Atheros AR5BAP-00032 User manual

AR5BAP-00032 Access Point
User's Guide
Revision Oct 2006

ii • AP User’s Guide Atheros Communications, Inc.
ii •Oct 2006 COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
© 2003–2004 by Atheros Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
ATHEROS™, 5-UP™, Driving the Wireless Future™, Atheros Driven™, Atheros™, and the Air is
Cleaner at 5-GHz™are trademarks of Atheros Communications, Inc. The Atheros logo is a registered
trademark of Atheros Communications, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
holders.
Subject to change without notice.
Notice
The information in this document has been carefully reviewed and is believed to be accurate. Nonetheless,
this document is subject to change without notice, and Atheros Communications, Inc. (Atheros) assumes no
responsibility for any inaccuracies that may be contained in this document, and makes no commitment to
update or to keep current the contained information, or to notify a person or organization of any updates.
Atheros reserves the right to make changes, at any time, in order to improve reliability, function or design
and to attempt to supply the best product possible. Atheros does not represent that products described
herein are free from patent infringement or from any other third party right.
No part of this document may be reproduced, adapted or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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Atheros. Atheros or its affiliates may have patents or pending patent applications, trademarks, copyrights,
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signed by Atheros.
ATHEROS MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH REGARD TO THE CONTENT OF THIS
DOCUMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL ATHEROS BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL SPECULATORY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OR
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INFORMATION EXPRESSED HEREIN.
Document Number: 984-00023-003

Atheros Communications, Inc. • iii
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •iii
Document Conventions
Text Conventions
Notices
CAUTION: Cautions call special attention to hazards that can cause system damage or data corruption, to
a lesser degree than warnings.
WARNING: Warnings call special attention to hazards that can cause system damage, data corruption,
personal injury, or death.
bold Bold type within paragraph text indicates commands, file names,
directory names, paths, output, or returned values.
Example: The DK_Client package will not function unless the
wdreg_install batchfile is used.
italic Within commands, italics indicate a variable that the user must
specify.
Example: mem_alloc size_in_bytes
Titles of manuals or other published documents are also set in
italics.
Courier The Courier font indicates output or display.
Example: Error: Unable to allocate memory for transfer!
[ ] Within commands, items enclosed in square brackets are optional
parameters or values that the user can choose to specify or omit.
{ } Within commands, items enclosed in braces are options from
which the user must choose.
| Within commands, the vertical bar separates options.
… An ellipsis indicates a repetition of the preceding parameter.
> The right angle bracket separates successive menu selections.
Example: Start > Programs > DK > wdreg_install.
NOTE: This message denotes neutral or positive information that calls out important
points to the text. A note provides information that may apply only in special cases.

Atheros Communications, Inc. Contents • v
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •v
Contents
List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
List of Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
About this Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
1Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
2AP Network Attachment and Configuration . . . . . . . . . 2-1
AP Network Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Network Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
AP Hardware Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
AP Initial Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Web Browser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Command-Line Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
AAP Web Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Accessing the AP Web Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Configuration Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5
Working with Configuration Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6
System Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7
5 GHz Radio Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9
5GHz Security Configuration Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-11
Edit Security Server Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-12
5 GHz 802.1X Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-14
5 GHz Access Control List Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . A-15
Adding New Access Control Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-16
Adding Access Control List Permissions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-18

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vi • March 2003 COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
5 GHz Radio Advanced Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-19
2.4 GHz Radio Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-21
2.4 GHz Security Configuration Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-23
Edit Security Server Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-25
2.4 GHz 802.1X Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-26
2.4 GHz Access Control List Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . A-27
Adding New Access Control Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-28
Adding Access Control List Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-29
2.4 GHz Radio Advanced Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-30
Script Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-32
Firmware Update Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-33
Statistics Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-35
AP Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-35
Station Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-37
BRegulatory Compliance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
FCC Requirements for Operation in the Unites States . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2
Radio Frequency Interference Warnings & Instructions. . . . . . . . . B-2
RF Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3
Declaration Of Conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3

