3Com WL-311 User Manual Download

Page: 12 / 76

Installing the Hardware and Software

Physical Dimensions

If you want to mount the wireless bridge on a vertical surface, see the outside dimensions
and mounting hole dimensions of the mounting plate shown below. Primary dimensions
are given in inches and secondary dimensions are shown in millimeters.

3.38"

(86 mm)

.50"

(13 mm)

6.20"

(157 mm)

.77"

(20 mm)

1.10"

(28 mm)

1.95"

(49 mm)

3.89"

(99 mm)

Use #6 or M4 flathead fasteners

for mounting bracket

Summary of Contents for WL-311

Page 1: ...Wireless Building to Building Bridge WL 311 Wireless Network Solution User Guide http www 3com com http www 3com com productreg Published June 2001 User guide version 1 0 0 ...

Page 2: ...le named LICENSE TXT or LICENSE TXT If you are unable to locate a copy please contact 3Com and a copy will be provided to you UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LEGEND If you are a United States government agency then this documentation and the software described herein are provided to you subject to the following All technical data and computer software are commercial in nature and developed solely at priv...

Page 3: ...siderations 7 Indoor Location 7 Outdoor Location 7 Considering Antenna Placement 8 Proper Grounding 8 Alignment 8 Polarization 8 Installing the Hardware 9 Installing the Wireless Bridge Manager Software 11 3 Configuring the Bridge Starting the Bridge Manager 13 Scanning for Bridge Groups 14 Selecting a Bridge to Configure 15 Setting Network and Security Values 16 Network Settings 17 Security Setti...

Page 4: ... Term Statistics 37 Moving Window Statistics 37 Viewing System Information 37 5 Troubleshooting Bridge Problems Upgrading Firmware 39 Diagnosing Problems 39 Handling Event Log Errors 40 Handling Terminal Configurator Error Codes 40 A Technical Specifications Supported Standards 41 Network Standard 41 Network Architecture Types 41 Network Connection Type 41 Bridging Protocol 41 Encryption 41 Securi...

Page 5: ...Telnet Connection 46 Using the Terminal Configurator 47 Main Menu Overview 47 Edit Configuration Menu Overview 48 Using The Editor 48 Configuration File Format 48 File Contents 49 System 49 configure 49 bridge 49 Bridged Ethernet lan0 49 hardware 49 encryption 50 rmp 50 bootp 50 ip 51 Error Codes 51 Index Limited Warranty and Regulatory Compliance Information 3Com Corporation Limited Warranty Regu...

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Page 7: ... Bridge provides a way to extend the scope of the wireless LAN far beyond the walls of a particular building A 3Com Wireless Building to Building Bridge can be used in two network configurations or topologies Point to point communication Point to multipoint communication This guide explains these network topologies and their components and leads you through the process of installing configuring an...

Page 8: ...e Ethernet cable Using wireless bridges in this manner provides a cost effective way to wirelessly link multiple wired LAN networks by eliminating the need to install cables between buildings An alternative point to multipoint configuration is shown in the following figure In this example the first building s bridge is using an omnidirectional antenna while the other three buildings have bridges u...

Page 9: ...t reduces the antenna s effective range The following figures illustrate the different types of antennas and typical examples of use See Chapter 2 Installing the Hardware and Software for detailed information about recommended 3Com antennas Omnidirectional Antenna An omnidirectional antenna provides short range point to multipoint connectivity for two or more wireless bridges Range with an omnidir...

Page 10: ...ional Panel Selecting a Cable Specific cables are available from 3Com for connecting the wireless bridge to an antenna In planning your bridging topology it is important to account for signal attenuation due to the cable and connectors used between the bridge and the antenna Using the shortest cables possible reduces signal loss 3Com recommends using 50 ft cable with 18 dB antenna with 10 dB atten...

