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Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Manual

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September 18, 2007
Version 1.02
®
ME BreadCrumb
User Guide
BreadCrumb is a registered trademark of Rajant Corporation.

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Summary of Contents for Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb

  • Page 1 September 18, 2007 Version 1.02 ® ME BreadCrumb User Guide BreadCrumb is a registered trademark of Rajant Corporation.
  • Page 2 • Consult the Rajant representative or an experienced technician for help. CAUTION: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Rajant Corporation could void the user’s authority to operate this device. Operation of this device in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at own expense.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    2.2 MOBILITY THROUGH MESHING......................8 2.2.1 MESH – A DEFINITION ........................8 2.2.2 BREADCRUMB DEVICES MESH BY CHANNEL AND ESSID............8 2.3 DESCRIPTION OF ME BREADCRUMB ..................... 9 2.3.1 FEATURES ............................9 2.4 NETWORK FEATURES..........................10 2.5 ANTENNA FEATURES ..........................10 2.6 POWER FEATURES...........................
  • Page 4 Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 4.2.1 ADDRESSING ............................. 33 4.2.1.1 BREADCRUMB DEVICE ADDRESSES ..................33 4.2.1.2 DHCP..............................33 4.3 CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS........................34 4.3.1 CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT FOR SINGLE-RADIO BREADCRUMB DEVICES......34 4.4 PHYSICAL PLACEMENT AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS..............34 4.4.1 LINE OF SIGHT........................... 34 4.4.2 DISTANCE............................

  • Page 5: List Of Figures

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation List of Figures Figure Page 1. ME T ............................9 IGURE ANEL 2. BCA ....................12 IGURE DMIN NITIAL CREEN AT TARTUP 3. BCA 10.0.0.0/8 R ) ......13 IGURE DMIN CREEN AT TARTUP ETWORK DDRESS IN THE ANGE 4.

  • Page 6: Preface

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 1.0 PREFACE 1.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE This manual provides information and guidance to all personnel who are involved with and ® ® use Rajant Corporation’s BreadCrumb Wireless Network devices ("BreadCrumb devices"). This manual begins with an introduction to the BreadCrumb Wireless Network and a brief overview of the various BreadCrumb device models available.

  • Page 7: Introduction

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation 2.0 INTRODUCTION Rajant Corporation's (www.rajant.com) ME BreadCrumb integrates Ethernet and wireless IEEE 802.11b/g connectivity with mesh networking protocols. The network is mobile, self- integrating, self-meshing, self-healing, full-duplex and secure. An internal Li Ion rechargeable standby battery can power the unit when external power is unavailable. The focus is on flexibility, adaptability, and simplicity.

  • Page 8: Any Combination Of The Above

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 2.1.5 ANY COMBINATION OF THE ABOVE Most BreadCrumb deployments include elements from more than one of the above scenarios. In many cases, BreadCrumb devices will perform all of the above tasks as shipped with no configuration necessary at all, providing an instant TAN -a Tactical Area Network.

  • Page 9: Description Of Me Breadcrumb

    ???? Note that BreadCrumb device C can no longer communicate with A or B, and vice versa. 2.3 DESCRIPTION OF ME BREADCRUMB Portable battery operated wireless device deployable in almost any environment. Very small lightweight device with integrated antenna and rechargeable battery designed to be completely mobile as worn by an individual war fighter.

  • Page 10: Network Features

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide A. Bulkhead antenna connector SMA(F) B. P101 6-pin Ethernet connector ETH0, COM B, USB C. SW1 toggle power switch D. 2-pin vehicle power connector E. Bulkhead antenna connector SMA(F) 2.4 NETWORK FEATURES Each BreadCrumb ME device has one IEEE 802.11b/g wireless NICs (network interface cards), two externally accessible Ethernet ports and one externally accessible USB2 port.

  • Page 11: Using Bcadmin

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation ™ 3.0 USING BCADMIN Note: Some portions of this section assume a working knowledge of TCP/IP networking, including DHCP, NAT, and DNS. While the network lay person may be able to perform some BCWN management tasks, it is recommended that network configuration be performed by experienced...

