A big thanks for your efforts to date on OS/2 and getting wireless.
The only thing that springs to mind for inclusion in your FAQ would be a definition/explanation for a hotspot.
Hopefully my southern hemisphere definition is similar to yours as I'd define a hotspot as a public wifi access
point usually located in cafes, bars, restaurants, shopping malls, libraries, educational institutes, airport
terminals, etc. Access maybe free or chargable depending on the service provider.
Cheers,
Igor.
On Mon, 20 Dec 2004 22:07:49 -0500, Lewis G Rosenthal wrote:
>I decided to draft a FAQ before the How-To. Please comment freely on the
>contents hereof before we make it "official." I want this to be as
>all-inclusive as possible.
>
>I. GENERAL INFO
>
> 1. What's Wi-Fi?
>
> Wi-Fi is a common term referring to the 802.11 protocols for
> wireless networking, including but not limited to IEEE 802.11a,
> 802.11b, 802.11g. For more information on Wi-Fi, visit the Wi-Fi
> Alliance's homepage at http://www.wi-fi.org.
>
> 2. What's WiMAX?
>
> WiMAX refers to fixed wireless (point to point), or wireless
> broadband (carrier-grade), or IEEE 802.16. For more information,
> visit the WiMAX Forum at http://www.wimaxforum.org.
>
> 3. What's WEP?
>
> WEP is an acronym which stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy. WEP
> is the most basic form of encryption for Wi-Fi, and comes in two
> basic strengths: 40-bit and 104-bit.
>
> 4. 40-bit and 104-bit? But I keep reading about 64-bit and 128-bit
> WEP? Are these other strengths?
>
> No, 40-bit WEP consists of s 40-bit key and a 24-bit header,
> which, when added together, total 64 bits. Likewise, 104-bit WEP
> consists of a 104-bit key and a 24-bit header, which total 128
> bits of data.
>
> 5. (More stuff to come here, including WPA, TKIP, LEAP, AES, 802.11i,
> etc.)
>
> 6. What's an AP?
>
> An AP is a wireless Access Point. This is the base unit to which a
> Wi-Fi client (workstation) connects and gains access to the wired
> network.
>
> 7. Is a router an access point?
>
> No, but many home-grade devices bundle an ethernet switch,
> broadband router, and Wi-Fi AP in one unit, for example, LinkSys'
> WRT54G.
>
> 8. (More hardware stuff here, including adapter types, etc.)
>
> 9. What's an SSID?
>
> An SSID (Signal Set IDentifier) is a(n) unique alphanumeric string
> which identifies a particular access point.
>
> 10. What is SSID broadcasting or beaconing?
>
> This is when the access point is configured to advertise its SSID
> over the air. Without beaconing, most clients will need to know
> the SSID before connecting, in order for them to become associated
> with the access point (Windows XP, however, is rather promiscuous,
> and can usually sniff out the SSID of an access point, even when
> it is not beaconing).
>
> 11. What is the sequence of events from the time the machine is booted
> to the time one gains access to the wired network when connecting
> via Wi-Fi?
>
> Basically, this can be summarized by the following progression:
> System begins to boot -> Wi-Fi card driver loads -> protocols are
> bound to the card -> the card associates with an access point.
> Assuming TCP/IP is the only protocol bound to the card, and the
> card is configured for DHCP (automatic addressing, in
> Windows-speak), the remaining step is to request DHCP information
> from a DHCP server (which may or may not be the access point
> device itself). If configured for static addressing, the address
> will already be bound to the card, even if an association with an
> access point cannot be established.
>
> 12. (More connection-related stuff goes here, including protocol
> specifics.)
>
>II. OS/2 SPECIFICS
>
> 1. Will my XYZ card work under OS/2?
>
> That all depends upon whether you are able to obtain a driver for
> the card. Not many manufacturers provide their own drivers for
> OS/2, and even when you find a driver for one particular version
> of a card, that does not guarantee forward (or backward)
> compatibility with newer (or older) revisions of the same card. In
> some instances, manufacturers may change the chipset in the card
> without even changing the model or revision number of the unit!
> The best advice is to ask on the OS/2 Wireless Users mailing list
> (see links, below) if anyone is using a particular vintage of the
> card, or check on the OS/2 Compatible Hardware List Wi-Fi pages
> (http://www.os2warp.be), or perhaps ask the manufacturer directly
> (either whether there is an OS/2 driver available or at least,
> what the chipset is in the current cards).
>
> 2. How do I install the driver for my XYZ card under OS/2?
>
> Assuming you are able to procure a reportedly working driver for
> your card, it should install just like any other network card,
> i.e., via MPTS (MultiProtocol Transport Services), formerly known
> as LAPS (LAN Adapter and Protocol Services). The basic components
> for a network driver are (at a minimum) the binary driver file
> itself, and a similarly labeled .NIF (Network Information File).
> As an example, the drivers for a (wired) Intel Pro/1000 card are
> E1000.OS2 and E1000.NIF. Some drivers also come with separate .MSG
> files. The best advice is to look in the README for the driver for
> any special installation instructions. Typically, when installing
> a new driver via MPTS, it (MPTS) will copy the driver file and NIF
> to \IBMCOM\MACS and the MSG file (if any) to \IBMCOM.
>
> Once the driver, NIF, and any ancillary files are copied to their
> proper places, the card is simply added to the current
> configuration in MPTS and the appropriate protocols are bound to
> the card (usually, this will mean TCP/IP at a minimum).
>
> 3. Once the driver is installed, what other configuration needs to be
> accomplished?
>
> Well, once the driver is installed and the protocol is bound to
> the card, the next thing would be (if using TCP/IP) to tell the
> driver to obtain an IP address via DHCP or assign a static IP
> address to it. Additionally, you will need to either specify the
> SSID of your access point or use the generic "ANY" (without
> quotes) as your SSID, which allows the card to associate to any
> access point which is broadcasting it's SSID (beaconing). The
> easiest way to do this is with the XWLAN widget (or its standalone
> brother, WLANSTAT). Both of these may obtained from the XWLAN
> homepage at Netlabs (http://www.netlabs.org). In addition, these
> utilities allow for the creation of multiple profiles (public
> hotspots, home and office WLANs, etc.), and make controlling your
> wireless card quite a simple task.
>
> 4. (More OS/2 specifics here, including power management, switching
> between interfaces, etc.)
>
>Okay, that's food for thought. I haven't even proofed the above for
>spelling, grammar, etc., so if someone sees something out of place,
>please don't be shy. EVERYONE gets a writing credit for this one. Please
>make appropriate suggestions for gaps to be filled and clarifications on
>what I've just set down.
>
>Thanks.
>
>--
>Lewis
>------------------------------------------------------------
>Lewis G Rosenthal, CNA
>Rosenthal & Rosenthal, LLC
>Accountants / Network Consultants
> New York / Northern Virginia www.2rosenthals.com
>eComStation Consultants www.ecomstation.com
>Novell Users International www.novell.com/linux/truth
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