Page 11: ...ion CD containing this user guide and configuration software If any of these items is missing or damaged please contact the place of purchase or 3Com Customer Support http support 3com com System Requirements Before you can install a set of wireless bridges your system environment must satisfy the conditions listed below You need to have Physically isolated Ethernet LANs Two or more 3Com Wireless ...

Page 12: ...al surface see the outside dimensions and mounting hole dimensions of the mounting plate shown below Primary dimensions are given in inches and secondary dimensions are shown in millimeters 3 38 86 mm 50 13 mm 6 20 157 mm 77 20 mm 1 10 28 mm 1 95 49 mm 3 89 99 mm Use 6 or M4 flathead fasteners for mounting bracket ...

Page 13: ...ptional outdoor enclosure accessory To obtain an outdoor enclosure accessory contact 3Com at http www 3com com For installation instructions refer to the procedure provided with the enclosure accessory LED Lights Power Green when power is applied Alert Amber when status information is available View the event log for status information See Event Log on page 33 for more information Wireless Green w...

Page 14: ...een antennas is not strictly necessary such an arrangement helps to ensure a strong signal Align each directional antenna to point at the antenna with which it will communicate If you place two directional antennas at different heights tilt them up or down toward each other for optimal signal strength Make sure that the angle of tilt is identical for each antenna the antenna faces should be parall...

Page 15: ...If you are not mounting the bridge leave the mounting plate on the bottom of the bridge 3 To mount the bridge install the mounting plate where desired using the mounting hardware provided see Physical Dimensions on page 6 for the physical dimensions of the mounting plate CAUTION Installing the 3Com Wireless Building to Building Bridge cables and antennas should be done only by professional network...

Page 16: ...ctor Insert the other end of the cable into your Ethernet LAN connector 9 Connect power to the bridge a Connect the six pin DC power cable to the power adapter b Connect the round power plug of the DC cable to the port labeled 5 VDC c Connect the AC power cord to the other side of the power adapter d Insert the AC power cord into an AC power outlet 10 Verify that the bridge Ethernet LED is illumin...

Page 17: ...ck the icon for the drive in which the Installation CD is located c Double click setup exe The Welcome screen appears 2 Click Next to continue the installation The Software License screen appears 3 Click Yes to indicate that you agree with the displayed terms The Choose Destination Location screen appears This screen displays the default path and location for the Bridge Manager files and documents...

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Page 19: ...the Bridge Manager Starting the Bridge Manager To run the Wireless Bridge Manager follow these steps 1 On the Windows taskbar click Start 2 Select Programs and then select the Program Group you created when you installed the Wireless Bridge Manager see Installing the Wireless Bridge Manager Software on page 11 3 Select the 3Com Wireless Bridge Manager entry The 3Com Wireless Building to Building B...

Page 20: ... Bridge Manager to scan the network without having to restart it To force the Bridge Manager to scan for accessible bridge groups click Refresh in the lower right corner of the 3Com Wireless Building to Building Bridge Manager screen After completing the scan the Bridge Manager displays the detected bridge groups on the 3Com Wireless Building to Building Bridge Manager screen Also displayed are al...

Page 21: ...ibed in Scanning for Bridge Groups on page 14 and follow these steps 1 To show the options available for a listed wireless bridge unit right click the displayed unit name 2 Select Configure The Wireless Bridge Configuration screen appears see the next figure displaying tabs for Network Security Options Tools and Info The functions of these tabs are described in the following sections ...

Page 22: ...ttings for the wireless bridge in the Network Security tab of the Wireless Bridge Configuration screen The Network Security tab lets you set the following values WLAN service area ESSID Level of desired WEP Wired Equivalent Protection security Station name IP address Subnet mask address Gateway address ...

Page 23: ...rity settings see the next section Security Settings 3 Enter the Station Name The station name is an arbitrary identifier for each wireless bridge This value lets you conveniently identify the bridges with the Wireless Bridge Manager Assigning a meaningful station name to each wireless bridge is recommended Like the WLAN Service Area Name step 1 this field uses any alphanumeric combination 4 Enter...

