Configuring the Bridge

This chapter describes initial configuration of the bridge using the Internet browser-based management system and the console-based management system, which you access through Telnet. This chapter includes the following sections:

Before You Start

The steps you follow in configuring the bridge depend on your network environment. Use Table 3-1 to select the configuration method that is best for you.

Table 3-1: Selecting a Configuration Method

If you have: Use this configuration method:

A wireless LAN with an Access Point available to use during bridge configuration

Remote Configuration Using a Computer Communicating through an Access Point

A wireless LAN, but with no Access Point available to use during bridge configuration

Configuration through a Wired LAN, or Local Configuration Using a Non-Networked Computer

If you have:	Use this configuration method:
A wireless LAN with an Access Point available to use during bridge configuration	Remote Configuration Using a Computer Communicating through an Access Point
A wireless LAN, but with no Access Point available to use during bridge configuration	Configuration through a Wired LAN, or Local Configuration Using a Non-Networked Computer

Information You Need Before Configuration

Before configuring your bridge, ask your network administrator for the following information:

The Service Set Identifier (SSID) for the bridge. The SSID should match the SSID of the Access Point the bridge will communicate with.
A client name for the bridge. The name should describe the location or principal users of the bridge.
The correct WEP key settings for the bridge.
If your network does not use DHCP to assign IP addresses, you will need an IP address for the bridge.

Summary of Configuration Steps

You will follow these steps when configuring the bridge. The steps are described in detail in the "Configuring the Bridge" section.

Read the "Options for Initial Configuration" section to choose the configuration method best suited for your network configuration.
Set up the bridge according to the steps for the configuration method you select.
Use an Internet browser or Telnet to configure the bridge.
Unplug the power adapter and disconnect the bridge from the PC or hub. The configuration remains in the bridge's memory after you remove power.
Place the bridge near the device or hub it will serve. If you need to mount the bridge on a wall, follow the instructions in Mounting Instructions for the Cisco Aironet 340 Series Workgroup Bridge, a short document printed on plain paper which is included in the bridge package.
Use an Ethernet cable to connect the bridge to the hub it will serve, and plug in the bridge's power adapter.

Options for Initial Configuration

You can use one of three methods to configure the bridge:

Use a computer connected to your wired LAN or wireless network to communicate with the bridge through a Cisco Aironet Access Point. The computer you use for configuration must be on the same subnet as the bridge.
Use a computer on your wired LAN to communicate with the bridge through a hub on your wired LAN. The computer you use for configuration must be on the same subnet as the bridge.
Use a non-networked computer to communicate directly with the bridge through a crossover cable.

Each method is described below.

Remote Configuration Using a Computer Communicating through an Access Point

Note The Workgroup Bridge communicates only with Cisco Aironet Access Points.

To use a computer connected to your network to configure the bridge through an Access Point, follow these steps:

Step 1 Adjust the following settings on the Access Point to allow it to communicate with the bridge:

On the Access Point's Express Setup management page, set the Access Point's SSID to tsunami, which matches the bridge's default SSID.
On the Access Point's AP Radio Data Encryption management page, set the encryption mode to off.

Step 2 Place the bridge in the vicinity of an Access Point and plug in the power adapter. Figure 3-1 provides an overview of the setup for this configuration method.

Note The bridge communicates with the Access Point when you apply power to the bridge. If your network uses a DHCP server, and if the bridge's Ethernet port is connected to a device, the bridge receives an IP address on your network. When the bridge's IP address is changed from the default setting, it can no longer be set using the IP Setup utility.

Figure 3-1: Setup for Remote Configuration Using a PC Communicating through an Access Point

Step 3 Follow the instructions in the "Finding the Bridge's IP Address" section if your network uses a DHCP server to assign IP addresses. If your network does not use a DHCP server to assign IP addresses, follow the instructions in the "Setting the Bridge's IP Address and SSID" section.

Step 4 Follow the instructions in the "Configuring the Bridge" section.

Configuration through a Wired LAN

To use this method, use a straight-through Ethernet cable to connect the bridge to a standard port on a hub on your wired LAN, as shown in Figure 3-2.

Caution If the bridge is connected to the wired LAN and is communicating with an Access Point on the same LAN, a network problem known as a bridge loop can occur. Avoid a bridge loop by disconnecting the bridge from the wired LAN immediately after you configure it.

Figure 3-2: Bridge Plugged into a Hub on the Wired LAN

Using a DHCP Server

Follow these steps to configure a bridge connected directly to a network with a DHCP server:

Step 1 Use a straight-through Ethernet cable to connect the bridge to a standard port on a hub on your wired network.

