2013年3月19日星期二

How to Set upWEP, WPA or WPA2 Personal Wireless Security on a Linksys Wireless Router?



Wireless security is one of the first things to do in setting up your router. This is the best way to prevent other people from deliberately using your wireless Internet connection.
How do I set up the wireless security of my Linksys router?
To set up wireless security on your router, you need to access its web-based setup page first.  Follow the instructions below to know how:
Step 1:
Open any web browser (i.e. Internet Explorer).  On the Address bar, enter your router’s local IP address then press [Enter]. The default IP address of Linksys routers is192.168.1.1.

NOTE:If you’re having difficulties accessing the web-based setup page, click here to learn how to resolve this issue.  If you are using a Mac computer, click here for instructions.
Step 2:
When the login prompt appears, leave the User name field blank, then enter “admin” on the Password field.
NOTE:If you have set a password before but forgot it, you need to reset the device.  For instructions on how to reset a Linksys router, click here.

QUICK TIP: The router’s password (which you used in this step) is different from the password of your wireless network.  This password is only used to access the router’s web-based setup page.
You will be redirected to the main screen of the setup page.
Step 3:
On the setup page, click the Wireless tab then click the Wireless Security sub-tab.

Step 4:
On the Configuration View section, click the Manual radio button.

IMPORTANT: For other models, you may immediately scroll down the page until you reach the Wireless Security section.

Choosing the ideal wireless security for your router
Your Linksys router supports four (4) of the most commonly used wireless security types: WEP, WPA Personal, WPA2 Personal and WPA2/WPA Mixed Mode.  Here’s a table that best compares the different security types:
Security 
Rank 
 Number of Characters
WEP
Wired Equivalent Protocol
 Basic
 40/64-bit (10 characters)
128-bit (26 characters)
WPA Personal
Wi-Fi Protected Access Personal  
 Strong
 8-63 characters
WPA2 Personal
Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 Personal 
 Strongest
 8-63 characters
WPA2/WPA Mixed Mode
 WPA2:  Strongest
WPA:  Strong
 8-63 characters
WPA, WPA2 and WPA2/WPA security modes are highly recommended over WEP for a higher level of security.  Using WEP encryption makes your wireless network susceptible to security breaches.  Follow the instructions below to know how to set up each security mode.

For WPA2/WPA Mixed Mode
Step 1:
On the Security Mode field, select WPA2/WPA Mixed Mode and enter your Passphrase.
NOTE: The Passphrase must consist of at least eight (8) characters and is case-sensitive.

NOTE: WPA2/WPA Mixed Mode is also referred to as PSK2-Mixed for some Linksys routers.  Refer to the image below for an example.
 
Step 2:
Click
For WPA2 Personal
Step 1:
On the Security Mode field, select WPA2 Personal and enter your Passphrase.
NOTE: The Passphrase must consist of at least eight (8) characters and is case-sensitive.
NOTE: WPA2 Personal is also referred to as PSK2 for some Linksys routers.  Refer to the image below for an example.

Step 2:
Click.

For WPA Personal
Step 1:
On Security Mode, select WPA Personal and enter your Passphrase.
NOTE: The Passphrase must consist of at least eight (8) characters and is case-sensitive.

NOTE: WPA Personal is also referred to as WPA Pre-Shared Key or PSK Personal for some Linksys routers. Refer to the images below for an example.
WPA Pre-Shared Key

NOTE: The WPA Shared Key in the image above is the network password you will use to connect wirelessly.
PSK Personal




NOTE: The Pre-shared Key in the image above is the network password you will use to connect wirelessly.

Step 2:
Click.

Other things to remember
• For dual-band routers, setting up the wireless security may depend on the exact type of dual-band router that you areusing.  Dual-band routers can beeither simultaneous or selectable.  If the router is selectable, this means that you canonly use one (1) wireless band at a time and set a single wireless network password.
However, if your dual-band router is simultaneous, you can use both 2.4 and 5 GHz wireless bands at the same time. Thisalso means that you can set two (2)different wireless network names and wireless passwords for each frequency (whichis actually recommended to avoid interference).
NOTE: To know what type of dual-band router you are using, visit Identifying Linksys dual-band routers and devices
.For instructions on personalizing your 5 GHz wireless band settings, click Personalizing and connecting to the 5 GHz wireless band on a Linksys wireless-N router
After setting up wireless security
Once you have set up appropriate wireless security you can now connect computers to your wireless network.  To learn how, click Connecting wireless computers to your network
You can also connect other wireless devices to your router such as an iPad, smartphones, game consoles, printers, and access points.  To learn how, see Connecting devices to a Linksys router using an Ethernet cable

More Cisco Wireless Router Tips: cisco 1900, 1900 cisco, cisco 1900 router, 1900 cisco router

2013年3月14日星期四

Cisco Routers: Routing Systems Meet the Needs of Any IT Environment



Cisco router is increasingly preferred by more IT professionals over hardware by other brands.