Atheros Communications, Inc. List of Figures • vii
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •vii
List of Figures
Figure 2-1. Access Point to HPC Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Figure 2-2. AP Physical Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Figure 2-3. AP Web Server Homepage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Figure 2-4. 5 GHz Statistics Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Figure 2-5. System Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Figure A-1. AP Web Server Homepage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
Figure A-2. 5 GHz Statistics Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4
Figure A-3. AP Web Server Navigation Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5
Figure A-4. AP System Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7
Figure A-5. 5 GHz Radio Configuration Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9
Figure A-6. AP 5 GHZ Security Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . A-11
Figure A-7. 5 GHz RADIUS Server Configuration Window . . . . . . . A-13
Figure A-8. 5 GHz Access Control List Configuration Window . . . . . A-15
Figure A-9. 5 GHz New Access Control List Configuration Window. . A-16
Figure A-10. 5 GHz Security Edit ACL Configuration Window . . . . . A-18
Figure A-11. 5 GHz Radio Advanced Configuration Window . . . . . . A-19
Figure A-12. 2.4 GHz Radio Configuration Window. . . . . . . . . . . . A-21
Figure A-13. 2.4 GHZ Security Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . A-23
Figure A-14. 2.4 GHz RADIUS Server Configuration Window . . . . . . A-25
Figure A-15. 2.4 GHz Access Control List Configuration Window . . . . A-27
Figure A-16. 2.4 GHz New Access Control List Configuration Window. A-28
Figure A-17. 2.4 GHz Security Edit ACL Configuration Window . . . . A-29
Figure A-18. 2.4 GHz Radio Advanced Configuration Window . . . . . A-30
Figure A-19. Configuration Script Configuration Window . . . . . . . . A-32
Figure A-20. AP Firmware Update Configuration Window. . . . . . . . A-33
Figure A-21. Advanced Firmware Update Configuration Window . . . A-34
Figure A-22. Basic Service Set Statistics Window for an AP . . . . . . . . A-35
Figure A-23. Basic Service Set Statistics Window for Station . . . . . . . A-37

Atheros Communications, Inc. List of Tables • ix
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •ix
List of Tables
Table 2-1. Ethernet Port Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Table A-1. Homepage .GIF Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2
Table A-2. System Configuration Window Field Descriptions. . . . . . A-8
Table A-3. 5 GHz Radio Configuration Window Field Descriptions . . A-10
Table A-4. 5 GHz Security Field Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-12
Table A-5. RADIUS Server Configuration Field Descriptions . . . . . . A-13
Table A-6. 5 GHz New Access Control List Field Descriptions . . . . . A-16
Table A-7. 5 GHz Edit Access Control List Field Descriptions. . . . . . A-18
Table A-8. 5 GHz Radio Advanced Configuration Window Field
Descriptions A-20
Table A-9. 2.4 GHz Radio Configuration Window Field Descriptions . A-22
Table A-10. 2.4 GHz Security Field Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-24
Table A-11. 2.4 GHz RADIUS Server Configuration Field Descriptions . A-25
Table A-12. 2.4 GHz New Access Control List Field Descriptions . . . . A-28
Table A-13. 2.4 GHz Security Edit Access Control List Field Descriptions A-
29
Table A-14. 2.4 GHz Radio Advanced Configuration Window Field
Descriptions A-31
Table A-15. BSS Stats Field for AP Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-36
Table A-16. BSS Stats Fields for STA Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-38

Atheros Communications, Inc. Preface • xi
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •xi
Preface
The intent of this document is to familiarize users with the Atheros AR5BAP-
00032 Access Point (AP), its setup, configuration, and usage. After reading
this user's guide, the user should be able to install, configure, control, and
maintain the Atheros Access Point.
About this Document
The document consists of the following chapters and appendices:
Chapter 1 Introduction—Describes the Access Point package contents
and system requirements.
Chapter 2 AP Network Attachment and Configuration—Describes the
Access Point network connections and initial software
configuration.
Appendix A AP Web Server—Describes the use of the web server to
configure the Access Point.
Appendix B Regulatory Compliance Information—Important user
information and instructions concerning operating this
device in accordance with National spectrum usage laws for
radio devices.

