Alvarion BreezeACCESS VL Instruction Manual

page 1 of 8

BreezeACCESSVL

BreezeACCESSVLVersion3.1

ReleaseNote

February2006(Updated for v3.1.25)

P/N214356

ALVARION LTD.

21A HABARZEL STREET,

TEL AVIV, 69710,

ISRAEL

TEL: 972-3-6456262

FAX: 972-3-6456222

HTTP://WWW.ALVARION.COM

page 2 of 8

1. Introduction

BreezeACCESS VL version 3.1 includes new SW and new HW (Rev C hardware supporting the two

ranges in the 4.9 GHz band, and the 5.4 GHz band). It introduces new features and some problem

fixes.

2. Frequency bands

The currently supported frequency bands:

• 5.725 – 5.850 GHz (5.8 band, FCC)

• 5.470 – 5.725 GHz (5.4 band, ETSI)

• 5.150 – 5.350 GHz (5.2 band)

• 5.250 – 5.350 (5.3 band, FCC)

• 4.900-5.000, 5.030 – 5.091 GHz (4.9, Japan)

3. New Features and Improvements

Increased Capacity through Improved Concatenation Mechanism

The Concatenation mechanism enables bundling several data frames into a single frame for

transmission to the wireless link. This feature reduces the overhead in the wireless media and

improves significantly the achievable throughput. In version 3.1 the number of data frames that can be

bundled into a single wireless frame was increased from 2 to 8 data frames, and the maximum size of

a concatenated frame for units with HW revision C was increased from 3400 bytes to 4092 bytes (for

units with HW revision B the maximum size remains 2200 bytes). It should be noted that when a unit

with HW revision C communicate with a unit using HW revision B, the maximum size is dictated by the

unit with the lower HW revision (2200 bytes).

The improved concatenation mechanism results in a significantly increased throughput. For sectors

with HW revision C only, the achievable FTP throughput is up to 32 Mbps and 16Mbps for 20 MHz and

10 MHz channel bandwidths respectively. For sectors that includes revision B units the achievable

FTP throughput is up to 25 Mbps (22 Mbps with ETSI or UK country codes) for channel bandwidth of

20 MHz.

New Tx and Rx counters were added to indicate the number of transmitted/received concatenated

frames with more than two data frames.

To support the improved concatenation feature, the upper limit of the RTS Threshold parameter has

been changed to 4092 bytes. The default value of the RTS Threshold parameter in AU has been

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changed to 4092 (No RTS/CTS) in units with HW revision C. When upgrading from a previous SW

version, the RTS Threshold in AU is forced to 4092 (regardless of the HW revision).

Enhanced QoS Support through Multiple Prioritization Options

The traffic prioritization mechanism enables improved support of delay-sensitive applications such as

Voice over IP as well as service differentiation through allocation of higher priority to certain

applications and/or end-users.

Each packet received on the Ethernet port is assigned either a high or low priority according to a set of

classifiers. In the MIR/CIR mechanism there are be two queues: one for packets with high priority and

the second one for packets with low priority. Packets with high priority will be sent with minimal delay.

Packets with low priority will be sent only if the high priority queue is empty.

The available priority classifiers in the new Traffic Prioritization feature are:

• VLAN Priority Threshold. This parameter replaces the VLAN Priority Threshold parameter that

was available in previous versions in the Bridging - VLAN Support menu. After version

upgrade, this parameter is forced to the default value of 7, meaning no VLAN-based

prioritization.

• IP ToS: IP Precedence (3-bits according to RFC791). This parameter replaces the ToS

Precedence Threshold parameter that was available in previous versions in the Bridging

menu. After version upgrade, this parameter is forced to the default value of 7, meaning no IP

Precedence based prioritization)

• DSCP (6-bits according to RFC2474)

• UDP and/or TCP ports. This classifier is intended primarily for prioritization of VoIP traffic,

including support for prioritization of only RTP packets or both RTP and RTCP packets.

Each one of these classifiers can be activated/deactivated. If more than one classifier is activated, the

priority of each packet will be determined by the highest priority given to it by the active classifiers.

MAC Pinpoint

The MAC Pinpoint feature enables identifying the SU or AU that is used by a certain Ethernet station to

access the wireless network. The MAC Pinpoint feature is available in AU using either SNMP or

Telnet.

