Chapter 7

WiFi Test Environment Setup

To certify WiFi devices, you need to configure SUT and Test Manager systems. The requirements and configurations needed to certify the WiFi devices are different from that of certifying other components with Oracle HCTS. Hence, this chapter is dedicated only to the WiFi devices and the procedure to certify them using Oracle HCTS.

This chapter covers the following sections.

• Requirements for Certifying WiFi Devices

• Configuring Access Points

• WiFi Test Environment Setup

Requirements for Certifying WiFi Devices

WiFi certification has certain hardware and software requirements.

Hardware Requirements

To certify WiFi devices, you need the following hardware.

• Latest version of the Oracle Solaris 11 OS installed on SUT.

• Access Point (AP) - The TM system must have one or more APs to certify the WiFi cards. Ensure that the APs support all the transfer modes and encryption protocols needed to complete a certification. Refer to the respective WiFi card manual for supported transfer modes and encryption protocols that are being tested. Refer to the manual of APs for transfer modes and encryption protocols that are supported by the APs. Refer to WiFi card certification manual test guidelines to know how to set up the WiFi testing environment.

  The TM system must have one functional network port for each wireless network port on the SUT. The TM system must have at least the same number of network ports as the number of wireless network ports as that of the SUT. Each port on the TM system must connect to an AP that a wireless network port in SUT can connect to. The TM system cannot have more than five ports than the number of SUT wireless network ports.

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Note - Disable the Network Auto-Magic (NWAM) service before starting the WiFi test particularly, in the case of a manual wireless network setup.

To disable the NWAM service, type the following commands in the terminal.

# netadm enable -p ncp defaultfixed
# svcadm enable svc:/network/physical:default

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Software Requirements

Ensure that the TM system is correctly connected to the SUT.

Each wireless network port of the WiFi card to be certified must be connected to one dedicated AP. Each AP involved in the testing must be connected to one network port in the TM system.

Refer to the manual of the particular AP to know about configuring different transfer modes and encryption protocols of the AP. From the manual, you can also check how to enable or disable DHCP of the AP.

In the automatic network setup mode, Oracle HCTS assigns a particular range of IP addresses to the TM system and a different range of IP addresses to the SUT.

Network devices on the TM system must allow their IP addresses to be temporarily changed to 10.10.n.11/24, where n is 10, 11, or 12 for multiple ports.

Network devices on the SUT must allow their IP addresses to be temporarily changed to 10.10.n.10/24, where n is 10, 11, or 12 for multiple ports.

All the network devices between the TM system and the SUT must allow the specified IP addresses. If you are testing the DHCP capability of a wireless network port, be sure to enable DHCP on AP and change the IP address pool of the AP to have the IP address 10.10.n.10/24, where n is 10, 11, and 12, for the multiple ports. The AP must be in the same network segment of the network port on the connected TM system.

Configuring Access Points

Before you begin to set up WiFi certification testing environment, you need to know how to configure your AP for the following changes.

• Modify SSID (name of the wireless network)

• Change transfer mode (802.11a/802.11b/802.11g/802.11n)

• Change encryption protocol (none or WEP or WPA)

• Change the pass phrase when encryption protocol is set to WEP or WPA

• Enable or disable the DHCP server function

• Change the DHCP IP address pool

• Configure the wireless MAC filter (optional)

• Change the IP address of AP (optional)

If your AP is capable of being a router, you also need to know the physical RJ45 port for WAN/Internet connection and the port for LAN connection. Refer to the user's manual of your AP to make the changes or consult your vendor for technical support.

WiFi Test Environment Setup

This section describes how to set up the WiFi testing environment to certify your WiFi devices by using the Oracle HCTS application.

Set up Test Manager System

To use the automatic network setup mode for testing that includes the DHCP, set up TM in the automatic network setup mode. To use the manual network setup mode for testing, for example, for verifying target support WEP and WPA encryption protocols, set up the TM in the manual network setup mode.

Configure the TM as mentioned in Configuring Test Machines to Run Oracle HCTS.

Placing the Access Points

Pick a good location for the APs that are involved in the testing process. The stability and actual transfer speed during testing depends on the physical placement of the APs and the antenna of the target card. For the optimal testing environment, use the following tips to place your APs.

• Place the APs close to the antenna of the target card.

• Antennas of the APs and the target card should be inline to one another. Put your face next to the antenna to find whether the other is visible.

• Antennas transmit weakly at the base where they connect. Hence, do not expect a good reception from the bottom of an AP.

• Keep the antennas at least 0.6 meters from the metal fixtures such as sprinklers, pipes, metal ceiling, reinforced concrete, and metal partitions.

• Keep the AP away from large amounts of water such as fish tanks and water coolers.

• Place the antennas away from various electromagnetic noise sources, especially those in the 2400 to 2500 MHz frequency band.

  The following sources create noise:

  • Computers and fax machines - should not be closer than 0.3 meters

  • Copying machines, elevators, and cell phones - should not be closer than 2 meters

  • Microwave ovens - should not be closer than 3 meters

Connecting Access Points to Test Manager

Use the standard Ethernet cable to connect the AP involved in testing to the TM machine. If your AP has multiple Ethernet ports, connect the TM to one of the LAN ports. Refer to the user manual of your AP regarding the Ethernet ports for LAN connection.

Setting Up Access Points

You need to set up the following parameters for WiFi certification.

• Provide the name or Service Set Identifier (SSID) of the AP:

  Provide the name or SSID of the AP to a string that is easy to remember and one that clearly indicates that the AP is involved in testing, for example HCTS_test. Write the existing name (SSID) so that you can select the correct wireless network from the Oracle HCTS UI in the automatic network setup mode or execute the connect commands in the manual network setup mode.