From small businesses to global enterprises, more organizations depend on Cisco routers to run their networks smoothly and reliably.

Power – Other routers simply aren’t built for the same circuit speed, capacity or overall performance.
Scalability – Today’s businesses need their networks to grow with them, and every Cisco router is designed with this in mind. From small LANs and WANs to integration with remote data centers, these routers are highly scalable, no matter what the need.
Cost – Despite being the most sought after hardware, each Cisco router is priced competitively and has additional cost-savings built in.

Security – No matter how sensitive the data on your network, security should never be compromised. Cisco builds its routers with the most advanced security technology on the market.
Reliability –Out of all the technology in an IT environment, the router is not something you should have to worry about on a daily basis. But unfortunately, routers from other brands are prone to failure and disrupted service – simply because of the way they’re designed.

These are just a few reasons why IT managers consistently choose Cisco over other router options. Cisco has been in the game since 1984, so it’s no wonder that their technology continues to outperform their competitors’.

Which Cisco Router is Right for Your IT Needs?

Of course, not every Cisco router has the same capabilities. Cisco has developed a comprehensive suite of routing solutions, designed to fit the specific needs of every operation.

Router-switch.com is a qualified provider of Cisco hardware and free CCIE technical support and has been serving Cisco End users, Resellers & System Integrators for 10 years –win more than 8000 customers over the world.

Branch Routers
Ciscobranch routers are designed for optimization of branch services, increasing network power on a single platform. Each Cisco router enables the network to adapt and support new application developments as your organization’s needs grow?Key benefits and capabilities:
  • Cisco’s “borderless” technology enables maximum security across all network devices and a seamless user experience
  • Video ready architecture is built for better collaboration through rich-media applications like video conferencing and video surveillance
  • Service virtualization through Cisco Services Ready Engines provides seamless cloud expansion, and on-demand services that are remotely deployed
  • Operational excellence and simplicity is achieved with the Cisco Router IOS Software image and other innovations that offer a rapid return on investment
  • Routers to look at: Cisco 800, Cisco 1900, Cisco 2900 and Cisco 3900 Series Integrated Services.

For more information on Ciscobranch router solutions, CONTACT US CLICK HERE:

Cisco WAN Routers
CiscoWAN routers maximize performance and security across the WANs, no matter how extensive the network. Branch networks and data centers are united seamlessly, giving end-users fast, reliable access to data and applications.
Key benefits and capabilities:
  • Cisco’s QuantumFlow network processor offers industry-leading performance and resiliency, enabling services to operate at maximum speeds without the need for additional hardware – wire speeds from 2.5 Gbps to 40 Gbps
  • Flexible OS designed to provide modular packaging and feature velocity
  • Software redundancy on non-redundant hardware
  • Ideal for private WAN, Internet edge, and WAN aggregation

Data Center Interconnect Platforms
The Cisco7600 Series is an enterprise-class edge router designed to improve operational efficiency and maximize ROI. Features include high-performance IP/MPLS, scalable personalized IP services, integrated, high-density Ethernet switching.

Key benefits and capabilities:
  1. Up to 720 Gbps in a single chassis, or 40 Gbps capacity per slot
  2. A suite of shared port adapters (SPAs) and SPA interface processors (SIPs), controlling voice, video, and data
  3. Integrated Video Call Admission Control for both broadcast and on-demand video (VoD)
  4. Cisco’s “Intelligent Services Gateway” which offers multidimensional identity capabilities and policy controls

Cisco offers a wide variety of other systems, including connected grid routers, small business routers, mobile internet routers, and Internet edge routers, among others.

Beyond simply the hardware, Cisco supports its routers with a range of solutions that enable IT administrators to:
  • Maintain visibility of application performance while also identifying opportunities to conserve bandwidth
  • Cut back on energy usage to reduce costs and comply with federal requirements
  • Integrate intelligent networked video solutions

More Cisco Router Info and Tips:

Always Team with an Experienced Cisco Routers Provider
When integrating any Cisco router, it’s always best to partner with experienced professionals. Router-switch.comhas a team of professional salesmen with rich experience in selling Cisco equipment. Free CCIE technical support provided as well.
1.     Full-service, tailored assistance for:
2.     Installation
3.     Upgrades
4.     Optimization
5.     Repairs/service
6.     Testing
7.     Support

2012年10月11日星期四

How to Take Part in this Big Party for Router-switch.com’s 10th Anniversary?