Page 24: ...can set the WEP keys in one of two ways You can Have the keys automatically generated Allows you to easily enter any string of characters as you would enter a password that will automatically generate the WEP keys in hexadecimal notation the same way for every wireless bridge you configure Enter the keys manually Allows you to use an existing set of encryption keys but requires that you manually e...

Page 25: ...creen select 40 bit Shared Key from the Security setting list see step 2 on page 17 2 Click Encryption Key Settings The 40 Bit Encryption Key Settings screen appears 3 Select Specify Encryption String 4 Type the encryption string in the Encryption String field Retype the encryption string in the Confirm Encryption String field to make sure that you have entered the string correctly A valid encrypt...

Page 26: ...t see step 2 on page 17 2 Click Encryption Key Settings The 40 Bit Encryption Key Settings screen appears 3 Select Specify Encryption Keys 4 Enter the key settings Hexadecimal keys are sequences of hexadecimal digits arranged into four keys A hexadecimal digit may be a letter from A to F or a number from 0 to 9 You must enter settings for all four keys All four keys must be entered in precisely th...

Page 27: ...ct 128 bit Shared Key from the Security setting list see step 2 on page 17 2 Click Encryption Key Settings The 128 Bit Encryption Key Settings screen appears 3 Select Specify Encryption String 4 Type the encryption string in the Encryption String field Retype the encryption string in the Confirm Encryption String field to make sure that you have entered the string correctly A valid encryption stri...

Page 28: ...t see step 2 on page 17 2 Click Encryption Key Settings The 128 Bit Encryption Key Settings screen appears 3 Select Specify Encryption Keys 4 Enter the key settings Hexadecimal keys are sequences of hexadecimal digits arranged into four keys A hexadecimal digit may be a letter from A to F or a number from 0 to 9 You must enter settings for all four keys All four keys must be entered in precisely t...

Page 29: ...ge Configuration screen lets you set values for the following options Options Purpose Transmit rate settings Control the rates at which the wireless bridge makes physical layer transmissions Medium reservation Controls the 802 11 Request to Send Clear to Send RTS CTS mechanism Channel Controls the radio frequency ...

Page 30: ...orm a Request to Send and receive a Clear to Send before transmitting packets One of the bridges in the system acts as the coordinator for all transmissions The coordinator issues the Clear to Send messages for all other bridges that are making Requests to Send There is not a way to specify which bridge will be the coordinator When medium reservation is enabled you must specify the RTS threshold T...

Page 31: ...llow you to Write a configuration to a file Reload a saved configuration file to a selected bridge Reset the unit Restore the unit default settings Update the bridge firmware Change the bridge password View log information View the signal strength of packets received by the wireless bridge Accessing System Tools Selecting the Tools tab displays the available system tools for the wireless bridge ...

Page 32: ...figuration values Saving a Configuration You can write save the configuration settings of the wireless bridge to a local file This feature allows you to save settings of a known state for backup purposes or easily configure multiple bridges with the same settings To save a configuration file follow these steps 1 From the Wireless Bridge Configuration screen see Selecting a Bridge to Configure on p...

Page 33: ...cessfully loaded Resetting the Unit If you experience a persistent problem with your wireless bridge you can perform a reset of the bridge unit in a way that does not erase your configuration settings Resetting the unit from the Reset Unit icon clears Some of the error log see Event Log on page 33 The bridge unit forwarding table see Forward Table on page 34 During the reset bridging through the u...

Page 34: ...click the Reset to Default icon from the Tools tab of the Wireless Bridge Configuration screen See the next section Using the Reset to Default Icon or Use a paper clip to press the configuration button labeled Config in the illustration on page 10 located next to the serial port on the back panel of the bridge See Resetting by Using the Configuration Button on page 29 CAUTION Resetting to factory ...