  Some special characters such as, :, ?, and \ have certain meanings in the Oracle Solaris OS and are handled differently. If these characters appear in the name of a wireless network, Oracle HCTS might behave abnormally. Although some special characters might be valid in your AP, use an alphanumeric string as the name of the wireless network for the Oracle HCTS test.

• Provide the IP address of the AP:

  The IP address of the AP should be in the same subnet as the TM, SUT, and the target card. Provide an IP address that does not conflict with the existing IP address of the TM and the IP address that the target card uses. Set the AP to use the IP address you provided. Alternatively, you can change the TM's IP address and the IP address that the target card uses.

• Enable the DHCP server function and set up a proper IP address pool:

  To verify that the target card can get the IP address from the AP and works correctly in the subsequent data transfer job, the DHCP server function of the AP needs to be enabled. Simultaneously, set up a proper IP address pool to ensure that the target card gets an IP address valid for Oracle HCTS testing. Refer to Software Requirements and the man pages to learn the valid IP address for Oracle HCTS testing in the automatic and manual network setup mode.

  If your AP supports IP address reservation, that is, always offers the assigned IP to a certain MAC address, set the valid IP address for Oracle HCTS testing for the target card into the IP address reservation table.

  If your AP supports MAC filter, which means that only the wireless client adapters with registered MAC addresses can connect to the AP, enable the DHCP function and add the MAC address of the target card to the allowed MAC address list of the AP.

• Change the transfer mode to the mode to test:

  Your AP might have advanced options for transfer modes. Keep the default value unless you have to change them.

  For channel setting, unless you must use a specific channel, retain the setting to let the AP automatically choose a channel.

  If your AP has a region setting that enables you choose the country or area that the AP is working, ensure that you select the correct place. It might not be legal to operate the AP in a region other than the specified region. If your country or region is not listed, check with your local government agency or check the web site of the AP vendor for more information about the channels.

• Change the encryption protocol to the protocol to test:

  Your AP might have advanced options for encryption protocols. Leave the default option in place unless you have to change them.

  To test encrypted transfer, set the key or pass phrase for the wireless network. Note the key or pass phrase that you set for reference.

  If you plan to test WPA (TKIP) or WPA2 (AES), ensure that you do not set a very short key renewal period. If the specified key renewal period is short, the network load for key renewal becomes very high and communication becomes unstable. Set the key renewal period to one hour or more.

WiFi Certification by Using the Automatic Network Setup (DHCP)

After setting up the parameters as described in the previous section, perform the following procedure to start the WiFi certification by using the automatic network setup.

To Start a WiFi Certification Using DHCP

1. Start the Oracle HCTS UI.
2. If the current network setup mode is manual, set it to automatic as shown below.

   # manual network setup=false

3. Rescan the system.
4. Enable the DHCP network setup option.
5. Select the wireless network with the name you set and start the certification.

WiFi Certification Using the Manual Network Setup

Perform the following steps to start the WiFi certification by using a manual network setup.

To Start a WiFi Certification Manually

1. Create a security object.

   To run the test under an encryption protocol, type the following command to create a security object.

   # dladm create-secobj -c wep|wpa security object name

   When prompted for the value of the object, type the key or pass phrase that you have set.

   To check whether the security object is created successfully, use the following command.

   # dladm show-secobj

2. Plumb the target interface by typing the following command.

   # ifconfig interface name plumb

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   Note - Type the dladm show-wifi command to get a list of the existing interface names.

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3. Check the availability of the wireless network.

   To check the availability of the wireless network with the name that you have set, type the following command.

   # dladm scan-wifi interface name

   If the wireless network that you set up does not appear in the output of the above command, check the settings and setup of your AP. Retype the above command until the wireless network appears in the output.

4. Check the connection status of the target interface, by typing the following command.

   # dladm show-wifi interface name

   If the status of the interface is connected, type the following command to disconnect the interface.

   # dladm disconnect-wifi interface name

   Wait for a few minutes and type dladm show-wifi interface name to recheck until the status changes to disconnected.

5. Connect to the wireless network with the name that you have set. Perform any one of the following steps.
   • If the wireless network is not encrypted, type the following command to connect.

     # dladm connect-wifi -e <wireless network name> interface name

   • If the wireless network is encrypted, type the following command to connect.

     # dladm connect-wifi -e wireless network name -k security object name -s wep|wpa interface name

6. To check the wireless connection status, type the following command.

   # dladm show-wifi interface name

7. Get the IP address from the AP for this interface by typing the following command.

   # ifconfig interface name dhcp

   Type the following command to verify the connection

   # TM: ping <TM's IP address>

8. Start the Oracle HCTS UI.
9. Set up the network.

   If the current network setup mode is automatic, set it to manual by changing the following value.

   # manual network setup=true

10. Rescan the system.
11. Select the card that you want to certify, and start the certification.

Example

To test the ath0 interface in the SUT machine, with the wireless network name HCTS_WiFi, which is not encrypted.

Type the following command to prepare WiFi certification testing environment.

ifconfig ath0 plumb
dladm scan-wifi ath0 (-- Ensure wireless network "HCTS_WiFi" appears in the output.)
dladm show-wifi ath0 (-- Ensure status of "ath0" is "disconnected".)
dladm connect-wifi -e "HCTS_WiFi" ath0
dladm show-wifi ath0 (-- Ensure ath0 is connected to "HCTS_WiFi".)
ifconfig ath0 dhcp
ping <TM's IP address>