CWNA Certified Wireless Network Administrator Certification Exam Preparation Course in a Book for Passing the CWNA Certified Wireless Network Administrator ... on Your First Try Certification Study Guide

162 Pages·2009·0.79 MB·English

by  William Manning

1 Foreword

This Exam Preparation book is intended for those preparing for the
Certified Wireless Network Administrator Exam.

The Art of Service is an Accredited Training Organization and has
been training IT professionals since 1998. The strategies and content
in this book are a result of experience and understanding of the
Certified Wireless Network Administrator methods, and the exam
requirements.

This book is not a replacement for completing the course. This is a
study aid to assist those who have completed an accredited course
and are preparing for the exam.

Do not underestimate the value of your own notes and study aids.
The more you have, the more prepared you will be.

While it is not possible to pre-empt every question that may be asked
in the exam, this book covers the main concepts covered within the
Certified Wireless Network Administrator discipline.

The Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA) is a foundation
level certification that measures the ability to administer any wireless
LAN. The exam covers a wide range of wireless LAN topics and is
directed toward professionals who want to work with 802.11 wireless
technology, rather than vendor-specific products. The CWNA
certification demonstrates a candidate’s ability to successfully
administer enterprise-class wireless LANS.

Due to licensing rights, we are unable to provide actual CWNA
Exams. However, the study notes and sample exam questions in this
book will allow you to more easily prepare for a CWNA exam.

Ivanka Menken
Executive Director
The Art of Service
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2 Table of Contents
1 Foreword ............................................................................ 1
2 Table of Contents............................................................... 3
3 Certified Wireless Network Administrator ........................... 7
4 Exam Specifics .................................................................. 8
5 Exam Prerequisites ............................................................ 8
6 Understanding Wireless LANs ........................................... 9
6.1 The Evolution of Wireless LANs................................... 9
7 Fundamentals of Radio Frequency (RF) .......................... 12
7.1 How Radio Frequencies Work ................................... 12
7.2 VSWR – Voltage Standing Wave Ratio ..................... 14
7.3 Understanding Antennas ........................................... 15
7.4 Measuring Radio Frequencies ................................... 16
8 Spread Spectrum Technology ......................................... 18
8.1 Communication Types ............................................... 18
8.2 Wireless LANs ........................................................... 19
8.3 Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) .......... 21
8.4 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) .............. 23
9 Wireless LAN Organizations and Standards .................... 27
9.1 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ............ 27
9.2 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
31
9.3 Major Organizations ................................................... 34
9.4 Competing Technologies ........................................... 36
10 Infrastructure Devices for Wireless LANs ........................ 39
10.1 Access Points ......................................................... 39
10.2 Wireless Bridges ..................................................... 42
10.3 Wireless Workgroup Bridges .................................. 43
10.4 Wireless LAN Client Devices .................................. 44
10.5 Wireless Residential Gateways .............................. 47
10.6 Enterprise Wireless Gateways ................................ 48
11 Antennas and Accessories .............................................. 51
11.1 Radio Frequency Antennas .................................... 51
11.2 Concepts of RF Antennas ....................................... 53
11.3 Antenna Installation ................................................ 56
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11.4 Power over Ethernet (PoE) Devices ....................... 59
11.5 Accessories for Wireless LAN ................................ 62
12 802.11 Network Architecture ............................................ 70
12.1 Identifying Wireless LANs ....................................... 70
12.2 Authentication and Association ............................... 74
12.3 Authentication Methods .......................................... 75
12.4 Emerging Authentication Protocols ......................... 77
12.5 Service Sets ........................................................... 80
12.6 Roaming ................................................................. 82
12.7 Power Management Features ................................ 85
13 MAC and Physical Layers ................................................ 87
13.1 Communicating with Wireless LANs ....................... 87
13.2 Interframe Spacing ................................................. 92
13.3 RTS/CTS ................................................................ 95
13.4 Modulation .............................................................. 96
14 Troubleshooting Wireless Installations............................. 98
14.1 Multipath ................................................................. 98
14.2 Hidden Node ......................................................... 102
14.3 Near/Far ............................................................... 103
14.4 System Throughput .............................................. 104
14.5 Co-location Throughput ........................................ 105
14.6 Types of Interference ............................................ 106
14.7 Range Considerations .......................................... 109
15 Wireless LAN Security ................................................... 111
15.1 Wired Equivalent Privacy ...................................... 111
15.2 Wireless LAN Attacks ........................................... 114
15.3 Securing Wireless LANs ....................................... 115
16 Fundamentals of Site Surveying .................................... 117
16.1 Understanding Site Surveys ................................. 117
16.2 Site Survey Preparation ........................................ 118
16.3 Site Survey Equipment ......................................... 120
16.4 Conducting Site Surveys ...................................... 120
17 Practice Exam ................................................................ 123
17.1 Questions ............................................................. 123
18 Answer Guide ................................................................ 134
18.1 Answers ................................................................ 134
19 References .................................................................... 140
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Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without
the prior written permission of the publisher.

Notice of Liability
The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis without warranty. While
every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author
nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any
loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the
instructions contained in this book or by the products described in it.

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3 Certified Wireless Network Administrator

Certified Wireless Network Administrator is the foundation level
certification for CWNP. It is actually the second exam in the four-level
certification process.

The main subject areas dealt with by the CWNA exam are:
 Wireless Standards and Organization
 Radio Technologies
 Antennas
 Wireless LAN Hardware and Software
 Network Design
 802.11 Network Architecture
 Wireless LAN security
 Troubleshooting
 Site Surveys.

The CWNA certification is valid for three years, and can be renewed
by retaking the test or moving to the next level in the certification
path.

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4 Exam Specifics

Exams cost $175 at time of printing.

Duration – 90 minutes
60 questions
Question Type – Multiple-choice / Multiple answer
Passing Score – 70%

Registration of the exam must be made with Pearson VUE.

5 Exam Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for the Certified Wireless Network
Administrator exam.

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6 Understanding Wireless LANs

6.1 The Evolution of Wireless LANs

Wireless LANs began as a military technology, providing a simple
method of exchanging data that could be implemented easily in a
combat environment.

At first, the cost of the technology was enormous. As the cost
decreased, enterprises began to integrate wireless capabilities into
their network architecture. The driving force for most enterprises was
providing an inexpensive way to connect campus environments.

As the cost continued to decrease and quality increased, the mobility
aspects of wireless computing became advantageous for businesses.
In addition, households started to adopt wireless technologies in
home offices and wireless gaming stations.

While this growth continued, the need for standards between different
manufacturers and installed LANS also grew. Stress on compatibility
of systems and interoperability between networks became key issues.

6.1.1 Wireless LAN Standards

Wireless LANs transmit radio frequencies and are regulated by the
same type of laws governing AM/FM radios. In the United States, the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates the use of
wireless LAN devices. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) have created and currently maintain several
operational standards.

The current IEEE standards:
 802.11 is the original LAN standard and specifies the
lowest data transfer rates for both radio frequencies and
light-based transmissions.
 802.11b has faster data transfer rates and has been
promoted to great extent as Wi-Fi by the Wireless Ethernet
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