[WEB4LIB] RE: The Wireless Future of Library Computing

[Thomas Bennett]

  And if you want to make your own Pringles antenna see(from July 2001):

http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448

and then view the original linked from that site.  Keep in mind, I believe
this only increases the distance (reportedly) that you can receive a signal.
As a directional antenna, I don't think this affects transmission but then
I'm not a radio specialist.

  At ASU, the other one not Arizona ;-) , We have been using Enterasys
(Cabletron) Access Points since at least January 2000.  We have been really
pleased with the effective use of wireless and intend to put it to more use
in our new library ( http://www.library.appstate.edu/newlibrary/ ).  In May
of 2000 Lynne Lysiak, head of library systems, and I did a talk on  wireless
and its use at ASU for the North Carolina Library Association.  The
powerpoint web presentation can be viewed at from a link on
http://www.library.appstate.edu/wireless/ .  I am using a TrenDnet wireless
CF card with my Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 (embedded Linux) and have had very good
results with this.  There are security advisories just recently released but
this is not a new security hole.  The advisory notes that the ftp connection
the Zaurus uses to synch with the local PC can be comprimised although this
hole has been in Windows CE for years if I'm not mistaken.  I infere this by
the fact an article from a Linux periodical that gave instructions for
connecting a Linux desktop to a Windows CE device and the instructions
included using ftp to communicate to the Windows CE unit.  The Zaurus comes
with the Opera browser and I have used this to access databases on our Zope
server such as maintaining a computer inventory with the handheld unit.

  Wireless has allowed us to increase network connection where it is not
feasible to add any more hard wire.  The whole campus is working toward
wireless access.  Our student center is now set up for wireless connecting.
We are using a similar registration system as mentioned in Bill Drew's
comment in the original message below.  And Darryl's response is correct,
when I first turned on my Zaurus with the network card in it I had complete
Internet access even though desktop computers had to 'register' before
gaining Internet access.  Being on very good terms with campus networking, I
informed our security watch dog of the event and he indicates to me now that
it has been patched and thanked me.  There are popular programs out there
that allow you to sniff wireless transmissions (
http://www.netstumbler.com/ ) even with a Windows CE unit, record
transmissions and verify the access point location.

  At that same site, netstumbler, is an interesting article ' Will UWB be
the next step after 802.11 and Bluetooth? '
Summary:
Ultra Wide Band
  extremley low power
  speeds up to 150 mbps
  range 150 feet maybe up to 1500 feet
  low interference
  unlicensed
  (and my favorite) the opportunity exists to have one standard world wide.

Also at that site, DefCon 10 WarDriving Contest (
http://www.securitytribe.com/wardrive.html ) .  A contest for participants
to drive around and reveal GPS locations of wireless access points.  Maybe
coming to a town near you ;-) .

Thomas

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org]On Behalf Of Euan Morton
Sent: Friday, July 12, 2002 4:59 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] RE: The Wireless Future of Library Computing


Another reason for food not to be allowed in the library:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1860000/1860241.stm

Sláinte

Euan Morton, CIBER @ Xerox
Web Developer, Xerox Global Service Net
http://www.ciber-roch.com/
ICQ: 104325610 - http://home.rochester.rr.com/acode/
Astronomicon '02, Rochester's own SF convention, Nov 1-3, 2002
http://www.rochesterfantasyfans.org/conpage.html

> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib at webjunction.org
> [mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org]On Behalf Of Darryl Friesen
> Sent: Friday, July 12, 2002 12:07 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: [WEB4LIB] RE: The Wireless Future of Library Computing
>
>
> > On our campus all NIC (network interface cards) addresses must be
> > registered.  IP addresses are then assigned on the fly to
> "authorized" NIC
> > addresses.  All users must login to the network and be authenticated via
> > normal network logins, same as the wired connections.
> >
> > Bill Drew
>
> That doesn't mean that any of it is secure.  Unless there is some form of
> encryption used, anyone could walk in off the street and sniff
> your network
> traffic (for passwords, patron information, sensitive data etc).
>
> I won't pretend to know all that much about wireless technology (I'm a
> systems geek, not a network geek) but our campus chose Cisco hardware
> (including client network adapters) for our wireless because (our networks
> geeks tell me) they use LEAP (some sort of encrypted authentication and
> transmission standard).  The network cards are quite a bit more money than
> almost any other wireless cards however.
>
>
> - Darryl
>
>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>   Darryl Friesen, B.Sc., Programmer/Analyst    Darryl.Friesen at usask.ca
>   Education & Research Technology Services,     http://gollum.usask.ca/
>   Information Technology Services Division,
>   University of Saskatchewan
>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>   "Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes"
>
>