Re: [BAWUG] LEAP technology discussion

[Sameer Verma]

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

I hope that I can add a little to conversation since I have been using
the said network for a few months.

Lucky you. I will have to shell out $120 to buy "yet another WiFi card" to satisfy the "requirements" of SFSU's network <http://www.sfsu.edu/~helpdesk/docs/internet/wireless.html>

Until 802.11i is approved as an IEEE standard, everybody's security
implementations are going to be a bit different. So as far as I know,
only Cisco NICs work with Cisco APs that use Cisco's LEAP
implementation. That's supposed to change once the standard is
approved and an upgrade is expected to be available via firmware
upload (for Cisco gear that is).

Agreed. From what I understand about the SFSU wireless implemetation,
the University level support had to choose a secure type of
authentication for their wireless network. They did not want to supply
Park Merced and the surrounding areas with free or easily breakable
wireless.

Instead, they have a network that does *not* supply most of the student/staff/faculty with access.

There were some options available (hi Sameer!)

Hi Jason :-)

but in the
end, the CSU has an aggresive pricing agreement with Cisco and the Cisco
product DID fit the bill. Until the industry regulates itself, there
will be compromises to be made.

It is a technological solution, but not an organizational one. It did fit the bill, but the bill is WRONG.

That said, SFSU is not even close to
the only .edu to go with Cisco's LEAP authentication. Google it and you
will see. From speaking with workers at SFSU they fully intend to
implement 802.11i once it is standardized. They wanted /A/ wireless
network and they decided to choose LEAP.

We'd have to wait for 802.11i to standardize. Then we'd have to wait for ALL vendors to provide firmware upgrades. Then we'll have to wait for ALL vendors to provide us with client side stuff. 3G (or maybe 4G) will be here by then (2010).

Currently non-Cisco NICs can be used with Cisco APs, but only when
LEAP is turned off, or if mixed-access (LEAP and non-LEAP devices
together) is allowed (but that defeats the purpose of LEAP of
course!).

A few cards support cisco LEAP out of the box without third party
supplicants (i havnt gotten any supplicants to work).
*Cisco 340 & 350 cards of all formats (pcmcia, pci, minipci ...)
*Xircom CWE1130-NA (these were discontinued after Intel bought Xircom) These cards are actually relabeled Cisco 340 cards (even says it on the
card)
*3COM 3CRWE62092B cards with Xjack antennae. These support LEAP (thanks
again Jared) and have a neat retractable antenna
*Apple Airport 802.11b
*Apple Airport Extreme
*Apple Airport Base stations also support LEAP, however I have not
played with this feature.

The idea for an organizational solution at a university is to support ALL cards that support Wi-Fi. A university cannot/does not dictate its students to buy a particular brand of Wi-Fi. It is kinda like saying "Please drive to SFSU and park there only if you drive a Yugo".

stone

At least I have my own network :-)
Sameer

--
Dr. Sameer Verma, Ph.D.
Asst. Professor of Information Systems
San Francisco State University
San Francisco CA 94132 USA
http://verma.sfsu.edu/

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