Step 2 Plug in the bridge's power adapter. The bridge receives a DHCP-assigned IP address.

Step 3 Follow the steps in the "Using the IP Setup Utility" section and in the "Configuring the Bridge" section to configure the bridge.

Step 4 Disconnect the unit from your wired LAN and connect it to the hub it will serve.

Using a Server Without DHCP

Follow these steps to configure a bridge connected directly to a network without a DHCP server:

Step 1 Use a straight-through Ethernet cable to connect the bridge to a standard port on a hub on your wired network.

Step 2 Plug in the bridge's power adapter.

Step 3 Follow the steps in the "Setting the Bridge's IP Address and SSID" section to assign an IP address to the bridge that is in the same range as the addresses on your network. At the same time, set the bridge's SSID to match the SSID of a Cisco Aironet Access Point on your network.

Step 4 Follow the steps in the "Configuring the Bridge" section to configure the bridge.

Step 5 Disconnect the unit from your wired LAN and connect it to the computer or device it will serve.

Local Configuration Using a Non-Networked Computer

To use a non-networked computer to configure the bridge, follow these steps:

Step 1 Connect the bridge and a non-networked PC with a crossover cable as shown in Figure 3-3. Appendix C contains a pinout diagram for a crossover cable.

Step 2 Power on both devices

Step 3 Follow the instructions in the "Setting the Bridge's IP Address and SSID" section and in the "Configuring the Bridge" section.

Figure 3-3: Setup for Local Configuration Using a Non-Networked PC

System Requirements for This Method

If you use a non-networked computer to configure the bridge, you must use a crossover cable to connect the computer to the bridge, and the computer must have the following:

TCP/IP network protocol installed.
IP Setup Utility (IPSU) installed. To install this utility, put the Cisco Aironet 340 Series Workgroup Bridge CD in the CD-ROM drive. Use Windows Explorer to view the contents of the CD. Double-click the IPSU folder, and then double-click the file called setup.exe.

Using the IP Setup Utility

The IP Setup utility (IPSU) allows you to find the bridge's IP address when it has been assigned by a DHCP server. You can also use IPSU to set the bridge's IP address and SSID if they have not been changed from the default settings.

The sections below explain how to install the utility, how to use it to find the bridge's IP address, and how to use it to set the IP address and the SSID.

Installing the IP Setup Utility

The IP Setup utility (IPSU) is on the Workgroup Bridge CD. Follow these steps to install IPSU:

Step 1 Put the Cisco Aironet 340 Series Workgroup Bridge CD in the CD-ROM drive of the computer you are using to configure the bridge.

Step 2 Use Windows Explorer to view the contents of the CD. Double-click the IPSU folder, and then double-click the file called setup.exe. Follow the steps provided by the installation wizard.

Step 3 Double-click the IPSU icon on your computer desktop to start the utility.

Finding the Bridge's IP Address

If your bridge receives an IP address from a DHCP server, use IPSU to find its IP address. You can run IPSU from a computer connected to the bridge's Ethernet port or from a computer on the same network as the bridge. Follow these steps to find the bridge's IP address:

Step 1 When the utility window opens, make sure Get IP addr is selected in the Function box.

Step 2 Type the bridge's MAC address in the Device MAC ID field. The bridge's MAC address is printed on the label on the bottom of the unit. It should contain six pairs of hexadecimal digits separated by periods or dashes. Your bridge's MAC address might look like the following example:

11223a4D5566

Note The MAC address field is not case-sensitive.

Step 3 Click Get IP Address.

Step 4 When the bridge's IP address appears in the IP Address field, write it down.

If IPSU reports that the IP address is 192.168.200.1, the default IP address, then the bridge did not receive a DHCP-assigned IP address. Steps for assigning an IP address are included in the "Setting the Bridge's IP Address and SSID" section.

Step 5 To check the IP address, browse to the bridge's browser-based management pages. Open an Internet browser.

Step 6 Type or paste the bridge's IP address in the browser's location or address field. (If you are using Netscape, the field is labeled Netsite or Location; if you are using Microsoft Explorer, the field is labeled Address.)

Step 7 Press Enter. The bridge's main menu page appears.

Setting the Bridge's IP Address and SSID

If your bridge does not receive an IP address from a DHCP server, or if you want to change the default IP address, use IPSU to assign an IP address. You can set the bridge's SSID at the same time.