Atheros Communications, Inc. Introduction • 1-1
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •1-1
1
1
Introduction
The Atheros Access Point implements an IEEE 802.11a/b/g wireless LAN
(WLAN) AP or data-oriented Residential Gateway (RG) supporting up to 256
station associations. Rates of 6 to 54 Mbps are supported in standard IEEE
802.11a/g modes and up to 11 Mbps in 802.11b mode.
System Requirements
The AP contains a small boot executive that allows the main operating system
software to be downloaded using the Ethernet port over an FTP connection.
The Operating system software can also reside in the Flash memory of the AP,
which allows booting without the need to download the operating system
from the host PC over an FTP connection. A configuration file is created in
Flash memory to store user-configurable parameters such as WEP keys. A
terminal or PC with an Ethernet connection is required to perform the initial
AP configuration. An FTP server is required for firmware update to the AP.
Use the AP Web Server for firmware updates. Refer to Appendix A,
“Firmware Update Configuration Window” for information on the web
server.

Atheros Communications, Inc. AP Network Attachment and Configuration • 2-1
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •2-1
2
2
AP Network Attachment and
Configuration
This section provides procedures for connecting and configuring the AP to a
Host PC (HPC). Configuration can be performed either from a web browser
accessing the built-in web server, or by entering command using the
command line interface (CLI). For detailed information on using the web
server, refer to “AP Web Server” in Appendix A. For detailed information on
using CLI, refer to “AP Command-Line Interface” in Appendix B. For
“Factory Default Settings” refer to Appendix B.
AP Network Connections
Connect the HPC to the AP using one of the following two methods:
■Use an Ethernet crossover cable (not supplied) to connect directly to the
Ethernet port of the HPC. For more information on Ethernet cables, see
Table 2-1.
■Use standard Ethernet cables (not supplied) to connect through a hub or
Ethernet switch.
See Figure 2-1 for an example of the AP to the HPC connections.
Follow these steps to establish the network connections:
1. Connect the AP Ethernet port to the HPC Ethernet card through the
Ethernet hub/switch or an Ethernet crossover cable.

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2. Connect the optional RS-232 port to the HPC serial port through a serial
cable. Refer to Appendix C for more information on the serial interface.
3. Plug in the provided power supply to the AP power supply connector.
Network Configuration
Follow these steps to configure the HPC for AP network control:
1. From the HPC’s Start menu, choose Settings and open the Network and
Dial-up Connections dialog box.
2. Right-click on the Local Area Connection icon that belongs to the Ethernet
controller connected to the AP, and select Properties.
Figure 2-1. Access Point to HPC Connections
Power
Supply
Ethernet
Hub/Switch
Atheros Access Point
Host PC
(HPC)
Ethernet Port
Ethernet
Port Power
Ethernet Cable
Ethernet
Cable
(AP)
RS-232
Port
RS-232
Port
Optional
Serial Cable

Chapter 2
Atheros Communications, Inc. AP Network Attachment and Configuration • 2-3
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •2-3
3. Within the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box, choose Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties.

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2-4•March 2003 COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
4. Configure the IP address for the Ethernet connection in the Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box.
5. Click OK to continue and close the Internet Protocol Properties dialog
box.

Chapter 2
Atheros Communications, Inc. AP Network Attachment and Configuration • 2-5
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •2-5
AP Hardware Configuration
The Atheros AP hardware allows the configuration of one or two WLANs.
Figure 2-2 shows the physical location of WLAN, panel connectors on the AP
hardware, and the location of the antennae cables. Table 2-1 summarizes the
type of cable to use when using the Ethernet wired ports on the AP. You may
use either, or both Ethernet ports.
Figure 2-2. AP Physical Description
Table 2-1. Ethernet Port Configuration
Ethernet Port Number Dumb Hub or Switch Computer Auto-Sensing Hub or Switch
0 Crossover cable Straight cable Crossover or straight cable
1 Straight cable Crossover cable Crossover or straight cable
WLAN 0
WLAN 1
Ethernet 0
Power Ethernet 1 Serial Connection
2.4 GHz
Antennae
5 GHz
Antennae
(black)
(red)