Page 35: ...t 3 Click Yes to restart the unit Resetting by Using the Configuration Button You can also reset the 3Com Wireless Building to Building Bridge to factory default settings without using the Bridge Manager 1 Disconnect power to the bridge 2 Insert one end of an extended paper clip into the small hole labeled Config located near the serial port on the bridge back panel to press the configuration butt...

Page 36: ...to the latest version 1 Download the latest version of firmware from http support 3com com to the computer that is currently running the Wireless Bridge Manager The firmware file has the extension RMU 2 After downloading the firmware select the Tools tab from the Wireless Bridge Configuration screen see Selecting a Bridge to Configure on page 15 3 Double click the Firmware Upgrade icon The Firmwar...

Page 37: ...rst validates the firmware RMU file checks for components that should be loaded on the bridge and then sends the components to the bridge A progress indicator is displayed as shown in the next figure Firmware installation can take from 30 seconds to a few minutes depending on the number of components being updated A status indicator updates the progress as shown below After the bridge has complete...

Page 38: ...tab 2 Double click the Change Password icon The Change Password dialog box appears 3 If you are changing an existing password type the active password in the Enter your current password field If you are entering a new password for the first time leave the Enter your current password field blank 4 Type the new password in the Enter your new password field Type the new password a second time in the ...

Page 39: ...e wireless bridge Association Log Displays association and disassociation events Event Log The event log displays messages generated by the wireless bridge Event log messages include basic information about the bridge hardware and any status messages generated by the bridge To clear the entries from the event log click Clear Log If the Alert light is on clearing the event log turns it off The time...

Page 40: ... the local side of the wireless link The local wireless bridge does not forward those packets to remote wireless bridges because the forwarding table knows that the source and destination computers are on the local network When the wireless bridge detects a new source MAC address it adds that address to the forward table and the interface value is set to the interface on which the packet was recei...

Page 41: ...e the MAC address and WLAN service area name of the bridge with which the association was made Each disassociation event contains only a time stamp The time stamp indicates the number of 10 millisecond periods since the unit was turned on or reset For example a time stamp of 6000 corresponds to a time of 60 seconds and a time stamp of 20 corresponds to a time of 0 2 seconds ...

Page 42: ... useful aid when aligning your antennas You want to adjust your antennas to achieve the maximum possible received signal strength There are no units of value associated with the signal strength it is reported as a percent of the maximum attainable value To use the RSSI Monitor follow these steps 1 From the Wireless Bridge Configuration screen see Selecting a Bridge to Configure on page 15 select t...

Page 43: ...ing Window Statistics are calculated over only the last 100 maximum received packets The Moving Window Statistics give you an idea of the more recent signal strength whereas the Long Term Statistics reflect all observations since the RSSI Monitor tool was opened This graph displays the Maximum Average and Minimum received packet signal strength over the last 100 packets If less than 100 packets ha...

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Page 45: ...ne the cause See Event Log on page 33 See the Event Log Error Table for details Use the Clear Event Log option to clear the event log and turn off the Alert LED The wireless bridge is connected to an Ethernet cable but the Ethernet link LED is not on There is an invalid connection to Ethernet Verify that both ends of the cable are plugged in securely If the wireless bridge is attached to a hub a c...

Page 46: ... Contact 3Com Customer Support if the problem persists Error Code Description Xxxx yyyy section does not exist Section named yyyy in configuration file named xxxx was missing Save your current configuration if applicable Reset the wireless bridge configuration to factory defaults Reset the wireless bridge Restore configuration if applicable Xxxx yyyy zzzz entry refers to non existent section Entry...

Page 47: ...ASE T Bridging Protocol MAC layer encapsulation Encryption 40 and 128 bit WEP encryption shared key Security VPN pass through Power Specifications Available Transmit Power Settings 300 mA typically 1 While the 3Com Wireless Building to Building Bridge conforms with the IEEE 802 11b standard it is not compatible or interoperable with other IEEE 802 11b devices ...