Note The computer you use to assign an IP address to the bridge must have an IP address of its own.

Note IPSU can only change the bridge's IP address and SSID from their default settings. After the IP address and SSID have been changed, the IP Setup utility cannot change them again unless you press the configuration reset button on the back panel to reset the configuration to factory defaults.

Follow these steps to assign an IP address and an SSID to the bridge:

Step 1 Double-click the IP Setup icon on your computer desktop. (If IPSU is not installed on your computer, follow the steps in the "Installing the IP Setup Utility" section to install it.)

Step 2 When the utility window opens, make sure Set Parameters is selected in the Function box.

Step 3 Type the bridge's MAC address in the Device MAC ID field. The bridge's MAC address is printed on the label on the bottom of the unit. It should contain six pairs of hexadecimal digits separated by periods or dashes. Your bridge's MAC address might look like the following example:

11223a4D5566

Note The MAC address field is not case-sensitive.

Step 4 Type the IP address you want to assign to the bridge in the IP Address field. The IP address should be on the same subnet as the device to which you will connect the bridge.

Step 5 Type the SSID you want to assign to the bridge in the SSID field.

Note You cannot set the SSID without also setting the IP address. You can set the IP address without setting the SSID, however.

Step 6 Click Set Parameters.

Step 7 To test the IP address, open an Internet browser.

Step 8 Type or paste the bridge's IP address in the browser's location or address field. (If you are using Netscape, the field is labeled Netsite or Location; if you are using Microsoft Explorer, the field is labeled Address.)

Step 9 Press Enter. The bridge's main menu page appears.

Configuring the Bridge

After you choose a setup for initial configuration of the bridge, you can choose to access the bridge's management system through your Internet browser or through a Telnet session. Each method is described below.

Using an Internet Browser

Follow these steps to configure the bridge with an Internet browser:

Step 1 Open an Internet browser.

Step 2 Type or paste the bridge's IP address in the browser's location field. (If you are using Netscape, the field is labeled Netsite or Location; if you are using Microsoft Explorer, the field is labeled Address.) Press Enter.

Step 3 When the bridge's management home page appears, click Allow Config Changes in the upper-left corner.

Step 4 In the Configuration menu, click Radio.

Caution If you are configuring the bridge through a wireless connection, changing the SSID in the next step could interrupt connectivity to the device. Take care to enter an SSID that matches the SSID of an Access Point near the bridge.

Step 5 On the Radio page, look at the SSID in the Service set identifier Value field. If it is tsunami, the default setting, delete it and type the SSID provided by your network administrator. Press Enter.

If you already set the SSID using IPSU and the SSID in the Service set identifier Value field is correct, you do not need to set it again.

Note The next several steps lead you through setting the bridge's WEP key. If your wireless network does not use WEP, skip to Step 16.

Step 6 In the Item column on the Radio page, click Privacy configuration.

Step 7 In the Privacy configuration menu, click Set the keys.

Step 8 Click inside the box labeled Enter a key number from 1 to 4.

Step 9 Type the number of the WEP key your network administrator asked you to set and press Enter.

Step 10 Click short key to set a 40-bit WEP key. Click long key to set a 128-bit WEP key.

Step 11 Type the key provided by your network administrator. If you are setting a 40-bit key, type ten hexadecimal characters (any combination of 0-9, a-f, or A-F). If you are setting a 128-bit key, type 26 hexadecimal characters. Press Enter.

Step 12 In the Privacy configuration menu, in the row labeled Key number for transmit, click inside the box labeled a key number from 1 to 4.

Note The WEP key you use to transmit data must be set up exactly the same on your Access Point and your bridge. For example, if you set WEP Key 3 on your bridge to 0987654321 and select it as the transmit key, you must also set WEP Key 3 on the Access Point to exactly the same value.

Step 13 Type the number of the key the bridge will use and press Enter. Only one WEP key can be used at a time.

Step 14 In the row in the Privacy menu labeled Authentication mode, click open or shared key to set the authentications the bridge will recognize.

The Open setting, which is the default, allows any device, regardless of its WEP settings, to authenticate and then attempt to communicate with the bridge. Shared Key tells the bridge to send a plain-text, shared-key query to any device attempting to communicate with the bridge. This query can leave the device open to a known-text attack from intruders, however, and is therefore not as secure as the Open setting.

Caution If you are configuring the bridge through a wireless connection, you may lose your connection to the bridge if the WEP key is set incorrectly. If you select On as the WEP category in the next step, the WEP key you set must exactly match the WEP key used on your wireless LAN, and the Access Point with which the bridge is communicating must have WEP set to On.

