=================================================================== Avaya Communication Spring 2001 WaveLAN Station firmware Update utility (WSU) WSU10728 =================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. Software Description 2. System Requirements 3. New In This Release 4. Technical Support ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION 1.1 About this software The WaveLAN Station firmware Update utility (WSU) is a tool to update the firmware on your Avaya Communication or WaveLAN/IEEE Card. The WSU can function on any computer running the MS-Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 or Millennium Operating System, that has been equipped with an Avaya Wireless or WaveLAN/IEEE Card. The Avaya Wireless Card firmware makes the Avaya Wireless products: * Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) certified by the Wireless Ethernet Compatiblity Alliance (WECA). * Interoperable with any other wireless LAN system based on Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) radio technology that complies with the IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.11b Standards on wireless LANs. * Backwards compatible with any other previously released product of the Avaya Communication WaveLAN/IEEE product family. 1.2 Files The WSU comprises the following files: * WSU10728.EXE WSU * WSU10728.HLP WSU Help info * WSU10728.CNT WSU Help Contents * README.TXT this file 1.2 Versions WaveLAN Station firmware Update utility Variant 1 Version 4.36 contains: Primary Functions firmware Variant 1 Version 4.00 Station Functions firmware Variant 1 Version 7.28 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 2.1 Operating System The WSU can function on any computer running the MS-Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 or Millennium Operating System, that has been equipped with an Avaya Wireless or WaveLAN/IEEE Card. 2.2 Free Disk Space The installation of the WSU requires a free disk space of approximately 500 KB. 2.3 Driver Version This WSU is only compatible with Windows Miniport Drivers of Release 6.1 (v 6.14) or higher. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. NEW IN THIS RELEASE 3.1 Station Functions firmware v 7.28 Spring 2001 The following functionality has been added: - Microwave Oven Robustness changed to use fragmentation. In order to keep frames short (in time) to get them transmitted during the transmit gaps of a (domestic) microwave oven, the MAC will fragment long frames. - Station adaptation of cell thresholds. The Station adapts itself to the settings of the Access Point it associates with. This applies to the following parameters: * Distance between APs, * RTS/CTS Medium Reservation, * Microwave Oven Robustness. These parameters are passed to the Station by the Access Point, and overrule the settings in the Station. Hence this feature functions only if the Access Point(s) support it. - Load balancing. This feature attempts to balance the load over the available overlapping cells. The Access Point maintains measurement of the load in its cell and provides that to the Stations. Stations use this information in their roaming decisions. The better the comms quality to potential Access Points, the bigger the impact of the load is. This feature functions only if the Access Points support it. The following problem has been solved: - The power LED is turned off when the radio's modem is disabled through the Disable Radio function. 3.2 Station Functions firmware v 6.16 Winter 2001 The following problems have been solved: - Problems with Network Name ANY in Peer-to-Peer (IBSS) mode have been corrected. - Security with encryption in Peer-to-Peer (IBSS) mode has been improved. Previously, a connection could be set up between a station with encryption enabled and a station with encryption disabled and these stations would communicate in the clear. Note that a station that did not have encryption enabled with the correct key, could not intercept the (encrypted) data exchanged between stations with encryption enabled. Now the implementation is such that, with encryption enabled, the station will always encrypt the data. All stations need to have encryption enabled with the same key to be able to communicate in the same Peer-to-Peer (IBSS) network. 3.3 Station Functions firmware v 6.06 July 2000 The following problems have been solved: - A hang problem in the Site Monitor function while the station is in Peer-to-Peer (IBSS) mode has been solved. 3.4 Station Functions firmware v 6.04 March 2000 The following functionality has been added: - Wi-Fi compliance. - Reception of fragmented messages is supported, for interoperability with other vendor 802.11 products. - Usage of 11- and 5.5 Mbit/s as IEEE Basic Rate. This allows multicast and broadcast frames to be transmitted at these higher rates. - Microwave Oven Robustness feature has been added. When enabled, this implies that the data rate will not fall back to 1 Mbit/s. - Support for Peer-to-Peer (IBSS) mode. Note: An IBSS can not be initiated till software release 6.1. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Technical Support 4.1 Finding Information On the Avaya Communication Web Site you can find the most recent device drivers, firmware, software updates and user documentation. World Wide Web: HTTP://WWW.AVAYA.COM/Support 4.2 Contact Technical Support If you encounter problems when installing or using this product or have questions about our other Lucent Technologies ORiNOCO products, please contact your local Authorized Avaya Communication Reseller. You can find their address on the Avaya Communication website. Help us Helping you! When contacting Technical Support, please use the Problem Report (report.txt) and send it to us by Fax or E-Mail. A completed Problem Report Form that includes the details about your Avaya wireless product and its host environment will help us helping you to solve your problems. =================================================================== END OF FILE