Page 48: ...election Wireless Medium DSSS Media Access Protocol CSMA CA Modulation DSSS Operating Channels 1 through 11 U S Nonoverlapping Channels 1 6 and 11 Sensitivity and Data Rate Receive Sensitivity 11 Mb 81 dBm 5 5 Mb 84 dBm 2 Mb 85 dBm 1 Mb 87 dBm Data Rates Supported 11 5 5 2 1 Mbps Configuration and Management Features Local Configuration GUI console Remote Configuration Support GUI Telnet ...

Page 49: ...ature 20 to 70 C 4 to 158 F Operating temperature 20 to 55 C 4 to 131 F Humidity 95 maximum Non condensing Operating altitude 100 m to 3 000 m 328 ft to 9 840 ft Transportation storage altitude 100 m to 4 500 m 328 ft to 14 800 ft Electrostatic discharge 15 kV air 8 kV contact 2 kV pin Power supply noise and interference 70 mV rms 30 Hz to 400 MHz ...

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Page 51: ...g Bridge uses a serial cable connected from the wireless bridge to a computer running terminal emulation software HyperTerminal is one of the most widely used terminal emulation programs because it is standard software included with all recent Windows based PCs Use the following instructions to configure your wireless bridge using the HyperTerminal program 1 Complete steps 1 10 of the hardware ins...

Page 52: ... terminal displays random characters check the baud rate and bit settings in your terminal emulation software to ensure 9600 baud 8 data bits no parity and 1 stop bit Establishing a Telnet Connection This method will open a Telnet connection to the Terminal Configurator on port 23 which is the default for most Telnet programs However this works only after the wireless bridge has been assigned a TC...

Page 53: ...t the bridge Use the Reset the Building to Building Bridge option off the Main Menu to reset the bridge Edit configuration Displays a list of files to edit Descriptions of the files and their contents are below View configuration for capture If you select this option you will have an opportunity to enable capture mode in your terminal software It will then display all configuration settings and gi...

Page 54: ...e saved the Edit Configuration menu will return to the screen Although changes will be saved they will not take effect until you power the wireless bridge off and back on If you decide that you do not want to save the changes you have made press Ctrl X The editor will ask you for confirmation and then will return you to the Edit Configuration Menu Screen corruptions or confusions may occur due to ...

Page 55: ...eless network with which the wireless bridge will be connecting Alphanumeric values may be used in this field All wireless bridges must have the same ESSID to form a connection station name This parameter names an individual wireless bridge The station name is used only for convenience of the network administrator and does not impact device operation You may use any alphanumeric name mac address T...

Page 56: ...igits for a 128 bit key rmp This section contains only a single low level configuration parameter ethertype This value should be changed only if requested by 3Com Technical Support bootp This section contains parameters to configure and enable bootp for the wireless bridge You can configure the wireless bridge to determine its IP information from a bootp server When enabled the wireless bridge att...

Page 57: ...yyyy in configuration file named xxxx was missing Save your current configuration if applicable Reset the wireless bridge configuration to factory defaults Reset the wireless bridge Restore configuration if applicable Xxxx yyyy zzzz entry refers to non existent section Entry zzzz refers to a section that is not located in file xxxx Save your current configuration if applicable Reset the wireless b...

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Page 59: ...nfigurator 48 electronic discharge specification 43 encryption keys 20 settings 18 string 19 encryption string 21 environmental specifications 43 error codes terminal configurator 40 51 ESSID Extended Service Set Identifier 14 Ethernet link LED 39 Ethernet port 10 event log 33 40 Extended Service Set Identifier see ESSID F factory defaults resetting to 28 37 features configuration and management 4...

Page 60: ...n 18 medium rate 24 network 17 password 32 security 17 18 transmit rate 24 signal attenuation 4 SMA port 10 specifications environmental 43 power 41 radio 42 technical 41 standards supported 41 station name 17 statistics long term 37 moving window 37 storage temperature 43 storage transportation altitude specification 43 subnet mask 17 supported standards 41 system requirements 5 T technical speci...

