Certification Magazine - January 2008 - (Page 25)

Say the IT person of a given organization and play. So, what do you have to know to do these jobs? Let’s start with “plan.” inherits the task of setting up wireless for the office. Naturally, this IT person Plan: Site Survey. Back in the day — you know, 10 years ago, before the term “Wi-Fi” existed — the first item in your site survey kit was comfortable shoes, because you had to walk and walk and walk and walk, usually carrying a heavy laptop or pushing a cart full of your toys of choice. Today, the methodologies available to accomplish a proper site survey have changed, but the end result must be the same. The most basic questions of where you want RF coverage, what bandwidth you need, what apps you can run and where you can actually get coverage must all be answered. takes the path of least resistance and gets a SOHO router for the office, gets it up and running in an hour or so, and proudly reports to his boss, “We’ve got wireless!” use the tools down to the packet level. Analyzers only do what you know to tell them to do, and the best way to know how to use any 802.11 protocol analyzer is to learn from the experts. Secure: Well, uh, Secure. Remember T.J.Maxx? The most advanced WLAN controller cannot configure itself for the appropriate level of security for every scenario, including protecting hundreds of thousands of credit card numbers. Only you can secure your wireless LAN, Smokey. Yes, it would be nice if WLAN controllers were self-aware and self-securing, but we’re not quite there yet. You have to learn the technology behind WLAN controllers, both traditional cell architecture and single-cell architecture. You have to learn the technology behind WIDS and WIPS. How do you learn all the technology behind all the products? You could attend Cisco, Aruba, Trapeze, Motorola, AirMagnet, AirDefense, AirTight, Meru, WildPackets and every other vendor’s product training classes. Each class is three to five days, so that might take some time. A better way is to pursue the CWNP family of enterprise WLAN certifications: CWNA, CWSP and CWNE. The CWNP program is vendor neutral, which means you learn the technology behind all the products while using many different brands of products in a four- to five-day hands-on training class. Once you learn the technology, then you can choose to support the products you like the best, based on INSIDE CERTIFICATION continued on page 39 Stage, Install and Implement: Building What You Said You Would Build. This is what should work, if you did your site survey right. Your site survey should have helped you decide what specific solution to implement based on the customer’s needs rather than the brand you like the most. That means you have to know more than just your favorite manufacturer’s products. You have to know the technology behind all the products so that you can choose the best solution. Every brand has its strengths and weaknesses, and there is no “one size fits all” for an enterprise WLAN implementation. These products don’t install and configure themselves. You have to learn how they work. When you know the technology behind all the products, the hard part becomes navigating the user interface. Troubleshoot and Administer: Analyze. Do you know how to use an 802.11 network analyzer? Which one? This might be the only time in an implementation where you actually get to choose what tool you use because it’s the tool you like the most or know the best. That’s great, but troubleshooting, by its very name, implies that there’s trouble. That means your customer’s network is not running the way it should be, the way they want it to be or the way you told them it would be. Now, you are the man in the spotlight. Fix it, and you’re a hero — if you know how to January 2008 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE 25

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Certification Magazine - January 2008

Certification - January 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Data Stream Tech Careers Academic Connection Dear Techie Virtual Village Making the IT Leap: How to Move Into the Industry Inside Certification Phoning It In: Telecommuting Systems and Networks Engineer Interface Band of Brothers: Why You Should Join an IT Association Ad Index Endtag

Certification Magazine - January 2008

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