AirMagnet how we did it

How we tested AirMagnet Distributed V4.0.

We tested AirMagnet Distributed V4.0 Build 1322 on 100/1000M bit/sec Ethernet wired network, and a wireless LAN consisting of many different types of 802.11b, a/b, a, and a/g/b access points. Vendors included (in no specific order) Intel, D-Link, Linksys, Apple, 3Com, Buffalo, NetGear, Proxim, Buffalo, SMC, HP and others.

We used two testing platforms, a five-level building with approximately 4,000 square feet, and a one-story office building also with approximately 4,000 square feet of space. We used four sensors for each test. The first three sensors sent became unusable, but these were delivered before the initial release of the product (which launched at 3.0).

The AirMagnet Distributed Management Server was installed on a Compaq SR1020NX generic desktop machine (2.4-GHz Celeron, 1G byte dynamic random-access memory, Gigabit Ethernet, Windows XP upgraded to Professional), which was connected to a wireline Gigabit Ethernet network. The Gigabit Ethernet network was connected through an emulated VPN (two Windows 2003 Enterprise Servers) to another Gigabit Ethernet network. Each network used its own Service Set Identifiers. A Linux machine (Compaq DL360 with two 733-MHz CPUs) was used for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol authentication and RADIUS services. Microsoft SQL Server 2000 ran on the ‘local LAN’ Windows 2003 Enterprise Server. All software and firmware for all devices, operating systems, hardware, access points, client WLAN cards, and all drivers were updated to current as of May 1, 2004.

We used numerous client notebooks, including two Compaq Presario 700US notebooks, an IBM ThinkPad 600, two Apple G4 notebooks, three desktops with either Linksys or Microsoft 802.11b USB-WLAN devices, two HP NC4000 notebooks, and a Compaq Armada 7380DMT. These machines used a wide variety of WLAN cards from the same list of access point vendors (with the addition of Microsoft).

A Tektronics TDS6000B oscilloscope with external trigger was used to monitor frequency measurements. We modified three Proxim/Orinoco Gold cards to perform association denial-of-service tests by introducing a small switch into their circuitry to make them transmit, but not receive.

Back to review: AirMagnet Distributed Version 4.0