Looking at wireless networks in the eyes of WLAN network administrators

Network administrators who deploy WLAN and support end users and applications in a wireless environment usually have different perspectives.

"Stickiness" of the Client"

In an ideal situation, any 802.11 client device that has obtained Wi-Fi Alliance authentication will receive Wi-Fi Alliance authentication in the same way as access points of the same network type) consistent performance should be presented during communication. However, the Wi-Fi Alliance only authenticates the interoperability of products and does not prove or judge the performance of a client or AP. At present, there are still some differences in the performance of different client devices.

To better manage wireless networks, it is worth advocating to ask future system vendors how the client-To-AP connection and roaming are performed, especially when you are seeking to use Wi-Fi for voice communication ). In most systems on the market today, the client determines which AP it connects to and when it will roam to another AP. However, Meru Networks and Extricom are two exceptions. To achieve greater and more consistent overall network performance, they give the decision to the central controller.

Different NIC network interface cards) usually show different performance, depending on the NIC vendor and driver configuration. The 802.11 standard does not specify how to connect clients to the AP.

Most clients that have made their own decisions use signal strength as their main indicator to try to communicate with the most powerful AP signal, at the same time, the signal-to-noise ratio and data rate of the received frames are monitored to determine how to roam to a new AP. When the signal-to-noise ratio and data rate are relatively low, most clients will find another AP. Many of these clients try to delay roaming in order not to interrupt ongoing communication. This kind of immobility tends to be the so-called "stickiness" of the client ".

Some NICs allow you to configure the NIC viscosity level in the card driver. But remember that the optimal configuration for a client device and user is not necessarily the best for the entire network. For example, if all NICs are aggressive, the competition on the network may be greatly increased. Therefore, the administrator should make a decision on the client's stickiness in order from top to bottom, rather than randomly configuring the terminal as different stickiness levels. In addition, you should also ask the vendor about the Controller Software's ability to manage different client behaviors.

The Administrator has something to say.

In addition, to rely on wireless networks as the main means, reliability and security must be improved. Savvy network administrators may take some initiative to ensure that these two factors reach the expected level in the wireless environment.

John Tuman, head of network services at WakeMed Health & Hospitals, North Carolina, said security is a top priority when talking about managing wireless networks and cannot be ignored in development management strategies. "Wired networks are inherently secure and built into the organization," he explained. For wireless networks, data encryption is required to ensure security. Wireless signals go through the wall. Before you start to worry about reliability, we recommend you implement security first ."

In addition, Tuman believes that physical environment changes and client device support will become a challenge for WLAN administrators. Therefore, it is important to manage the device types you are about to deploy and understand which devices are suitable for your environment.

John Turner, head of networking and system at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, believes that choosing a WLAN vendor seems common and is actually crucial to management. "I would suggest people use Central, light access points for site assessment," Turner said. The funds and time invested in the comprehensive investigation of wireless networks will eventually return ."

For network analyst Matt Barber at Morrisville State University in New York, it is the best advice he can give to fellow network administrators or organizations to learn about specific vendors and products. "You can visit actual users who are using your target manufacturer and product ." Barber said, "Tell them what you are going to do and ask them to explain in detail how their interfaces and applicability are implemented. Don't forget to talk about the possible problems ."

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