Symbol WS5100 Series User manual

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without written permission
of Symbol Technologies Corporation is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text Symbol. The Enterprise Mobility
Company, and CM2 are trademarks of Symbol.
Version 1.0 February 2005
Written for software and hardware release 1.4 of the WS5100

Reviewer’s Guide
Symbol WS5100 Wireless Switch
The WS5100 Wireless Switch is the new high-performance member of Symbol’s
WS5000 Series family. The WS5100, which is built on the same award-winning
hardware and software architecture as the WS5000 platform, simplifies Wireless
LAN (WLAN) management by moving network “intelligence” out of the ceiling
and into the wiring closet. Further, through Symbol’s patented Virtual AP
architecture the WS5100 lets you create multiple WLANs without changing or
adding to the existing wired network infrastructure.
This guide is a product and technology overview for reviewers of the
WS5100 Wireless Switch. The purpose of this guide is to allow users to quickly
understand, configure, and use the unique capabilities of the WS5100.
February 2005

Table of Contents
1Wireless Networking and Wireless Switches..................................1
1.1 WLAN Market.................................................................................... 1
1.2 WLAN Standards.............................................................................. 1
1.3 WLAN Challenges in an Enterprise Environment ....................... 2
1.4 The Solution: The Wireless Switch System ................................. 3
2Introducing the WS5100 ....................................................................5
2.1 Features and Benefits ..................................................................... 5
2.2 Advanced WLAN Features ............................................................. 6
2.3 Benefits .............................................................................................. 8
3Installation and Configration ..........................................................11
3.1 Hardware Installation..................................................................... 11
3.2 Configuration Requirements......................................................... 11
3.3 Adding the WS5100 to the Network ............................................ 12
3.4 Supplying Power to the WS5100................................................. 14
3.5 Verifying the Installation ................................................................ 14
3.6 Preliminary Configuration through the CLI................................. 14
3.7 Further Configuration through the Quick Start View................. 17
3.8 Verifying the Configuration ........................................................... 24
3.9 Shutting Down the WS5100 ......................................................... 25

viii Symbol WS 5100 Wireless Switch Reviewer's Guide
4Switch Management and Monitoring ............................................27
4.1 Accessing the Switch..................................................................... 27
4.2 Remote Access............................................................................... 27
4.3 Statistics Gathering........................................................................ 28
4.4 SNMP Traps.................................................................................... 28
4.5 Logging Options ............................................................................. 28
5Implementation Scenarios .............................................................29
5.1 Healthcare ....................................................................................... 29
5.2 Education (Universities, Colleges, Large Schools)................... 33
5.3 Education - University - Large Building ...................................... 34
5.4 Large Enterprise Branch Office.................................................... 35
5.5 Retail Operation/Store................................................................... 36
5.6 Government - Agency Headquarters .......................................... 37
5.7 Manufacturing - Large Plant ......................................................... 38
5.8 Transportation and Logistics - Large Warehouse..................... 40
6Documentation References .............................................................43
7Reference Architectures ..................................................................45
8Part Numbers and Pricing...............................................................47

1 Wireless Networking
and Wireless Switches
This chapter provides a general overview of wireless networking and
wireless switches. Specific information about he WS5100 wireless switch is
included in Chapter 2.
1.1 WLAN Market
Starting with the adoption and widespread acceptance of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11b standard, the use of
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) has accelerated rapidly and continues
to grow, both in the Small Office Home Office (SOHO) space as well as in the
general Enterprise space. According to Wireless LAN industry analysts the
enterprise WLAN market generated $1.259 Billion USD in 2004 and should
reach $2.776 Billion USD in 2008, with a CAGR of 21.8%. {Source: Synergy
Research}.
1.2 WLAN Standards
There are several IEEE standards for WLANs. Three standards are widely
used today: These are:
 802.11b, which has a data rate of 11 megabits per second (Mbps).
 802.11g, which has a data rate of 54Mbps and is backwards
compatible with 802.11b.
 802.11a, which operate at 54 Mbps.
There are some additional standards to address the shortcoming of the above
standards. These include:
 802.11i/WPA2, which is a security standard.
 802.11e, which is a QOS (Quality of Service) standard.
In addition, there is an increasingly popular WLAN option named 802.11a/b/g,
is which is the integration of the 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g standards in
the same device. Industry analysts expect that these “integrated WLANs”
will gain mass acceptance as they become less expensive.