  • Page 12: Screen Layout

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 3.1 SCREEN LAYOUT When BCAdmin is launched the screen will initially look like this: The large area on the left is the Topology Area, showing the current shape of the network at any given time. The Info Area to the right shows detailed information for BreadCrumb devices, client devices, and wireless links.

  • Page 13: Topology Area

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation Figure 3. BCAdmin Screen at Startup (No Network Address in the 10.0.0.0/8 Range) When BCAdmin is able to communicate to a BCWN, the network topology is shown in the Topology Area, as below (your network will look different).

  • Page 14: Anatomy Of The Breadcrumb Box

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide Detailed information for a BreadCrumb device can be viewed in the Info Area by selecting the BreadCrumb device in the Topology Area. A BreadCrumb device can be selected by single-clicking it with your mouse. The selected BreadCrumb device will be highlighted with a dashed border. A description of the detailed information is provided later in this chapter.

  • Page 15: Anatomy Of A Connection Line

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation 3.1.2.4. NUMBER OF CLIENTS A client is any IEEE 802.11b device that has associated with a BreadCrumb device’s access point. Laptops, handheld computers, cameras, VOIP + Wi-Fi phones, etc. are examples of client devices.

  • Page 16: Asymmetric Connections

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide Table 2. BCAdmin Line Styles Legend Link Speed (Mbps) Line Style 11 or higher Solid Dashed Dot-Dash Dotted 3.2.1 ASYMMETRIC CONNECTIONS For a variety of environmental reasons (antenna placement, radio reflections, interference, etc.), asymmetric connections are sometimes formed between BreadCrumb devices.

  • Page 17: Info Area

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation The following figure illustrates an asymmetric link: Figure 6. Assymetric Links 3.2.2 INFO AREA The Info Area shows detailed information specific to the currently selected BreadCrumb device, if any. Select a BreadCrumb device in the Topology Area by single-clicking it with your mouse. The selected BreadCrumb device will be highlighted with a dashed border.

  • Page 18: Configuring Individual Breadcrumbs

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide The same information is available in each list. The following figure shows an example listing of BreadCrumb connections. Figure 8. Example Listing of BreadCrumb Connections Tip: Place your mouse over the connection detail in the Info Area to highlight the corresponding line in the Topology Area.

  • Page 19: Figure 9. Bread Crumb Properties

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation Figure 9. BreadCrumb Properties – General Tab 3.3.1.1.BATTERY WARNING (MINUTES) Each BreadCrumb device includes a battery timer that monitors run time. When batteries are changed, the battery timer should be reset (by right-clicking on the BreadCrumb box and choosing Diagnostics and Maintenance, then Reset Battery Timer).

  • Page 20: Radio Settings

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 3.3.1. 5. IMCrypto Encryption: AES-256 and Set Access ID IMCrypto encryption is not available on the ME BreadCrumb. 3.4 RADIO SETTINGS The ‘Radios’ tab contains controls for configuring each of the BreadCrumb device’s IEEE 802.11b radios: Figure 10.

  • Page 21: Reachback Settings

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation 3.5 REACHBACK SETTINGS The ‘Reachback’ tab contains controls for configuring the BreadCrumb device’s interconnection with other networks, both wired and wireless: Figure 11. BreadCrumb Properties – Reachback Tab The available settings are: 3.5.1. REACHBACK INTERFACE This dropdown selects the network interface on the BreadCrumb device that will connect to the other network.
  • Page 22 Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide d. Radio2 (ad hoc) Reachback will be configured to use the BreadCrumb device’s second radio (if any) in IEEE 802.11b ad hoc mode. 3.5.2. MODE This dropdown selects the type of reach back to configure. Available options are: a.

  • Page 23: Forwarding Settings

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation 3.5.6. IP ADDRESS CONFIGURATION If 'Obtain an IP Address Automatically’ is selected for a Gateway Mode, the BreadCrumb device will obtain its IPv4 address on its reachback interface using DHCP. If ‘Use the Following:’ is selected for a Gateway Mode, the following must be set manually: •...

  • Page 24: Ext. Ports

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide • The IPv4 port(s) at the destination address to which the forwarded traffic is to be forwarded (usually the same as the ports described above). The checkbox marked ‘Enable’ specifies whether a particular forward configuration is active. This allows an administrator to pre-configure port forwards and selectively enable or disable them in the future.

