WLAN solutions for HP enterprise notebooks and Tablet PCs HP Compaq nc4000, nc4010, nc6000, nc8000, nw8000, TC1100 Executive summary..........................................................................................................................3 Introduction....................................................................................................................................3 Enterprise WLAN Requirements .........................................................................................................3 Security .....................................................................................................................................3 Manageability ............................................................................................................................4 Performance ...............................................................................................................................5 HP WLAN Adapters ........................................................................................................................5 HP WLAN Client Software................................................................................................................7 Selecting the right WLAN Solution ................................................................................................... 10 Emerging WLAN standards ............................................................................................................ 11 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 12 2 Executive summary HP has a comprehensive offering of mobile wireless local area network (WLAN) solutions that address enterprise business requirements for security, performance, and manageability. This offering has been recently strengthened with the introduction of the Intel® Pro/Wireless 2200BG WLAN adapter and a new release of the Atheros Client Utility, version 3.1. This white paper includes: · An overview of primary enterprise WLAN requirements · A comparison of HP WLAN adapters · A comparison of HP WLAN client software features · Guidelines for choosing a WLAN solution · A preview of emerging WLAN standards Introduction Since early 2003 there has been explosive growth in the sales of mobile computers with integrated WLAN. Adoption of WLAN by enterprise businesses, initially held back by concerns over security and manageability, is growing. These concerns have been--and continue to be--addressed by HP and our WLAN technology partners. HP offers a selection of standards-based WLAN solutions for enterprise notebooks and Tablet PCs, including WLAN adapters based on technology from Intel and Atheros, and software that supports a comprehensive set of enterprise features such as Cisco Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol (LEAP) and profile import/export. All HP WLAN solutions are Wi-Fi Certified to ensure the greatest level of interoperability with other WLAN products. HP WLAN solutions allow enterprise businesses to unlock the productivity and convenience benefits derived from a secure, high performance, manageable wireless network. Enterprise WLAN requirements Security Security is a fundamental concern for enterprise IT managers. WLAN is a particular concern, since an intruder does not need physical access to the network to attempt to breach it. Aside from physical access, however, the security challenges for a WLAN are similar to those of a wired LAN: · Authentication ­ How to ensure that only authorized users can access the enterprise LAN? · Data protection and integrity ­ How to ensure that data on the network are not compromised? · Manageability ­ How to make network security more manageable? HP addresses the need for WLAN authentication through support for 802.1x EAPs. The IEEE 802.1x standard and EAP protocols define a framework for authenticating users on a network, as well as a mechanism for dynamically changing and distributing keys. There are several 802.1x EAP types supporting a variety of authentication methods, including passwords and digital certificates. 802.1x is a proven, scalable authentication method that is widely deployed. Data on the WLAN is protected by encryption. HP WLAN solutions support all commonly deployed encryption standards, including Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)1. 1 The HP W400 and W500 WLANs support AES now; other HP WLANs will be upgraded to AES in future driver releases. AES support will be standard for all HP WLANs 2005 and later. 3 Defined as part of the IEEE 802.11 family of WLAN specifications, WEP security was intended to make wireless networks as secure as wired LANs. However, with the symmetrical RC4 stream cipher2 and static 64- or 128-bit key, WEP security was insufficient for some environments. WPA was introduced in mid 2003 as an immediately-available, software-upgradable enhancement for WEP. WPA enhanced WEP encryption through the addition of Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), providing perpacket key mixing, Message Integrity Check (MIC), extended initialization vector (IV) with sequencing rules, and a re-keying mechanism. WPA is significantly more secure than WEP3, and has received acceptance from most enterprise IT managers. AES is a block cipher using the Rijndael encryption algorithm on 128-bit (or 192- or 256-bit) blocks of data; block lengths and key lengths are variable. (Block ciphers are typically more complex than stream ciphers and thus harder to crack. The strength of AES security is validated by its adoption by the U.S. government and military.) AES is a key component of the IEEE 802.11i specification, the most recent WLAN security standard that was ratified in June 2004 by IEEE Task Group i (TGi) working group members. HP's current WLANs include AES support, and will support 802.11i and the corresponding Wi-Fi interoperability test WPA2 through a future software upgrades. Manageability For large WLAN deployments, the effort required to implement and maintain WLAN security measures can be significant. Manageability features of HP WLAN solutions include: Restricted user rights User rights to certain settings may be restricted to prevent modifying WLAN profiles (for example, security keys), and in some cases from creating new profiles. Easy distribution of encryption keys and user profiles The management and distribution of encryption keys and user profiles can be cumbersome and potentially insecure. Appropriate