Page 61: ...makes no warranty or representation that its software products will meet Customer s requirements or work in combination with any hardware or applications software products provided by third parties that the operation of the software products will be uninterrupted or error free or that all defects in the software products will be corrected For any third party products listed in the 3Com software pr...

Page 62: ... PUNITIVE DAMAGES OF ANY KIND OR FOR LOSS OF REVENUE OR PROFITS LOSS OF BUSINESS LOSS OF INFORMATION OR DATA OR OTHER FINANCIAL LOSS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE INSTALLATION MAINTENANCE USE PERFORMANCE FAILURE OR INTERRUPTION OF ITS PRODUCTS EVEN IF 3COM OR ITS AUTHORIZED RESELLER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND LIMITS ITS LIABILITY TO REPAIR REPLACEMENT O...

Page 63: ...stalled and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to use a professional technician t...

Page 64: ...ng technical standards ETS 300 328 Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters ERM Wideband Transmission systems data transmission equipment operating in the 2 4 GHz ISM band and using spread spectrum modulation techniques ETS 300 826 Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters ERM ElectroMagnetic Compatibility EMC standard for 2 4 GHz wideband transmission systems and HI...

Page 65: ...h software which substantially conforms to applicable 3Com published program specifications Customer assumes responsibility for the selection of the appropriate applications program and associated reference materials 3Com makes no warranty or representation that its software products will meet Customer s requirements or work in combination with any hardware or applications software products provid...

Page 66: ...IABILITY TO THE FULL EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW 3COM ALSO EXCLUDES FOR ITSELF AND ITS LICENSORS AND SUPPLIERS ANY LIABILITY WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT OR TORT INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE FOR INCIDENTAL CONSEQUENTIAL INDIRECT SPECIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OF ANY KIND OR FOR LOSS OF REVENUE OR PROFITS LOSS OF BUSINESS LOSS OF INFORMATION OR DATA OR OTHER FINANCIAL LOSS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE...

Page 67: ...radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encourage...

Page 68: ...owing technical standards ETS 300 328 Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters ERM Wideband Transmission systems data transmission equipment operating in the 2 4 GHz ISM band and using spread spectrum modulation techniques ETS 300 826 Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters ERM ElectroMagnetic Compatibility EMC standard for 2 4 GHz wideband transmission systems and...

Page 69: ...Regulatory Compliance Information EN 60950 Published June 2001 Quick Start Guide Version 1 0 0 ...

Page 70: ......

Page 71: ...h software which substantially conforms to applicable 3Com published program specifications Customer assumes responsibility for the selection of the appropriate applications program and associated reference materials 3Com makes no warranty or representation that its software products will meet Customer s requirements or work in combination with any hardware or applications software products provid...

Page 72: ...IABILITY TO THE FULL EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW 3COM ALSO EXCLUDES FOR ITSELF AND ITS LICENSORS AND SUPPLIERS ANY LIABILITY WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT OR TORT INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE FOR INCIDENTAL CONSEQUENTIAL INDIRECT SPECIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OF ANY KIND OR FOR LOSS OF REVENUE OR PROFITS LOSS OF BUSINESS LOSS OF INFORMATION OR DATA OR OTHER FINANCIAL LOSS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SALE...

Page 73: ...radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encourage...

Page 74: ...owing technical standards ETS 300 328 Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters ERM Wideband Transmission systems data transmission equipment operating in the 2 4 GHz ISM band and using spread spectrum modulation techniques ETS 300 826 Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters ERM ElectroMagnetic Compatibility EMC standard for 2 4 GHz wideband transmission systems and...

Page 75: ...Regulatory Compliance Information EN 60950 Published June 2001 Quick Start Guide Version 1 0 0 ...

Page 76: ......

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