  • Page 25: Access Control Lists (Acls)

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation Figure 13. WEP Configuration Screen 3.7.1.1. WEP This dropdown allows the administrator to enable or disable WEP on all BreadCrumb devices currently visible in BCAdmin. 3.7.1.2. KEY A 40-bit or 104-bit hexadecimal key is specified in this field. If this field is left blank, WEP can be enabled using a previously configured key.

  • Page 26: Figure 14. Access Controls

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide Figure 14. Access Control Settings Window 3.7.2.1. POLICY This dropdown allows the administrator to select from three different policies: No access control (allow all devices) This disables ACLs on the BCWN. Deny by default (allow only permitted devices) This policy only allows devices in the Permitted Devices, Administrators, or BreadCrumbs lists to connect to the BCWN.

  • Page 27: Figure 15. Set Access Id Window

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation Warning Be sure to include the BCAdmin workstation in the ACL so that you can continue administering the network! 3.7.2.2.2 Setting the Access ID The Access ID is a shared credential used by the IMCrypto client to negotiate encryption keys. All devices that are to communicate with one another must share a common Access ID.

  • Page 28: Encrypting Wired Traffic

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 3.7.3 ENCRYPTING WIRED TRAFFIC The BreadCrumb devices’ IMCrypto support includes the ability to encrypt traffic from a wired network provided that the BreadCrumb device’s Ethernet interface is in either Gateway Mode or Gateway (Ingress) Mode. With IMCrypto enabled on a BreadCrumb device in one of these modes, encryption of wired traffic entering the...

  • Page 29: Enabling/Disabling Openssl Aes-256 Encryption

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation Figure 16. Change Access ID/Key Window If the button is disabled, check to ensure that you are communicating with the BreadCrumb device via its Ethernet interface. You must know the current Key in order to set a new one. The default Key on a BreadCrumb device is ‘0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000’...

  • Page 30: Bcadmin Preferences

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 3.8 BCADMIN PREFERENCES Settings specific to BCAdmin are available through the View menu, under Preferences. The Preferences window is shown below: Figure 17. BC Admin Preferences Window The first three fields are described in this section. The remaining fields are described below in the Section called Mapping with Fugawi Tracker.

  • Page 32: Mapping With Fugawi Tracker

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 3.9 MAPPING WITH FUGAWI TRACKER BCAdmin has the ability to relay position information from BreadCrumb devices (either manually set by an administrator or obtained via GPS) to the Fugawi Tracker mapping application. Each BreadCrumb device’s asset ID within Fugawi Tracker is its BreadCrumb ID as reported by BCAdmin.

  • Page 33: Deploying The Breadcrumb Wireless Lan

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation 4.0 DEPLOYING THE BREADCRUMB WIRELESS LAN 4.1 OVERVIEW OF BCWL DEPLOYMENT There are many factors which need to be taken into account when deploying the BreadCrumb Wireless LAN. Section 2.2 details some of the most commonly occurring environmental factors that will have a major impact on the performance of the BCWL.

  • Page 34: Channel Assignments

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 4.3 CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS By default, BreadCrumb devices use channels 1 and 11 upon startup. BreadCrumb devices can be configured via BCAdmin to choose their radio channels automatically upon startup instead. With this feature enabled, combinations of channels 1, 8, and 11 are automatically chosen using a process designed to provide a robust mesh.

  • Page 35: Weather

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation • Devices placed too far away or in RF ‘shadows’ may experience total loss of connection. • Device power is important in determining distances that the device will be effective. • BreadCrumb ME operates at 400 mW.

  • Page 36: Deployment Configuration - Coverage Area

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide of the deployment configurations illustrated can provide reach back connectivity to the Internet or other network by utilizing a Gateway BreadCrumb and available communication link (such as DSL, cable, or satellite modem). 4.5.1 DEPLOYMENT CONFIGURATION – COVERAGE AREA This section illustrates the placement of BCWL components to provide wireless network connectivity throughout a chosen coverage area.

