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Setting up Your LAN Administrator Station: Dell™ TrueMobile™ 1150 Series AP1000 User's Guide

	Introduction		Installing TrueMobile Software
	Assigning a LAN Administrator Station		Configuration Scenarios
	Managing Peer-to-Peer Workgroups		Uninstalling TrueMobile Software
	Managing Infrastructure Networks

Introduction

TrueMobile infrastructures are managed from the TrueMobile LAN administrator station. In this section, decision points, which are necessary to help you set up TrueMobile LAN administrator station(s) to properly manage your network, are described.

Typically, the TrueMobile LAN administrator station is a computer used by the LAN administrator to configure, manage, and monitor the TrueMobile network. You can assign as many LAN administrator stations as you like, depending on how you want to manage your TrueMobile network.

The TrueMobile LAN administrator station uses the tools available in the TrueMobile software suite to configure and monitor your network. The following programs are included within the TrueMobile software suite:

• TrueMobile Client Manager
  
  
• TrueMobile AP Manager
  
  

In this section, we describe how to set up the TrueMobile LAN administrator station in the following network configurations:

• Peer-to-Peer workgroup - all stations within the network directly communicate with all other stations. No TrueMobile access points are necessary to bridge the data.
  
  
• Infrastructure network - all stations communicate to each other and the Ethernet backbone via TrueMobile access point interfaces.
  
  

For an overview of the TrueMobile software tools, please see "About TrueMobile Tools".

Assigning a LAN Administrator Station

Minimum Requirements

To set up the TrueMobile LAN administrator station, you can use any desktop or portable computer that meets the following requirements:

• A 80486 or faster processor
  
  
• Free disk space of 4 MB
  
  
• 8 MB RAM (16 MB or more recommended)
  
  
• Microsoft® Windows® 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT® 4.0
  
  

For the TrueMobile Client Manager you also need:

• A TrueMobile PC Card
  
  

For the TrueMobile AP Manager you will need the following:

• Access to the LAN, via
  
  
• A TrueMobile PC Card
  
  
• An Ethernet card
  
  
• A dial-up connection
  
  
• TrueMobile access points
  
  
• A loaded TCP/IP protocol that provides a Windows sockets (winsock) interface. The TCP/IP drivers can be found on the Microsoft Windows installation disks or CD.
  
  

Managing Peer-to-Peer Workgroups

A Peer-to-Peer workgroup consists of several stations communicating directly to each other without bridging data via the access point.

Peer-to-Peer workgroups do not need the TrueMobile tools. For more information, see the Dell TrueMobile 1150 Series PC Card User's Guide.

Managing Infrastructure Networks

In an infrastructure network, you will primarily use the TrueMobile LAN administrator station that has the TrueMobile AP Manager installed to configure your access points and monitor the radio traffic between selected access points and stations within the network.

You may also install the TrueMobile Client Manager either on all stations within the network or on selected mobile stations with the TrueMobile PC Card, to monitor the link between the mobile station and the nearest TrueMobile access points.

Wired or Wireless

The choice for a wireless or wired TrueMobile LAN administrator station depends on your preferences and abilities to administer your TrueMobile network.

You should first determine how you want to manage your network. If you want to configure and monitor stations from:

• on-site (such as at the physical location of the station), use a mobile, wireless TrueMobile LAN administrator station and the TrueMobile AP Manager and TrueMobile Client Manager programs.
  
  

• a central location (such as the LAN administrator station), use a wired TrueMobile LAN administrator station and the TrueMobile AP Manager program.
  
  

• a remote location (such as from a station calling in via a dial-in connection), use the TrueMobile AP Manager program.
  
  

Your next consideration for wired or wireless stations should be the size of your network. If you use a large network, it may be more convenient to manage the stations from a central location, so a wired station would be more appropriate. If you use a small network, where only a few TrueMobile access points are used, a mobile, wireless station might be the most efficient way to configure and manage your network.

For wireless stations, you must consider that:

• LAN administrators require easy access to wireless areas, e.g. for on-site troubleshooting.
  
  
• You need to perform a site verification to determine optimal placement of TrueMobile access points.
  
  
• It is also possible to remotely configure and monitor the access point via a dial-up connection. (This feature is only possible when the network is externally accessible.)
  
  

You can also assign multiple stations as TrueMobile LAN administrator stations, allowing for a combination of wired and wireless stations and allowing you the freedom to choose the most appropriate tool for the situation.

Wired Stations

A wired TrueMobile LAN administrator station allows you to configure and monitor access points through a wired backbone by using the TrueMobile AP Manager tool:

• Configuration
  
  A wired TrueMobile LAN administrator station has access to all TrueMobile access points via a wired backbone. The access points are identified by their IP address.
  
  When your LAN architecture is comprised of multiple subnets, separated by gateways or routers, the LAN administrator station that you intend to use for the initial configuration must be on the same subnet as the TrueMobile access points.
  
  Once the TrueMobile access points have been configured and their IP addresses have been registered, you can use any station to access the access points via the TCP/IP protocol.
  
