Transcript ncl training presentation

NCL1155/1170
Configuration and Installation
Network Communications Link
1155/1170
WAN Solutions
Our NCL family of products can be used to join two LANs and
create a WAN (Point to Point)…
…or to join multiple LANs into a WAN (Point to Multipoint).
ISP Solutions
Another common use of the NCL product is for ISPs who wish
to connect their customers to the Internet via a Wireless Link.
For more advanced ISP solutions we have our LMS product,
which is a complete business/networking solution.
NCL Technical Overview
-Frequency Range: 2.400 - 2.4835 GHz
-Radio Type: DSSS
-Max Link Path Distance: up to 16 KM (10 Miles)
-Channels: 11
-Bandwidth: 22 MHz per channel
-Center Frequency Spacing: 5 MHz
-RF Tx Output Power: +25 dBm max; +20 dBm min
-RF Rx Threshold: -84 dBm
Orthogonal Channel Set
Channels 1, 6 and 11 provide enough frequency separation to colocate three RF links without interfering with each other.
2.412 GHz, 2.437 GHz and 2.462 GHz
-Over the Air Data Rate: up to 11 Mbps
Data Rate
– amount of data per second that is carried by a system when the
radio is transmitting data (active)
-User Throughput: up to 8 Mbps
Throughput
– average amount of data per second that is carried by a system
– throughput is lower than the data rate
– can be varied between 11, 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps
-Reverse Polarity SMA connector at antenna port
-10BaseT connector at ethernet port
-RS232 DB9 Console port for initial configuration
-Auto-sensing 90 - 260 VAC Power Supply
-00C to 550C operating temperature
-10% to 80% relative humidity
-15cm wide X 19cm long X 5cm high
-1.2 Kg in weight
Which Mode?
The NCL can be implemented in one of two modes depending on
the type of solution you require. (All NCLs on the same network
must be functioning in the same Mode)
Bridge Mode
OR
Route Mode
Bridge Mode
Used when connecting two segments of the same network
together via the wireless link.
In Bridge Mode, the NCL product supports all protocols.
TCP/IP
NetBEUI
IPX/SPX
AppleTalk
Route Mode
Used when connecting two different networks together.
The NCL/LMS products support TCP/IP when functioning in
Route Mode.
TCP/IP
Network ID: 192.168.10.0
Network ID: 10.32.0.0
Wireless Wide Area
Networking
Point to Point Networking
Involves one NCL acting as a ‘Master’ and the other acting as
a ‘Station’
Point to Multipoint Networking
Involves one NCL acting as a ‘Master’ and all other NCLs
acting as ‘Stations’
* Can have up to 10 stations in a PTMP
NCL Interfaces
Antenna
Connector
(WAN Port)
RS232
Console
(Config Port)
10bT ENet
Connector
(LAN Port)
D.C.
Power
WaveRider NCL System
Configuration
Initially the NCL must be configured using an RS-232 cable
attached to the DB9 console port.
A terminal emulation program such as ‘Hyper Terminal’ can be
used to configure the unit. Make sure of the following settings:
Communication
Settings
After initially configuring the NCL and assigning it an IP
address, Telnet can then be used to remotely access the unit
and run any configuration or diagnostics commands.
Factory Default Password
No password,
just press
ENTER
Default Configuration
From the factory, the NCL comes with the following Radio and
IP settings:
Radio Settings
IP Settings
Radio Configuration
On both the Master and Station radios, the following parameters
must be set:
1. Radio Type - Master or Station
2. Radio Channel – from 1 to 11
3. Radio Unit ID – from 1 to 16,383
4. Radio Enable/Disable
Master Specific:
1. Radio Station ID – from 1 to 16383
Station Specific
1. Master ID – from 1 to 16383
The complete command set to configure a Master and a Station radio
for CH3 and IDs of 1000 and 1001 respectively would be:
IP Configuration
In order to remotely administer the NCL, an IP address must be
assigned.
While in Bridging Mode, the unit will work fine without an IP
address, but in Route Mode an IP address must be assigned to
both the Ethernet and Radio ports.
In either mode, routes can be added to the route table with the
following command:
ip route add <destination network> <gateway> <subnet mask>
IMPORTANT!!
