Quick Links

• Anti-Virus Software
• Available Software Applications
• Computer Labs and Printer Usage
• Computer Minimum Recommendations
• Current Lab Usage
• Dean's Staff Support
• E-mail
  • Configuring your E-mail Application
  • E-mail Forwarding, Remote Access, Storage Limits, and Spam Filters
  • E-mail Usage Policy
  • Mailbox Maintenance
• Help Desk
• Network and Access
• • Network Access Policy
• Print Quota
• Remote Access
• Requesting Lab Software
• Server Storage Limit
• User Accounts
• Wireless Network

For More Information

Maintained and managed by Veronica “Ronni” Wilkinson, Network Manager

E-mail: ronni at engr.sc.edu

The Wireless Network

Windows 2000/XP/Vista Client Instructions for Accessing the Wireless Network

 

Click to download installation instructions: PDF | RTF

OVERVIEW

The wireless network is made up of several Cisco Wireless Access Points (WAPs) with a maximum transmission rate of 11 Mbps. Together they form a wireless cloud. Since wireless networks by definition and design have few physical barriers to access, this raises a whole host of security concerns; therefore we treat it as a public network. To combat the security issues we use IPSec and a Cisco VPN Concentrator.

User's clients communicate to the VPN concentrator using IPSec to encrypt their packets. The concentrator then authenticates the user and their client and decrypts the packets and then places their packets onto the wired network. Packets from the wired network to the wireless clients are sent to the concentrator, encrypted and then delivered to the clients over the wireless network.

From the wireless network users are only allowed to access three network devices. The first is a wireless access point. The second is a DHCP server which will hand out an IP address to the client. The third is the VPN concentrator which manages the security and authentication of all other packets to/from the college's core network. Once proper encryption and authentication have been verified by the VPN concentrator then clients' packets may travel to the core network and their final destination. Without proper encryption and authentication a client's packets are not allowed to travel beyond the wireless cloud.

All of the security is managed by a combination of IPSec, digital certificates, and Windows Active Directory domain authentication.

WIRELESS AREAS

The areas that are covered are listed below. Public and common areas such as classrooms and conference rooms are the focus of the wireless network. It may also work in offices and labs, but it is not guaranteed since the wired network is available in offices.

Swearingen Engineering Center	300 Main Street
1st Floor A, B, C, D Wings	1st Floor A, B, C Wings
2nd Floor A, B, C, D Wings	2nd Floor A, B, C Wings
3rd Floor A, B, C, D Wings	Structures Lab
Court Yard	Hydraulics Lab
Reading Room	Front Steps
Amoco Hall, 1C01
Faculty Lounge, 1A03
Canteen, 1A05