If you wanna know more about the activities hold at router-switch.com, you can visit the related topics: Big Discount for the Popular Cisco Items

How the Router-switch.com Became the World’s Leading Cisco Supplier?
During the past ten years, from 2002 to 2012, router-switch.com has grown up into a global leading Cisco supplier. Indeed, it has experienced several vital moment. Here let’s share some router-switch.com’s big events:
2002, Router-switch.com was founded.
2003, Router-switch.com has experienced a rapid development.
2004, CCIE technical support team was built.
2005, The sales volume maintains 70% growth per year.
2006, Staff in company increased to 20.
2007, Router-switch.com established its marketing department. It attained its reputation in providing timely information of Cisco for clients and Cisco users.
2008, Router-switch.com adopted necessary advanced management tools to improve its service for clients.
2009, Router-switch.com upgraded warehouses in Hongkong and Mainland China. Its inventory is worth over $5 million.
2010, The sales of Router-switch.com have zoomed to $ 30 million.
2011, Router-switch.com released the new version to update service. It supplies free CCIE support. Social network platforms were opened to communicate with customers and clients well.
2012, New Office of router-switch.com landed in US to offer professional local service.

Nowadays, router-switch.com is becoming the world’s largest Cisco reseller online.  It believes that router-switch.com will bemore professional, more reliable and stronger with your support.
Note:A letter from CEO of router-switch.com to thank its customers and sharetheir progress.

More about Router-switch.com:
Router-switch.com, also called YejianTechnologies Co., Ltd, is the worldwide leader in delivering new, used, refurbished Cisco hardware, including Cisco routers, Cisco switches, firewall security, Cisco IP Phones VoIP, wireless AP, Cisco modules & cards, memory, and optical cables, SFP, GBIC, XENPK , etc. It carries over $5 million in inventory of Ciscohardware and Cisco equipment that can meet SOHO, small, midsized and large businesses of all sizes. Also Router-Switch.com owns more than 8,000 customers worldwide, not only because of its original Cisco products with reliable quality and competitive price, but also due to professionalservice, huge inventory, flexible payment and shipment. More information about router-switch.com can be found at http://www.router-switch.com/. For ongoing Cisco info, please go to
Blog.router-switch.com---News, tutorials, tips, info & thoughts on Developments in the Cisco, Cisco network, IT, Software & Network Hardware Industry

More Related Router-switch.com News:
Router-switch.com Announced Its Newly Redesigned Website
“Router Switch”, Our New Company Landing in U.S.—Professional Cisco Supply Service is Around You
Router-switch.com: A Batch of New Cisco Network Equipment Surprises the Coming Christmas Day
Router-Switch.com Uploaded Thousands of New Cisco Products
http://blog.router-switch.com/2011/11/router-switch-com-uploaded-thousands-of-new-cisco-products/

2012年7月11日星期三

Network Switches: Functions & Role in Networks


A network switch or switching hub is a computer networking device that connects multiple computers together within one local area network (LAN). Technically, network switches operate at layer two (Data Link Layer) of the OSI model.

The network switch commonly refers to a multi-port network bridge that processes and routes data at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI model. Switches that additionally process data at the network layer (layer 3) and above are often referred to as layer-3 switches or multilayer switches.

Function of Network Switch
A network switch is a telecommunication device which receives a message from any device connected to it and then transmits the message only to that device for which the message was meant. This makes the switch a more intelligent device than hub (which receives a message and then transmits it all the other devices on its network). The network switch plays an integral part in most modern Ethernet local area networks (LANs). Mid-to-large sized LANs contain a number of linked managed switches. Small office/home office (SOHO) applications typically use a single switch, or an all-purpose converged device such as a residential gateway to access small office/home broadband services such as DSL or cable internet. In most of these cases, the end-user device contains a router and components that interface to the particular physical broadband technology. User devices may also include a telephone interface for VoIP.

An Ethernet switch operates at the data link layer of the OSI model to create a separate collision domain for each switch port. With 4 computers (e.g., A, B, C, and D) on 4 switch ports, A and B can transfer data back and forth, while C and D also do so simultaneously, and the two conversations will not interfere with one another. In the case of a hub, they would all share the bandwidth and run in half duplex, resulting in collisions, which would then necessitate retransmissions. Using a switch is called microsegmentation. This allows computers to have dedicated bandwidth on a point-to-point connection to the network and to therefore run in full duplex without collisions.

Role of Switches in Networks
Switches may operate at one or more layers of the OSI model, including data link and network. A device that operates simultaneously at more than one of these layers is known as a multilayer switch.

In switches intended for commercial use, built-in or modular interfaces make it possible to connect different types of networks, including Ethernet, Fibre Channel, ATM, ITU-T G.hn and 802.11. This connectivity can be at any of the layers mentioned. While layer-2 functionality is adequate for bandwidth-shifting within one technology, interconnecting technologies such as Ethernet and token ring is easier at layer 3.