Before powering off or resetting the NCL, make sure to
save your changes, otherwise all your hard work will be
lost!
Case Studies
Diagnostic Utilities
To monitor the quality and performance of your RF link, there
are 3 utilities which you can use:
1. RSSI Indicator
2. Radio PER Test
3. Radio Statistics
Typically the RSSI will look similar
to this:
The first RSSI value indicates the
average reading over a one second period
while the second value is the measured
peak during that time.
An install with a consistent peak of
between 55 and 63 translates into a
solid RF link.
RSSI tool can also be used to help align
antennas.
Be sure to have data transmitting
across the link for consistent results.
Monitoring with RSSI
Make sure the radios are transmitting before running the RSSI
test. There are a few options to ensure data is going over the link:
1. Radio txtest start
2. Radio txrx start <unitid>
3. Ping <ip address> -l <packet size> -t
When using Telnet, the RSSI values will not be continuous. Must
be in console mode to get the continuous refresh every .5
seconds.
The following can be initiated on a Master radio only:
MS-DOS works best for the previously mentioned PING
command:
PER Test
The Packet Error Rate test can be used to judge the quality of the
RF link.
The PER is an indicator of the % of packets that are being received
in error out of the total number of packets received.
This is not a continuous test. The Total # Received packets gets
refreshed after each PER reading.
As with the RSSI test, it is best to have data flow over the link to
get the most reliable results.
Radio Statistics
Certain Radio Statistics can be interpreted to give insight into RF
issues such as interference, a bad RF link, etc.
Master
Station
Rx Data CRC Errors
Received Packets
X 100
= % of packets received in error
Ideally an average of .01% would be ideal. The larger the
sample size of data, the more accurate the number will be.
RX MAC Header CRC Error
Packets rejected at the MAC layer, usually with an indistinguishable
MAC Header. Usually shows up when there is interference from
another system. Not necessarily packets received from another
NCL.
RX Data CRC Error
Valid packets received from another NCL but with errors.
Do I Have an RF Link?
Several ways to tell if an RF link has been established:
1. Radio settings
Master and Station
2. PER test
Master and Station
3. Interface Statistics
Station Only
For all of the above, a value of ‘UP’ means an RF link has
been established, and a value of ‘DOWN’ means an RF link
has not been established.
Radio Settings:
We know that the Station has not been authenticated my the Master
by seeing the status as ‘DOWN’
RA PER:
We know that this NCL does not have an RF link with another NCL
with ID #1001 by looking at the Link Status.
Interface Stats
Radio:
Here the ‘Operational Status’ says the radio is DOWN.
Authentication by the Master has not taken place. At the master
radio this value is always UP.
Verifying Ethernet
Communications
The IP PING command is the easiest way to test proper IP
configuration and ethernet communications.
IP TRACEROUTE is another useful command. It can be used to
ensure your routing tables are configured properly.
Other Options
DNS
By adding DNS server IP addresses, you are able to use
FQDNs in your IP PING and IP TRACEROUTE commands.
SNMP
With the addition of the WaveRider Enterprise MIB and the NCL
MIB, an SNMP Management station can be configured to remotely
monitor the NCL. Read and Write communities will need to be
defined at the NCL, as well as Trap servers.
RIP
In Route Mode, the NCL can be set up to use the RIP protocol to
dynamically build it’s Route Table.
Bridge Table
Entries in the local Bridge Table can be viewed using the following
command.
Maintenance
From time to time a new software load may be needed to be
loaded into the NCL1155 to add enhancements to the product and
fix small bugs.
This is done via an FTP session to the Ethernet IP address.
Normally only one file will need to be uploaded: nclxxxx.exe
Any software updates, including installation instructions, are
posted on the Technical Support section of the WaveRider web
site.
Any FTP client can be used to upload the exe file to the NCL.
The username field is blank, and the password field is the login
password you have set for the NCL.
Use the ftp put command to install the new file to the NCL.
Afterwards, ensure you reboot the NCL in order for the new
software to be loaded.
Use the ftp get command to copy the config file from the NCL to
a local drive for backup purposes.
This config file can be uploaded to a new unit, providing accurate
configuration.