2 Symbol WS 5100 Wireless Switch Reviewer's Guide
1.3 WLAN Challenges in an Enterprise
Environment
For all the advantages they provide, the use of WLANs in an enterprise
introduces a set of special challenges.
1.3.1 Security
Security is a primary concern because WLAN signals can “leak” through
walls. Hackers have been known to sit in a public area with a laptop and a
wireless card and access highly sensitive information through WLANs that
have little or no security. To prevent security problems like this, much more
robust WLAN security systems have been recently proposed and adopted.
These include 802.11i (also known as WPA2). 802.11i significantly enhances
wireless security through stronger cryptographic algorithms, message
integrity checks, dynamic key management, and strong user authentication.
1.3.2 Integration
IT departments are increasingly looking to integrate WLAN technologies into
their networks. Aspects of WLAN deployment that demand consideration are:
ongoing network management and troubleshooting to optimize operations,
remote deployment in branch offices, and upgrade paths to newer
technologies (radio, security, quality-of-service, etc.).
1.3.3 Complexity and Cost
The perceived complexity and cost in deploying a WLAN network is a key
barrier for many organizations. That’s because the most widely deployed
WLAN systems use expensive devices called Access Points. The Total Cost
of Ownership (TCO) of an Access Point-based WLAN comprises three key
components:
 Installation Costs. Installation costs include electrical wiring, the
price of the Access Point itself, changes to the design of the existing
wired LAN, and configuration and management support. Because
each Access Point needs to be managed as a separate network
entity, these costs can be substantial.

Symbol WS 5100 Wireless Switch Reviewer's Guide 3
 Collateral Cost. This includes mobile device battery life, data
corruption through inadequate WLAN security, productivity loss due
to lack of connection persistence and low quality of service, and so
on.
 Migration Cost. The signal strength and power of an Access Point is
limited by its embedded radio. A migration path to future power-
hungry technologies could require chassis expansion and expensive
hardware upgrades.
1.4 The Solution: The Wireless Switch System
A WLAN that is based on Access Points challenges an organization with its
inherent limitations and high cost. To address the concerns described above,
Symbol introduced the Wireless Switch System. This new architecture is
based on a “Central Intelligence” infrastructure that comprises two hardware
components: the Wireless Switch and one or more Access Ports. The
Wireless Switch acts as the packet-switching brain for the WLAN, while
Access Ports serve as “dumb”, inexpensive antennas.
Figure 1 Wireless Switch System
Symbol’s WS5000, the first in the Wireless Switch family, uses the “overlay”
model in which Symbol Access Ports connect to the Wireless Switch through
an existing and trusted Ethernet Switching fabric. The WS5100, the newest
member of the WS5000 Series family, is a Wireless Switch with added
Ethernet switching capabilities for medium-to-large enterprises.

4 Symbol WS 5100 Wireless Switch Reviewer's Guide
Symbol’s Wireless Switch System brings WLAN technology to parity with the
wired network, providing features and benefits not possible with Access
Point architecture, including:
 Reduced installation requirements
 Simplified and centralized management
 Secure wireless networking
In addition to serving the WLAN, a Wireless Switch provides wired LAN
support and higher-layer services, seamlessly merging wireless data into the
packet traffic on the wired network.
Symbol’s Wireless Switch System is “media-independent”; this means that
the System can migrate to new radio technologies, and thus provide a
continuous return on investment as the network evolves.

2 Introducing the WS5100
The WS5100 is Symbol’s newest and most powerful wireless switch. It
provides an integrated networking solution specifically designed for large
facilities. This chapter describes the features and benefits of the WS5100.
2.1 Features and Benefits
2.1.1 Hardware
The system hardware includes:
 2.9 GHZ processor
 256 MB Flash Space
 256 MB RAM
 Two 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet Ports; one port is used as a link to
the wired LAN, while the other port serves the wireless LAN. Both
ports provide IEEE 802.3af-compliant Power-over-Ethernet (PoE)
 One RS 232 Serial Port for Switch management
 Two LEDs to indicate link status and activity, and system status
 Up to 48 Access Port Support
 An internal power supply
 Rack-mount brackets

