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Cisco's at the (WLAN) SwitchCisco's at the (WLAN) SwitchCisco's at the (WLAN) Switch 11/18/2003 12:12 AM eWeek Nov 18 2003 0:01AM ET This is a GrokNews Entry: (what is grok?)Cisco's at the (WLAN) SwitchGrok Headline matches for Cisco's at the (WLAN) SwitchBuzzCut: Is Cisco's WLAN Vulnerable?BuzzCut: Is Cisco's WLAN Vulnerable? 05/03/2004 11:31 PM Network Computing May 4 2004 4:28AM GMT IETF to cramp Cisco's WLAN empire?IETF to cramp Cisco's WLAN empire? 11/17/2003 08:04 AM The Register Nov 17 2003 7:52AM ET Cisco's Switch Turns on the WirelessCisco's Switch Turns on the Wireless 05/05/2004 04:55 PM Wi-Fi Planet May 5 2004 9:45PM GMT ReefEdge's New WLAN SwitchReefEdge's New WLAN Switch 12/02/2003 12:32 AM ReefEdge is moving out of its niche space into the broader WLAN networking world: Nancy Gohring's report on ReefEdge's new WLAN switches for InfoWorld reveals a company that's changed its focus from policy-based WLAN management of homogeneous devices to a range of devices that allow RF management of APs from several vendors, and small-office networking. This is a pretty classic company development: customers certainly told them about the gaps in the line-up from all vendors, and ReefEdge moved to fill them. I hear from small offices all the time looking for devices that have enterprise-scale features but without the enterprise-scale price tag because their per-user cost would be 10 or 20 times the enterprise's due to a lack of economy of scale.... WLAN Switch Handles VoiceWLAN Switch Handles Voice 02/12/2004 04:51 PM Support of cell traffic planned for Proxim device. WLAN Switch Vendors Starting to Die?WLAN Switch Vendors Starting to Die? 10/28/2003 11:09 PM Since WLAN switch developers started coming out of the woodwork, it was clear that the market couldn't support all of them: Trapeze and Vivato have both laid off workers recently, leaving some to wonder if they are struggling. Trapeze made a name for itself by spending liberally on marketing and what some in the industry have described as a massive booth for trade shows. A company spokesperson in this article says that the cut backs happened on schedule. Trapeze cut 30 percent of its staff and Vivato laid off 25 percent. I would be surprised if Trapeze was one to go under straight away as it seems to have a robust product. But as we all know, the best product doesn't always win. This will be an interesting space to watch as acquisitions and failures are bound to start happening soon.... WLAN Switch in an Access PointWLAN Switch in an Access Point 03/29/2005 11:28 AM Xirrus launches its wireless LAN array: In a briefing last week, Xirrus executives explained that their product combines the utility of a wireless LAN switch with a single footprint that can coordinate frequency and signal pattern across as many as 16 channels using a combination of 802.11a and 802.11b/g with sectorized antennas. Gigabit Ethernet carries the traffic to and from the array; a redundant failover Gigabit Ethernet port and a 10/100 management port ensures throughput. The WLAN array comes in three configuration: four ports, eight ports, or 16 ports (models XS-3500, XS-3700, XS-3900). All three models can work in 802.11a, b, or g mode for each radio, with up to 12 for 802.11a and up to four for 802.11b/g. Xirrus has baseband-level control of the radios which allows them to adaptively and dynamically change the signal strength and antenna scope. Because they're sectorized, that means each radio can serve a greater distance if needed than the typical indoor omnidirectional antenna--or back off as the RF environment requires. The arrays have what are now required features of any switch: VLANs, multiple SSIDs per switch (up to 16), QoS, and assignment to VLAN based on authentication, SSID, or other factors. One of the radios on any model can be set to work as a monitor for security threats, like rogue access points. The arrays can be managed using Layer 3 tunneling with a centralized platform, the XM-3300, which can handle up to 500 WLAN arrays. Because there's an extra 10/100 interface, the management can be entirely out of band of the actual network traffic. The arrays are powered with 48-volt DC which requires either direct electrical wiring for an AC adapter or the use of DC power over Ethernet--not the standard kind, but their 48-volt variety--that ties into their Remote Power System (XP-3100) at over 300 feet of Cat 5 Ethernet cable. The Xirrus array is the logical extension of the WLAN switch concept. One of the early gating factors for WLAN switching was the necessity for all traffic to be routed from an access point back via Ethernet to a physical switch which had to manage all the data coming and going. While this added the benefit of VLAN-based roaming that was independent of a physical switch location, it also tied bandwidth to the computational and switching capacity of that centralized switch device. (Symbol's first "access port" system had only... Cisco Intros WLAN Switch ModuleCisco Intros WLAN Switch Module 05/05/2004 02:04 PM Cisco introduced today its wireless LAN services module, an add-on to its Catalyst 6500 switch that integrates support for WLANs: Coupled with Cisco APs (wireless access points), the platform offers some of the functionality of other WLAN switch platforms but has some drawbacks. One of the most important capabilities that Cisco executives stressed during a Webcast this morning was the ability for users to roam between APs in 50 milliseconds--fast enough to support voice. The client is authenticated at the AP where traffic is sent through a secure roaming tunnel back to the Catalyst switch, which could be located anywhere in the network. As the client roams, its IP address stays the same, so voice calls, VPNs, and other applications aren't interrupted when the client associates with a new AP. Because all traffic travels through the switch, roaming might not always happen in under 50 milliseconds. Cisco tested roaming between two APs that were located in Perth, Australia. The APs were connected to a switch that was located in Sydney, a distance away from Perth that is similar to the distance between Los Angeles and Miami. The handoff time increased to around 250 milliseconds, slow enough for an audible blip in a voice call. But applications are not dropped during that time. Cisco also said that it is releasing an upgraded version of its wireless LAN solution engine (WLSE), Cisco's management software for APs across an enterprise. The new version not only detects rogue or unauthorized APs, but can remotely disable the switch port that the rogue is connected to. Also, with the new software, customers can set their Cisco APs to scan-only mode. Customers who may not be ready to deploy a WLAN may still want to ensure that rogue APs aren't being deployed. "Over time they will deploy a WLAN, and the same APs they use for scan-only can be used as regular APs," said Bill Rossi, general manager of Cisco's wireless unit. (Airespace, a WLAN switch developer, has a similar offering, which has the added feature of deassociate signal bombing a rogue AP to prevent clients from successfully remaining connected to it.) The upgraded WLSE also supports instant AP deployment without having to configure the AP before adding it to the network. When the switch module recognizes that a new AP has been plugged in, it alerts the WLSE system, which sends the configuration file to the... Switch start-ups turn to WLAN securitySwitch start-ups turn to WLAN security 11/03/2003 06:34 AM But shake-out looms 3Com takes aim at WLAN switch arena3Com takes aim at WLAN switch arena 07/27/2004 04:19 PM Company has hinted about WLAN switch, which observers say it needs to challenge Cisco in the high end of the market. Tough Competition in WLAN Switch
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