
• Consulting with departments on campus

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Q A
Contact me
chudi_at_stanford.edu