  • Page 37: Deployment Guidelines And Methodology

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation 350 ft. 350 ft. 350 ft. 350 ft. Laptop 350 ft. Tablet RCHPT01 RCHPT02 RCHPT03 RCHPT04 RCHPT05 Figure 19. Deployment Configuration - Reach Area RCHPT01 in could be the command post at an incident, placed a safe distance from the threat. Each of the remaining BCWL components would provide continuity of the wireless network into the threat area.
  • Page 38 Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 1. Determine the approximate location for the next BreadCrumb. 2. Power ON the device. 3. Wait for it to appear in BCAdmin. 4. Proceed to the predetermined location for this BreadCrumb, observing the network in BCAdmin as you progress.
  • Page 39 ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation b. If you reach the destination without losing connectivity you can place it there. i. At this point, you may choose to proceed farther in an attempt to make optimal use of the available BreadCrumb.

  • Page 40: Bite Led

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide connectivity is restored for this BreadCrumb is most likely the farthest point in this direction at which you will be able to place this BreadCrumb. 15. Repeat steps 11 thru 14 until the BCWL has been deployed.

  • Page 41: Breadcrumb Software Maintenance

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation 5.0 BREADCRUMB SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE 5.1 BREADCRUMB FIRMWARE 5.1.1 INTRODUCTION Each BreadCrumb relies on low-level software known as firmware for proper execution. Rajant periodically releases updated BreadCrumb firmware. The updated firmware must be obtained from Rajant.

  • Page 42: Bcadmin Maintenance

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 5.2 BCADMIN MAINTENANCE 5.2.1 UPGRADING OR INSTALLING THE BCADMIN SOFTWARE Rajant periodically releases updated BCAdmin software. The updated BCAdmin software must be obtained from Rajant. The following procedure must then be performed on each of the BCWL Administrators’...
  • Page 43 ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation Figure 21. BCAdmin Installation Screen #1 - 43-...
  • Page 44 Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide Figure 22. BCAdmin Installation Screen #2 Figure 23. BCAdmin Installation Screen #3 - 44 -...
  • Page 45 ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation Figure 24. BCAdmin Installation Screen #4 BCAdmin automatically uninstalls any previous version of BCAdmin on the computer, before installing the new version of BCAdmin. - 45-...
  • Page 46 Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide Figure 25. BCAdmin Installation Screen #5 Figure 26. BCAdmin Installation Screen #6 - 46 -...

  • Page 47: Port Forwarding

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation Installation of the BCAdmin software is now complete. 5.3 PORT FORWARDING Port forwarding forwards all packets intended for one forwarding port on the gateway from the external networks to be routed on a specified port on one of the internal BreadCrumbs. It is a kind of traffic redirection to some other BreadCrumb, providing a particular service.

  • Page 48: Troubleshooting

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 6.0 Troubleshooting 6.1 BREADCRUMB WIRELESS NETWORK 6.1.1 SPORADIC NETWORK CONNECTIVITY Table 4. Sporadic Network Connectivity Issues Problem Resolution As a BreadCrumb device’s battery approaches Monitory battery usage and charge/replace batteries as exhaustion, network connectivity will become sporadic necessary.

  • Page 49: Breadcrumb Device Cannot Connect To Bcwn

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation 6.1.2 BREADCRUMB DEVICE CANNOT CONNECT TO BCWN Table 5. BreadCrumb Device Cannot Connect to BCWN Problem Resolution Discharged batteries can cause the BreadCrumb device When deploying the BCWN, ensure that the batteries to appear to power up, but not be able to establish should be fully charged.

  • Page 50: Hardware Reset

    Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide 6.1.4 Hardware Reset 1. Turn off the BreadCrumb. 2. Turn the BreadCrumb back on. Wait a minimum of 3 seconds before proceeding. 3. Press and release the black status button to turn on the LED.

  • Page 51: Appendix A

    ME BreadCrumb User Guide Rajant Corporation APPENDIX A Error codes are divided into groups. Groups are indicated by the first digit of the error number. A full error code will be formed by prefixing a group number to the error number.
  • Page 52 Rajant Corporation ME BreadCrumb User Guide Customer Service Please contact Rajant Tech Support at +1 484-585-1020 to assist you through any issues you encounter regarding this release. Please forward all feedback regarding the BreadCrumb system functionality to <support@rajant.com>. Other than speaking with a Rajant representative, this is the best way to communicate with us any operational issues you may find.