  For more information on configuring your TrueMobile access point, see "Configuration Scenarios".

• Monitoring
  
  When you use a wired TrueMobile LAN administrator station you will not be able to move around to different physical locations of the network to determine or optimize the placement of stations, TrueMobile access points, or antennas. However, a wired TrueMobile LAN administrator station can use the TrueMobile AP Manager remote link test and remote statistics features to perform monitoring tasks.
  
  With the TrueMobile AP Manager you can validate radio frequency links between a remote TrueMobile access point and TrueMobile stations connected to that access point. For more information on monitoring, see "Monitoring Options".

Wireless Stations

A wireless, mobile TrueMobile LAN administrator station allows you to use the TrueMobile Client Manager and the TrueMobile AP Manager.

• TrueMobile Client Manager
  
  
• PC Card diagnostics
  
  
• Logging measurements data
  
  
• Site monitor
  
  
• Link test
  
  
• TrueMobile AP Manager
  
  
• System information
  
  
• Remote link test
  
  
• Remote statistics
  
  

For more information on monitoring your TrueMobile network, see "Monitoring your TrueMobile Network".

Installing TrueMobile Software

TrueMobile Client Manager

The TrueMobile Client Manager is a diagnostics tool that runs on wireless stations only. To set up a TrueMobile LAN administrator station that is capable of running the TrueMobile Client Manager program, the station must be equipped with the TrueMobile PC Card.

To install the Client Manager software:

1. Insert the TrueMobile CD that came with your access point that you have designated as the TrueMobile LAN administrator station.
   
   

If you downloaded the software from the web, please refer to the installation instructions found on the web.

2. When the CD Browser automatically starts, go to the next step. If the CD Browser does not automatically start:
   1. Click the Start button, and click Run.
      
      
   2. Click Browse in the Run window.
      
      
   3. Select the drive letter of your CD drive in the Browse window, then click the setup.exe file, and click Open.
      
      
   4. Click OK in the Run window.
      
      The CD Browser starts.
      
      

3. From the CD Browser main menu, click Install Software, then click Client Manager.
   
   
4. Follow the instructions on your screen.
   
   

NOTES: During the installation, you will be prompted for a directory to install the TrueMobile program files. The default directory for the TrueMobile Client Manager program is C:\Program Files\Dell\TrueMobile\Client Manager. Previously installed versions of the TrueMobile Client Manager program will automatically be replaced.

Throughout this manual, we make references to a variety of files. Unless otherwise specified, you will find these files in this default directory.

TrueMobile AP Manager

The TrueMobile AP Manager can be installed on both wireless and wired stations. To install the program, you will need to select a station that is configured with:

• A NIC to connect this station to the network. The NIC cards can be of any type, including:
  
  
• A TrueMobile PC Card (for wireless stations)
  
  
• An Ethernet controller
  
  
• A TCP/IP protocol stack (see "Verifying the TCP/IP Protocol Settings").
  
  

Installing TrueMobile AP Manager

To install the TrueMobile AP Manager software:

1. Insert the TrueMobile CD that came with your access point that you have designated as the TrueMobile LAN administrator station.

If you downloaded the software from the web, please refer to the installation instructions found on the web.

2. When the CD Browser automatically starts, go to the next step. If the CD Browser does not automatically start:
   1. Click the Start button, and click Run.
      
      
   2. Click Browse in the Run window.
      
      
   3. Select the drive letter of your CD drive in the Browse window, then click the setup.exe file, and click Open.
      
      
   4. Click OK in the Run window.
      
      The CD Browser starts.
      
      
3. From the CD Browser main menu, click Install Software, then click AP Manager..
   
   
4. Follow the instructions on your screen.

NOTES: During the installation, you will be prompted for a directory to install the TrueMobile program files. The default directory for the TrueMobile Client Manager program is C:\Program Files\Dell\TrueMobile\Client Manager. Previously installed versions of the TrueMobile Client Manager program will automatically be replaced, without affecting any other file that you might have saved into the program's directory. For example, if you saved backup files of access point configuration files which you created with the previous version in the access point program folders, these files will not be deleted or overwritten.

Throughout this manual, we make references to a variety of files. Unless otherwise specified, you will find these files in this default directory.

Verifying the TCP/IP Protocol Settings

The TrueMobile AP Manager program requires a TCP/IP networking protocol to communicate with the TrueMobile access point. When setting up the access points for the first time, you need to verify the TCP/IP settings of the LAN administrator station.

• When the network operating system in your network does not use the TCP/IP protocol, you need to install the TCP/IP protocol on the LAN administrator station and assign a user-defined IP address to each LAN administrator station.
  
  
• When your network operating system uses the TCP/IP protocol, your station will already have an IP address assigned to it. This could either be a user-defined value, or a value assigned by for example a DHCP server. You do not need to modify this IP address.
  
  

To verify whether the TCP/IP protocol is properly installed:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
2. In the Control Panel window, double-click Network.
   