6 Symbol WS 5100 Wireless Switch Reviewer's Guide
2.1.2 Software
The WS5100 provides several key integrated networking, security, and
management features, as outlined in
 Wired networking (Ethernet Switching and routing)
 Wireless networking with low cost “thin” Access Ports
 Enterprise class security services
 Management services
2.2 Advanced WLAN Features
The comprehensive feature set of the WS5100 provides full control over
wireless LAN traffic to provide peak performance. Extensive wireless LAN
functionality enables you to maximize bandwidth and throughput, prioritize
critical traffic, conserve power on mobile devices, and provide dependable
connection speeds for users in challenging wireless environments.
2.2.1 Scalable Radio Architecture
Each WS5100 supports up to 48 single or dual-band Access Port radios, easily
accommodates new coverage, radio types, channels, and spectrum—
offering the broadest radio technology support in the industry. The WS5100
provides support across the 900MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies with
frequency hopping, direct sequence, and OFDM encoding techniques, as well
as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, FH, and DS radio operations.
2.2.2 Access Ports: Next-Generation Access Points
Access Ports bring a new level of simplicity to wireless network
implementation and management, as well as an unprecedented upgrade
capability. The innovative design removes duplicate computing components
and management requirements associated with using access points
throughout a wireless LAN. Access Ports are easily upgraded with new
features and functionality via the WS5100, providing excellent investment
protection. A wide range of 802.11a and 802.11b/g external antenna options
enables the design of coverage patterns for the most challenging
environments.

Symbol WS 5100 Wireless Switch Reviewer's Guide 7
2.2.3 Per Device QoS with Bandwidth-Weighted Fair Queuing
The WS5100 controls Quality of Service (QoS) for each mobile device by
guaranteeing bandwidth for specific traffic classes during periods of network
congestion. With support for layer 2/3/4 classification, DiffServ, and 802.1p,
packets are assigned into a bandwidth-weighted fair queuing scheduler that
allocates a percentage of available bandwidth to each class queue. This is
useful for Voice over IP (VoIP) communications. In addition, the Power Save
Protocol (PSP) provides per device sleep-stage queues that maintain
application performance for devices in sleep mode.
2.2.4 Power Saving for Client Devices
The Power Save Protocol (PSP) polling feature provides two modes (doze and
sleep) that enable devices to maximize battery life and maintain application
performance. Doze mode enables devices to conserve power between
wireless transmissions, while sleep mode ensures that packets are stored
and reliably delivered when the device wakes up.
2.2.5 Virtual AP Enables True Virtual LANS (VLANs)
Virtual AP enables the wireless LAN to be segmented into true multiple
broadcast domains—the wireless equivalent of Ethernet VLANs—providing
the ability to map multiple ESSIDs (Extended Service Set Identifiers) to
multiple BSSIDs (Basic Service Set Identifiers). Wireless traffic engineering
capabilities control client to-client visibility, broadcast/multicast/unicast
packet forwarding behavior, and security policies. Virtual AP provides
complete control over broadcast traffic, which is associated with a BSSID.
Control of broadcast traffic, including network level messages, is extremely
important because of its potential negative effect on performance.
Intelligent control of broadcast forwarding through proxy ARP and other
mechanisms ensures that only by the intended recipients receive broadcast
traffic. The resulting reduction in traffic maximizes bandwidth and network
throughput; device battery life and overall performance are improved with the
elimination of the processing of messages intended for other recipients; and
the possible compromise in confidentiality and security of messages is
eliminated since broadcast messages can no longer reach the wrong
recipients.