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AP Initial Configuration
This section describes how to configure the AP after booting from Flash
memory. Refer to “Firmware Update Configuration Window” on page A-33
to load the Operating image file to the Flash file system, if the operating
system software should be updated.
Configure the AP for its channel frequency and Service Set Identifier (SSID)
unique to the application. This configuration can be done either through a
web browser with access to the built-in AP web server, or by issuing
commands through the command line interface (CLI).
The AP can be configured at any time to tailor it for the application
environment. For more information on configuring the AP using the web
browser, refer to “AP Web Server” in Appendix A. For more information on
using the CLI, refer to “AP Command-Line Interface” in Appendix B.
The following description illustrates the use of the web browser. For
information on using the CLI, refer to “Command-Line Interface” on
page 2-10.
Web Browser
Follow these steps to configure the channel frequency and SSID using a web
browser:
1. Launch a web browser (Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer are
examples of commonly used web browsers).
2. From the HPC, enter the IP address that is assigned to the AP as the URL
address, for example http://192.168.1.1.

Chapter 2
Atheros Communications, Inc. AP Network Attachment and Configuration • 2-7
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •2-7
The Access Point Web Server homepage will appear (see Figure 2-3).
3. Select the Access Point Web Server hotlink.
4. A dialog box appears requesting login authorization. When prompted,
enter the following information to log in:
Log in: Admin (case-sensitive)
Password: 5up
Figure 2-3. AP Web Server Homepage

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5. Click OK to complete the login process. The 5 GHz Statistics window
appears (see Figure 2-4).
6. Select the Configuration hotlink from the navigation menu.
Figure 2-4. 5 GHz Statistics Window

Chapter 2
Atheros Communications, Inc. AP Network Attachment and Configuration • 2-9
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •2-9
The System Configuration window appears (see Figure 2-5).
7. Enter the SSID (name or address) for the AP in the SSID field. The SSID
must be 1–32 characters in length.
To configure a single SSID to have more than one AP in a single SSID,
specify a unique System Name for each AP within that single SSID.
Note that range of available channels will be automatically determined by
factory settings.
Note that the radio channel is specified using the IEEE 802.11a standard.
For example, channel 48 is the equivalent of 5.240 GHz. The formula
below shows how the channel number is derived:
Figure 2-5. System Configuration Window
Channel Number = Channel Frequency (in MHz) – 5000 MHz
5 MHz

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8. Click Update to commit the changes.
Change other settings at this time. Refer to Appendix A for more
information about each configuration option.
9. After all configuration changes are complete, reboot the AP to enable
them. To reboot the AP, click on the REBOOT AP button that appears.
Command-Line Interface
The following procedures show the steps required to configure the AP SSID
and channel frequency (where allowed) using the command-line (CLI)
interface and Telnet.
After the AP boots and the operating system software loads, use Telnet to
access the AP through the default AP IP address as follows:
1. Select Start > Run from the Microsoft Win2K tool bar.
2. Type cmd in the Open dialog box and click OK.
3. In the command line prompt, type telnet 192.168.1.20 and press the Enter
key.
4. When prompted, enter the following information to log in:
Username: Admin (case sensitive)
Password: 5up
5. Press Enter to complete the login process. The Atheros Access Point
Software revision prompt appears:
Atheros Access Point Rev. X.Y.Z
6. Use the set ssid <SSID> command to specify the SSID.
7. Use the set channel <channel> command to change the radio channel.
8. Use the reboot command and then press Enter, which reboots the AP, to
enable any changes.
9. To view CLI command options, use the help command or refer to
Appendix B for details about CLI options.

Atheros Communications, Inc. AP Web Server • A-1
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL March 2003 •A-1
A
A
AP Web Server
Configure the access point (AP) either through a web browser interface to the
AP web server, or using the command-line interface (CLI) through telnet. The
web server resides in the AP and is accessible from any station (STA) that is
connected to the AP Infrastructure network.
This appendix describes configuring the AP through the AP Web Server.
Accessing the AP Web Server
Follow these steps to access the AP Web Server:
1. Launch a web browser (Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer are
examples of commonly used web browsers).
2. From the HPC, enter the IP address that is assigned to the AP as the URL
address. For example, enter http://192.168.1.1.