WLAN management solutions--such as 802.1x and the ability to import and export WLAN profiles--can be used to distribute keys and profiles, minimizing the burden on IT staff. User credential management HP addresses the need for the security and simplified management of user credentials by allowing Windows® Domain credentials to be re-used for LEAP authentication. Security can also be further enhanced by the HP ProtectTools Security Manager--a single client console application that unifies security capabilities of HP client PCs under a common architecture and single user interface. Today a range of features is being delivered that builds on underlying hardware security building block,s such as embedded security chips designed to the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) standard and Smart Card technology. Collectively, these features are addressing business customer needs for better protection against unauthorized PC access, as well as stronger protection for sensitive data stored locally or accessed over a network. Managed product lifecycles and software upgrades Stable product configurations over a long purchase period ease IT management by minimizing technology transitions. WLAN driver and client software that are compatible across multiple notebooks and WLAN adapters, and are backwards compatible with previous revisions, simplify maintenance of the WLAN installed base. 2 3 For more information, visit Wi-Fi Protected Access Whitepaper, available at www.rsasecurity.oom www.wi-fi.org 4 Performance HP works to optimize WLAN performance at each step of the product development process, starting with the selection of the WLAN technology provider. By partnering with companies like Intel and Atheros, jointly designing and testing standards-based solutions during the development process, HP is able to provide leading performance wireless LAN adapters at a competitive cost. Starting with a high performance WLAN adapter, however, is not enough. The adapter must be integrated into the notebook with a complementary antenna for maximum range and throughput. HP places the WLAN antennas in the display enclosure, where they are less susceptible to interference by electrical signals in the base of the notebook, less susceptible to signal absorption and antenna de-tuning by the proximity of the user; and, by being elevated, have better `visibility' of the WLAN signal. This placement of high-efficiency antennas minimizes signal loss, which helps users stay connected over longer distances and helps maximize throughput at all points in the network coverage area. The HP antennas are "dual-band"--capable of supporting wireless LAN technologies that use either the 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz frequency bands. This allows customers to benefit from the higher network capacity of 802.11a while remaining compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g networks. Finally, HP employs an omni-directional, diversity antennae approach--two antennas in every notebook that work independently--to help ensure the best possible performance, regardless of how the notebook is oriented. Diversity design improves indoor performance by minimizing the radio frequency (RF) reflection effects ("multipath"), which can cause localized signal weaknesses at either of the antennae. The final guarantee of WLAN performance is provided by HP's test and qualification process. First the design is validated and tuned in the laboratory, and then it is tested in real world conditions. An in-factory verification of WLAN performance confirms that each WLAN notebook meets HP's exacting standards. Cisco Any discussion of network security and manageability would be incomplete without addressing the solutions offered by Cisco Systems, Inc. Cisco has met enterprise network requirements by offering innovative products that address needs for security and manageability, typically by combining standards-based and Ciscoproprietary technologies. HP is committed to offering business notebooks that customers can deploy in a Cisco wireless LAN environment. Therefore, all HP business notebook WLANs are Cisco compatible, as verified through the Cisco Compatible Extensions Program. The Cisco Compatible Extensions Program for WLAN devices assures compatibility between Cisco Aironet WLAN products and HP notebooks through extensive independent testing. Cisco Compatible HP notebooks interoperate with Cisco Aironet Wireless LAN products and support proprietary Cisco features that enhance security and manageability. HP WLAN adapters HP notebooks and tablet PCs for enterprise business feature a choice of WLAN adapters. Table 1 compares selected characteristics of the adapters, and Table 2 shows availability by product. Table 1 Feature comparison, WLAN adapters Intel Pro/Wireless 2100 Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG HP W400 802.11b/g WLAN HP W500 802.11a/b/g WLAN IEEE 802.11a IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz Feature Wireless LAN Standards Frequency Band IEEE 802.11b 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11g 2.4 GHz 5 Data Rates (Mbps) 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 802.11g: 6, 9, 12,18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK, OFDM 4 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 802.11g: 6, 9, 12,18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK, OFDM 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11 802.11a/g: 6, 9, 12,18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK, OFDM Modulation HW Accelerated AES Output Power (for CKK) Output Power (for OFDM; power varies by data rate) Power Consumption(max), Transmit Power Consumption (max), Receive Power Consumption (nominal), Idle mode Power Consumption, Sleep mode Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum DBPSK, DQPSK, CCK No 16 dBM Yes Yes 17 dBM Yes 17 dBM 16 +/- 2 dBM N/A 11 +6/-1 dBM 15 dBM 15 dBM 2.0 W 1.9 W 2.0 W 2.0 W 1.5 W 1.4 W 1.5 W 1.5 W 90 mW 75 mW 180 mW 180 mW 50 mW ACPI compliant power management 802.11 compliant power saving mode 50 mW ACPI compliant power management 802.11 compliant power saving mode 54 Mbps: -72 dBm, 11 Mbps: -84 dBm , 1 Mbps: -94 dBm 20 mW ACPI compliant power management 802.11 compliant power saving mode 20 mW ACPI compliant power management 802.11 compliant power saving mode Power Management Receiver Sensitivity 11 Mbps: -82 dBm , 1 Mbps: -89 dBm 54 Mbps: -70 dBm,1 Mbps: -90 dBm 54 Mb ...