8 Symbol WS 5100 Wireless Switch Reviewer's Guide
2.2.6 Load Balancing and Pre-emptive Roaming
Normal roaming does not occur until the device connection has reached a
minimum connection speed of 1 Mbps—normally well beyond the boundaries
of a cell and approximately halfway through an adjacent cell. Two features,
client load balancing and pre-emptive roaming, work hand-in-hand to ensure
that devices roam before the connection quality erodes, providing users with
more consistent connection speeds for smooth application performance.
2.2.7 Automatic Channel Selection
The degradation of RF performance due to environmental factors is
eliminated with Automatic Channel Select (ACS). ACS optimizes radio
channel planning and installation, scanning and selecting the best channel
for each Access Port based on noise and signal properties. A complete set of
configuration controls provides time, mode of operation and Access Port
exclusion lists.
2.2.8 Transmit Power Control
Transmit Power Control minimizes radio interference for sites that require a
very dense population of radios (Access Ports) to support bandwidth
requirements. Configured from within the WS5100, this can also be part of a
group policy.
2.3 Benefits
The WS5100 features described above provide several key advantages over
other wireless switches. The newest member of the WS5000 Series delivers:
 Security and Scalability
 Manageability and Mobility
 Availability
 Reliability
 Total Cost of Ownership Savings

Symbol WS 5100 Wireless Switch Reviewer's Guide 9
The WS5100 wireless switch redefines the standard for enterprise class
wireless networks, delivering extensive functionality, security, scalability and
management at a much lower total cost of ownership than first-generation
access point-based networks. By centralizing intelligence that was
previously distributed throughout a wireless network via access points, this
second generation wireless switch architecture delivers an unparalleled
level of wireless LAN control, performance and management simplicity.
2.3.1 End-to-End Layered Security
Our comprehensive suite of security mechanisms—including access-control,
authentication, and encryption—can be deployed at various locations in the
enterprise network: the perimeter, the network, the servers, and client
devices. The result is a layered security model that delivers robust end-to-
end security. With support for the wireless security standards of today, and
the ability to easily upgrade to tomorrow’s standards, the WS5100 is the
wireless gatekeeper for your enterprise network.
2.3.2 Centralized Management
The WS5100 simplifies day-to-day operations with unified management of
hardware, software configuration, and network policies. Centralized
management also enables the automatic distribution of configurations to all
Access Ports—eliminating the need and the associated costs to configure
and manage each access point.
2.3.3 Scales and Grows Easily
Adding capacity and new functionality is easier and less expensive than an
access point-based wireless LAN. The WS5100 enables your wireless
network to scale easily as your company grows, with a slim 1RU form factor
that fits easily into any standard network equipment rack. Each WS5100
supports up to 48 Access Ports and 32 WLANs.
2.3.4 Reliability
The WS51000 offers a flexible overlay architecture that enables the extension
of reliable multi-layer networking to wireless networking. This low risk and

10 Symbol WS 5100 Wireless Switch Reviewer's Guide
high-business value approach provides predictable and high performance
wireless networks, while preserving network integrity. The resulting network
modularity provides a repeatable approach in design for easy scaling,
consistency and deterministic traffic patterns.
2.3.5 Lower Total Cost of Ownership—Outstanding Investment
Protection
The WS5100 removes the overhead and complexity of first-generation access
point-based wireless LANs, delivering a wireless network that is less
expensive to implement and manage. The extensive functionality,
expandability, and centralized management eliminate the time and
management costs associated with access point-based solutions, providing a
lower total cost of ownership. And with the flexibility to support the standards
of today and tomorrow, as well as the legacy wireless networks of yesterday,
the WS5100 provides outstanding investment protection.

3 Installation and Configration
This chapter provides instructions to install and configure a WS5100.
3.1 Hardware Installation
To install the WS5100 in a rack, you must have:
 One rackmount installation kit consisting of two identical brackets
and four Philips-head screws.
 A #2 Philips screwdriver.
1. Using the screws provided, attach the brackets to the WS5100. Tighten the
screws securely.
2. Attach the brackets to the rack.
3.2 Configuration Requirements
To configure the switch, you must have:
 A connection to the Internet or to a corporate network.
 One or more Symbol Access Ports (AP300, 802.11a/b/g Access Port,
or AP200 or AP100).

12 Symbol WS 5100 Wireless Switch Reviewer's Guide
 Two PC or laptop computers. For the purposes of this example, we’ll
call the computers PC1 and PC2.
 A wireless device that can connect to an 802.11 network.
3.3 Adding the WS5100 to the Network
The WS5100 fits in the distribution layer of the existing wired network, and
must have OSI Layer 2 connectivity with the access ports that it needs to
adopt. The following illustration shows the major components of a WS5100
network deployment.
As shown in the above illustration, all wireless devices are connected to the
WS5100 through Switch A and all wired devices are connected through
Switch B.