Step 15 In the row in the Privacy menu labeled Encrypt radio packets, click on, mixed on, or mixed off to select the WEP category for the bridge.

Off is the default setting, which means that the bridge will not communicate with an Access Point using WEP.
On means that the bridge will only communicate with Access Points that use WEP.
Mixed on means that the bridge will always use WEP when communicating with the Access Point, but that the Access Point will communicate with all devices whether they use WEP or not.
Mixed off means that the bridge will not use WEP when communicating with the Access Point, but the Access Point will communicate with all devices whether they use WEP or not.

Note The remaining steps lead you through labeling the bridge to make it easy to identify on the network. These steps are optional, but they provide important information for your network administrator.

Step 16 In the Configuration menu, click Ident.

Step 17 In the Node name entry field, type a network label for the bridge and press Enter. This name will identify the bridge in the association table on any Cisco Aironet Access Point.

Using a Telnet Session

Follow these steps to configure the bridge with a Telnet session:

Step 1 On your computer's Start menu, select Programs > Accessories > Telnet.

If Telnet is not listed in your Accessories menu, click Start > Run, type Telnet in the entry field, and press Enter.

Step 2 When the Telnet window appears, click Connect and select Remote System.

Note In Windows 2000, the Telnet window does not contain pull-down menus. To start the Telnet session in Windows 2000, type open followed by the bridge's IP address, and skip to Step 4.

Step 3 In the Host Name field, type the bridge's IP address provided by the IP Finder utility. Click Connect.

Step 4 Type 1 to select Configuration. When the configuration menu appears, type 1 again to select Radio. When the radio menu appears, type 1 again to select SSID.

Step 5 Look at the current SSID. If it is tsunami, the default setting, type the SSID provided by your network administrator on the data entry line and press Enter.

If you already set the SSID using IPSU and the current SSID is correct, you do not need to set it again.

Note The next several steps lead you through setting the bridge's WEP key. If your wireless network does not use WEP, skip to Step 16.

Step 6 Type 5 to select I80211. When the I80211 menu appears, type 3 to select Privacy.

Step 7 In the Privacy menu, type 3 to select Key.

Step 8 Type the number of the WEP key your network administrator asked you to set and press Enter.

Step 9 Type the key provided by your network administrator and press Enter. If you are setting a 40-bit key, type ten hexadecimal characters (any combination of 0-9, a-f, or A-F). If you are setting a 128-bit key, type 26 hexadecimal characters.

Step 10 Type 4 to select Transmit.

Step 11 Type the number of the key the bridge will use and press Enter. Only one WEP key can be used at a time.

Step 12 Type 2 to select Auth. Type open or shared_key to set the authentications the bridge will recognize.

The Open setting, which is the default, allows any Access Point, regardless of its WEP settings, to authenticate and then attempt to communicate with the bridge. Shared Key tells the bridge to send a plain-text, shared-key query to any Access Point attempting to communicate with the bridge. This query can leave the bridge open to a known-text attack from intruders, however, and is therefore not as secure as the Open setting.

Step 13 Type 1 to select Encryption. Type off, on, mixed on, or mixed off to select the WEP category for the bridge.

Off is the default setting, which means that the bridge will not communicate with an Access Point using WEP.
On means that the bridge will only communicate with Access Points that use WEP.
Mixed on means that the bridge will always use WEP when communicating with the Access Point but the Access Point will communicate with all devices whether they use WEP or not.
Mixed off means that the bridge will not use WEP when communicating with the Access Point but the Access Point will communicate with all devices whether they use WEP or not.

Step 14 Press Esc three times to return to the configuration menu.

Step 15 When the configuration menu appears, type 3 to select Ident. Type 8 to select Name. Type a network label for the bridge and press Enter. This name will identify the bridge in the association table on any Cisco Aironet Access Point.

Default Settings

Table 3-2 lists the bridge's default settings.

Table 3-2: Default Settings on the Bridge

Setting Name Default Value

IP address

192.168.200.1

SSID

tsunami

Authentication type

open

WEP level

off

Node name

AIR-WGB340_xxxxxx (the last six characters of the unit's MAC address)

Setting Name	Default Value
IP address	192.168.200.1
SSID	tsunami
Authentication type	open
WEP level	off
Node name	AIR-WGB340_xxxxxx (the last six characters of the unit's MAC address)

Table of Contents

Configuring the Bridge