   
3. Verify that the list of network components includes the TCP/IP Protocol for the TrueMobile network interface that you will use to access the TrueMobile access point (e.g. your Ethernet or TrueMobile adapter).
   
   
• If the TCP/IP protocol is listed, close all windows by using the Cancel button and go to "Configuration Scenarios".
  
  
• If the TCP/IP protocol is not listed:
  
  
1. Click Add.
   
   
2. From the list of component types, click Protocol and click Add.
   
   
3. Click a TCP/IP protocol from the list displayed.
   
   

In most network environments, the Microsoft TCP/IP protocol will work correctly. However, you should select a TCP/IP protocol that matches your network operating system.

4. When your network does not use IP addressing, enable Specify an IP Address option to disable the DHCP mechanism that automatically assigns an IP address to your TrueMobile LAN administrator station.
   
   
5. Type a user-defined value in the IP Address field of the format 153.69.254.xxx, where xxx is any numerical value from 1-253.
   
   

When you configure multiple TrueMobile LAN administrator stations, be sure to assign different values to each station.

6. In the Subnet Mask field, type the value 255.255.255.0.
   
   
7. Click OK, and then follow the instructions on the screen.
   
   

4. When prompted to restart your computer, click Yes.

Once your computer has restarted, you will be ready to configure the TrueMobile access point via any of the configuration scenarios as described in "Configuration Scenarios".

Configuration Scenarios

In the previous section, you may have selected either a wired or a wireless TrueMobile LAN administrator station. This section describes some of the characteristics and features of each type and identifies whether further modifications to the setup of your computer or desktop workplace are required.

Wired LAN Administrator Station

Using a wired TrueMobile LAN administrator station allows you to configure TrueMobile access points via:

• A desktop workplace setup, connecting your computer to the access point via a hub as pictured in the "Wired Access via a Direct Cable Connection" figure.
  
  
• A regular wired Ethernet connection as pictured in "Wired Access via a Network Connection" figure.
  
  

Wired Access via a Direct Cable Connection

Selecting a wired TrueMobile LAN administrator station is recommended in one of the following situations:

• You prefer to manage your TrueMobile access points from a fixed central location.
  
  
• The TrueMobile access points will be installed on remote locations, which are accessible via TCP/IP networking.

Wired Access Via a Network Connection

The "Wired Access via a Network Connection" figure shows that the LAN administrator station has access to both access points A and B via the wired backbone. When these TrueMobile access points are using the out-of-the-box configuration, the access points can be identified by means of their Ethernet MAC Address, provided that the access points are on the same subnet as your TrueMobile LAN administrator station (i.e. there are no routers between your TrueMobile LAN administrator station and the TrueMobile access point). When you have assigned a unique IP address value to each TrueMobile access point, you should be able to access each access point from anywhere within the network by using its unique IP address.

When you install new TrueMobile access points out-of-the-box, Dell recommends that you configure the access points one-by-one using the desktop workplace scenario as shown in the "Wired Access via a Direct Cable Connection" figure. This allows you to assign a unique IP address values to each unit prior to connecting the units to the network infrastructure.

Wireless LAN Administrator Station

A wireless, mobile TrueMobile administrator station allows you to use the TrueMobile AP Manager with the TrueMobile Client Manager tool.

Wireless Access Via a Direct Connection

Using a wireless TrueMobile LAN administrator station allows you to configure access points either:

• Directly by means of a wireless point-to-point connection as pictured in the "Wireless Access via a Direct Connection" figure
  
  
• Indirectly by means of a wireless point-to-point connection with another TrueMobile access point that provides access to the target access point via a network backbone as shown in the "Wireless Access via an Indirect Connection" figure
  
  

NOTE: Just as wired networks require you to verify that all cables are connected properly to establish connection, TrueMobile networks require you to verify that: the TrueMobile LAN administrator station is within range of the "target" access point, and the TrueMobile network interface setup matches the parameter values of the access point(s).

When using the configuration setup as shown the "Wireless Access via a Direct Connection" figure, the TrueMobile network interface of the LAN administrator station should be configured to match the settings of the target TrueMobile access point.

Wireless Access Via an Indirect Connection

When looking at the scenario pictured in the "Wireless Access via an Indirect Connection" figure, the TrueMobile network interface of the LAN administrator station should be configured to match the settings of TrueMobile access point B. The scenario pictured in the "Wireless Access via a Direct Connection" figure will be most convenient when you configure multiple out-of-the-box access points sequentially. The scenario pictured in the "Wireless Access via an Indirect Connection" figure will be most efficient when adding new TrueMobile access points to an existing network or when you are not within range of the "target" access point.

In both scenarios the TrueMobile access points are identified by their unique IP addresses.

Uninstalling TrueMobile Software

To uninstall TrueMobile software:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
   
   
2. On the Control Panel window, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
   
   
3. Click the TrueMobile management program that you want to uninstall, and click Add/Remove.
   
   
4. Follow the instructions on the screen.

This procedure removes program files only. If you have stored log files in the program files directory, these files will not be removed.

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