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Limiting Transmissions of Broadcast/Multicast Packets

The Ethernet Broadcast/Multicast Limiter option, available in both AU and SU, enables to limit the

number of broadcast and/or multicast packets that can be transmitted per second, in order to prevent

the potential flooding of the wireless media by certain ARP attacks or similar events.

In SUs, the limiter is placed after the Ethernet Broadcast Filters. For this reason, the limiter will receive

only the packets that pass through these filters. In case that the Ethernet filters of the SU are disabled,

the limiter will be applied to all relevant packets received from the Ethernet port.

When the Ethernet Broadcast/Multicast Limiter is enabled and the specified limit is reached, the unit

will send a trap. The trap will be sent periodically, informing the user how many packets were

discarded in the last period. The interval between two consecutive traps is configurable in the range

from 1 to 60 minutes.

Remote Blocking of the Ethernet Port

The Ethernet Port Control option allows enabling or disabling non-management traffic to/from the

Ethernet port of an SU. The system administrator can use this feature for blocking communication

to/from end-users upon non-payment or similar events. When the port is disabled, all current data

sessions will be terminated. The unit is still manageable via the Ethernet port even if it is disabled for

data traffic.

Increased Number of Management Stations

The Set/Change Network Management IP Address Ranges feature enables defining, updating or

deleting IP address ranges from which the unit can be managed if the Network Management Filtering

option is enabled. This is in addition to the previous options in the Network Management menu that

enable defining, updating and deleting discrete IP addresses. IP address ranges can be defined using

either start and end addresses or start address and subnet mask.

Adding the SU’s Name to the MAC Address Database

The Sys Name of the SU is sent to the AU during the association process and is available through

both Telnet (Association Info) and SNMP.

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Improved MMI for IP Ranges Definition in User Filtering

The MMI for IP address ranges definition in User Filtering through Telnet was improved to make it

clearer and more user-friendly (similar to the MMI for the newly add feature for defining management

IP address ranges).

Enhanced Access Security

The access security algorithm was changed, and it is now based on MD5. This increases the level of

protection against unauthorized access to various configuration options.

4. Documentation

The information in the release notes is complementary to the product documentation, provided with the

products. BreezeACCESS VL documentation includes the System Manual for BreezeACCESS VL

version 3.1, User Manual for BreezeCONFIG version 3.1, installation support documents, and release

notes. All the documentation, including the latest release notes, is available in the customer service

section of the Alvarion web site.

5. BreezeCONFIG Configuration Utility Version 3.1

A new version of BreezeCONFIG that supports all the new features of BreezeACCESS VL version 3.1

is provided with the product. BreezeCONFIG SW will also be available in the customer service section

of the Alvarion web site.

6. Compatibility and Interoperability

Version 3.1 is fully compatible with versions 1.2, 2.0 and 3.0. Nevertheless, it is recommended to

always upgrade existing equipment to the latest version.

HW revision C is compatible with HW revision A and B. If an SU with HW revision A or B is used

in a cell where the AU is with HW C (or vice versa), performance will be those available with the

lower HW revision. The same is true also for cases where units that run different SW version are

used: the performance will be determined by the unit with the lower SW version.

The SW package will be available in the customer service section of the Alvarion web site.

ALVARION LTD.

21A HABARZEL STREET,

TEL AVIV, 69710,

ISRAEL

TEL: 972-3-6456262

FAX: 972-3-6456222

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page 6 of 8

7. Important Notes

• BA VL plugged-in modules (AU-BS, and SU-E-BS) work only with BS-SH-VL chassis, and

requires a VL power supply (BS-PS-AC/DC-VL). BS-SH-VL chassis can be identified by a

label on the chassis’ s flange arms.

• BS-SH-VL chassis can host all GFSK (3Mbps) products at all frequencies. GFSK & VL

modules can co-exist on the same chassis, however they need a different power supply (BS-

PS-AC/DC for GFSK and BS-PS-AC/DC-VL for VL.

• The system provides TFTP functionality for SW and configuration download. In case FTP

functionality is required, an additional IP address is required for the FTP client. In addition, FTP

parameters change requires reset. Note: The FTP frames are not handled as management

frames and are not affected by VLAN management and management filtering.

• Although minimum output power is defined as -10 dB when configuring the Tx Power

manually, when ATPC is enabled the SU’s output power may be less than this minimum.

• Extra care should be taken when configuring VLAN management and management IP filtering

in order not to lose connectivity with unit. In case of connectivity loss, use the “restore default

parameters” application to reset to factory values.

