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I pulled this set from one of the books I'm using for practicals. I know a lot of the tasks might seem basic to most people here but maybe not to everyone who shows up. So here they are.

I noticed that most of these labs can be done with what I have at the house. There are a couple of labs that require some research but that's ok too. Knowledge comes in many flavors.

I've got a couple of more sets of labs I'm going to use to round off my practical experiences along with my reading and workbook exercises.

I've got two more very practical sets of exercises to complete - some of it is older and dated but I have the equipment and so it still seems worthwhile to me to complete the whole learning experience.

Wireless Labs:

1. Install and configure a Cisco WLAN Adapter on a Laptop running Windows XP.

2. Access a Cisco AP using a terminal access program (HyperTerminal, SecureCRT, Putty).

3. Configure a Cisco 1200 AP using Windows Internet Explorer.

4. Monitor the Cisco 1200 AP using Cisco's Aironet Desktop Utility

5. Configure the Wireless Connection using Cisco's Aironet Desktop Uility.

6. Perform RF Math Calculations.

7. Calculate the Fresnal Zone Radius.

8. Investigate Cisco Aironet Antenna Specifications (Hands-On)/

9. Investigating the Relationship between Range and Signal Strength (Hands-On) using a Linksys Wireless Router.

10. Investigate the Cisco 1200 AP specifications.

11. Document the Trade-off between Range and Throughput.

12. Investigate Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Behavior in a Co-Located Channel Environment.

13. Investigating Co-Channel Interference using the Linksys Wireless Router.

14. Investigating the Relationship between Signal Strength and Association.

15. Exploring Layer 2 Roaming.

16. Configuring Power Management Options Available with Cisco's 802.11 a/b/g Client Adapter.

17. Configure Shared Key Authentication.

18. Investigating the Relationship between Fragmentation and Performance.

19. Measure Ad Hoc Throughput

20. Measure Infrastructure Mode Throughput Using the Cisco 1200 Series Access Point

21. Configure the Cisco 1200 Series AP for Repeater Mode and Measuring Throughput.

22. Measure Infrastructure Mode Throughput using the Linksys Wireless Router.

23. ROI for Wireless Exercise. Doing the Math!

24. Conducting a Survey - Using AiroPeek to Analyze a Wireless LAN.

25. Using AirMagnet to Evaluate the Performance and Security of a Wireless LAN.

26. Using NetStumbler to find APs and Monitor signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR).

27. Create and Apply a MAC Filter.

28. Configure Open Authentication with WEP.

29. Use SSIDs more securely.

30. Spoof a MAC Address.

31. Create and Apply an IP Filter.

32. Configure TKIP.

33. Replace Telnet with SSH

34. Wardriving Field Trip.

35. Define Common Wireless Accessories.

36. Create Wireless User Accounts

37. CDP.

38. Troubleshoot Common wireless LAN Issues.

39. Using Link Lights to Troubleshoot the Cisco 1200 AP.

40. Resetting the Cisco 1200 AP.

41. Perform Password Recovery on the Cisco 1200 Series AP.

Nice post Darby. Some good useful info and ideas there.Thanks!

I've got two more sets to go.

More ideas.

Its suprising how many of those I haven't actually done but have always had on my list of to dos.

First write to do list !

Second refer to to do list!

Nice post I will look through and get some done

Thanks Darby

Pete,

I'm feeling the same way. I have some more lab tasks that I'm going to present. And some totally new ones I've had to perform.

Some items - I just want to explore further. Be nice to see what others are getting from their labs and networks too.

The good thing about labs as I see are if you think you know it your ability improves, you just get better even if you do know it.

Sometimes you think you know something, lab it up and it doesnt do what you thought it did, behaves differently, you mess it up and have to fix it, my best learning experiences come from things that I manage to get to perform "suboptimally"

Then there are the real toughies, read the book, lab it, still dont understand, read again, lab it, wtill no idea. Take a different approach, alternative guide etc then debug and get that Eurek moment.

My personal best over the last year was 3 weeks to get something done that actually only takes 10 mins to configure, when you know how, but nobody knew how so I had to crack it. Not 3 weeks solid but bit by bit.

Sometimes you have to get the answers yourself. But labs can also guide you so you know where you are heading.

Looking forward to the otherr lists.

Is there a reference for how to with these labs Darby that would be a bonus!!!

And can I copy them to my blog, or is that only after I have done them!!!!!!!!!!

I'll try to keep the step by step procedures for each lab of the sets I'm going to present and what I do to complete them.

I borrowed most of the ideas from one or more books and maybe embellished a bit here or there.

I have more ideas for labs (things I either need to know better or want to explore other alternatives for) and will present them later.

I have two more sets to add to the current set.

My 17th Wedding Anniversary is this week and I've been trying to get a lot of my workload done at work before the weekend.

Took Friday off.

Hey Darby was that the secret! She must be a million dollars with all the studying you do.

Most of my labs are setting up various EAP scenarios with ACS, Windows 2003 and 2008 due to the variations in RADIUS configuration at the back end along with AD Policy.

I need to drill down into the wireless funda,entals more to understand that better to be a better engineer,

As of now I can setup all the EAP types easily configure PKI etc, need a little work on Windows 2008.

Now I need to better understand the packet flows and handshaking. Lots of sniffing and debuging for me.

I have to re-new my familiarity with Wireless Sniffing. I earned a Sniffer Wireless certification as an elective for my Sniffer Certified Master credential a few years ago. I still have the Sniffer Wireless Courseware and the the Video from Laura Chappel's Master Library.

I learned PKI, AD, IAS, ACS, and OMG a lot of other stuff for my MCSE and various other certs along the way - never mind a practical experience with a decent network with my first large data center.

Lots of stuff along the way.

Hmmm, Laura did Sniffer courses as well before? Now I know why she's so amazing with Wireshark!

BTW Darby, you learned ACS for your MCSE? but its a Cisco product not MS!