• In case data encryption is used, the maximum number of SUs that can be served by an AU is

limited to 124 (512 when data encryption is not used. Note than when data encryption is

needed, it must be used by all SUs served by the same AU, as well as by the AU itself).

• Upon downgrade from version 3.1 to a previous version, all the information in the new Network

Management IP Address Ranges table will be lost. Hence, management access may be lost if

the unit was managed from an IP address that is on a subnet defined in the new tables.

• When upgrading from previous versions to version 3.1, the high/low packet classification

settings according to the old VLAN Priority Threshold or IP Precedence Threshold parameters

will be lost. The new parameters are forced to the default value of 7, meaning no prioritization.

• When downgrading from version 3.1 to previous versions, the MIR value is changed to the

default 14976 and can manually be set to any value up to the maximum of 32896.

• The system was checked with SNMPC version 5.1.11e.

ALVARION LTD.

21A HABARZEL STREET,

TEL AVIV, 69710,

ISRAEL

TEL: 972-3-6456262

FAX: 972-3-6456222

HTTP://WWW.ALVARION.COM

page 7 of 8

8. Limitations & Known Issues

• Sensitivity may change slightly as a function of frequency (+/-2dB).

• Transmission power accuracy is +/-1dB above 8dBm @ antenna port (typical condition). At

lower levels the accuracy is +/-3dBm, never contradicting regulations. At very low levels the

use of ATPC may cause significant fluctuations in the power level of the transmitted signal.

When operating at such low levels, it is recommended to disable the ATPC Option in the SU

and to set the Transmit Power parameter to the average Tx Power level before the ATPC was

disabled.

• In units operating in the 5.3 GHz band, the following rule must be met for full compliance with

FCC regulations: When operating at 5270 MHz, the Transmit Power parameter in the AU, and

the Maximum Tx Power parameter in the SUs served by this AU, should not be set to a value

above “17-Antenna Gain” (The maximum allowed EIRP for 5270 MHz is 17 dBm).

• The FTP Client IP address should not be configured with the same value as the unit’s IP

address. Attempting to do so will display an error when telnet is used. No error will be raised

when SNMP is used. Note that the FTP settings are not reverted to defaults upon issuing a

“Set Full Operator defaults” command (they do revert to default after executing “Set Full

Factory Defaults”).

• The maximum number of SUs that can be served by an AU when Data Encryption is enabled

is 124. The number displayed for the Maximum Number of Associations is the value

configured for this parameter, which might be higher than the actual limit, indicated in the Show

Air Interface Parameters display.

• In units with HW Revision B, Burst Mode cannot be activated when using WEP for data

encryption. In units with HW Revision B, the Burst Mode option will be “blocked” upon trying to

enable it when using WEP for data encryption. This limitation does not apply to units with HW

Revision C.

• The Country Code Learning by SU feature does not function with the default ESSID (ESSID1).

• In some cases the "Power Tables" tab under the "Air Interface" option in BreezeCONFIG may

not include the entire "Tx Power" and "Maximum Transmit Power" tables and some entries

may be missing. Using the "Refresh" button several times may resolve the problem. Also, in

ALVARION LTD.

21A HABARZEL STREET,

TEL AVIV, 69710,

ISRAEL

TEL: 972-3-6456262

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page 8 of 8

some cases, setting the "Max Tx Power" in the "Maximum Transmit Power Table" does not

actively set the configured value in the device, and it is recommended to use telnet for that

purpose.

• The Sub-Band parameter is not available through export unit parameters feature (CFG file).

9. Fixed Issues

• In previous versions the prioritization mechanism was disabled when the traffic rate reached

the maximum information rate supported by the SU. This problem was solved.

• In some scenarios, units may stop transmitting after a period of typically over several days (all

incoming packets from the Ethernet port are discarded by the MIR/CIR mechanism). This

problem was solved in version 3.1.25.

• In some scenarios of heavy traffic and/or interferences an AU may reset upon new

association/re-association of an SU. Some of these scenarios include Best AU feature on.

Typical error messages were produced: “MIR/CIR Priority Queue problem (3): PQ is empty:” or

“FTL - Fragments in TX AU”. This problem was solved with 3.1.25.

ALVARION LTD.

21A HABARZEL STREET,

TEL AVIV, 69710,

ISRAEL

TEL: 972-3-6456262

FAX: 972-3-6456222

HTTP://WWW.ALVARION.COM

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