Devices that interconnect at layer 3 are traditionally called routers, so layer-3 switches can also be regarded as (relatively primitive) routers.

In some service provider and other environments where there is a need for a great deal of analysis of network performance and security, switches may be connected between WAN routers as places for analytic modules. Some vendors provide firewallnetwork intrusion detection,[4] and performance analysis modules that can plug into switch ports. Some of these functions may be on combined modules.

In other cases, the switch is used to create a mirror image of data that can go to an external device. Since most switch port mirroring provides only one mirrored stream, network hubs can be useful for fanning out data to several read-only analyzers, such as intrusion detection systems and packet sniffers.

Layer-specific Functionality
While switches may learn about topologies at many layers, and forward at one or more layers, they do tend to have common features. Other than for high-performance applications, modern commercial switches use primarily Ethernet interfaces.

At any layer, a modern switch may implement power over Ethernet (PoE), which avoids the need for attached devices, such as a VoIP phone or wireless access point, to have a separate power supply. Since switches can have redundant power circuits connected to uninterruptible power supplies, the connected device can continue operating even when regular office power fails.

Layer 1 Hubs vs. higher-layer switches
A network hub, or repeater, is a simple network device. Hubs do not manage any of the traffic that comes through them. Any packet entering a port is broadcast out or "repeated" on every other port, except for the port of entry. Since every packet is repeated on every other port, packet collisions affect the entire network, limiting its capacity.

There are specialized applications where a hub can be useful, such as copying traffic to multiple network sensors. High end switches have a feature which does the same thing called port mirroring.

By the early 2000s, there was little price difference between a hub and a low-end switch.

Layer 2
A network bridge, operating at the data link layer, may interconnect a small number of devices in a home or the office. This is a trivial case of bridging, in which the bridge learns the MAC address of each connected device.

Single bridges also can provide extremely high performance in specialized applications such as storage area networks.

Classic bridges may also interconnect using a spanning tree protocol that disables links so that the resulting local area network is a tree without loops. In contrast to routers, spanning tree bridges must have topologies with only one active path between two points. The older IEEE 802.1D spanning tree protocol could be quite slow, with forwarding stopping for 30 seconds while the spanning tree would reconverge. A Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol was introduced as IEEE 802.1w, but the newest edition of IEEE 802.1D adopts the 802.1w extensions as the base standard.

The IETF is specifying the TRILL protocol, which is the application of link-state routing technology to the layer-2 bridging problem. Devices which implement TRILL, called RBridges, combine the best features of both routers and bridges.

While layer 2 switch remains more of a marketing term than a technical term,[citation needed] the products that were introduced as "switches" tended to use microsegmentation and Full duplex to prevent collisions among devices connected to Ethernet. By using an internal forwarding plane much faster than any interface, they give the impression of simultaneous paths among multiple devices.

Once a bridge learns the topology through a spanning tree protocol, it forwards data link layer frames using a layer 2 forwarding method. There are four forwarding methods a bridge can use, of which the second through fourth method were performance-increasing methods when used on "switch" products with the same input and output port bandwidths:
Store and forward: The switch buffers and verifies each frame before forwarding it.
Cut through: The switch reads only up to the frame's hardware address before starting to forward it. Cut-through switches have to fall back to store and forward if the outgoing port is busy at the time the packet arrives. There is no error checking with this method.
Fragment free: A method that attempts to retain the benefits of both store and forward and cut through. Fragment free checks the first 64 bytes of the frame, where addressing information is stored. According to Ethernet specifications, collisions should be detected during the first 64 bytes of the frame, so frames that are in error because of a collision will not be forwarded. This way the frame will always reach its intended destination. Error checking of the actual data in the packet is left for the end device.
Adaptive switching: A method of automatically selecting between the other three modes.

While there are specialized applications, such as storage area networks, where the input and output interfaces are the same bandwidth, this is not always the case in general LAN applications. In LANs, a switch used for end user access typically concentrates lower bandwidth and uplinks into a higher bandwidth.

Layer 3
Within the confines of the Ethernet physical layer, a layer-3 switch can perform some or all of the functions normally performed by a router. The most common layer-3 capability is awareness of IP multicast through IGMP snooping. With this awareness, a layer-3 switch can increase efficiency by delivering the traffic of a multicast group only to ports where the attached device has signaled that it wants to listen to that group.

Layer 4
While the exact meaning of the term layer-4 switch is vendor-dependent, it almost always starts with a capability for network address translation, but then adds some type of load distribution based on TCP sessions.

The device may include a stateful firewall, a VPN concentrator, or be an IPSec security gateway.

Layer 7
Layer-7 switches may distribute loads based on Uniform Resource Locator URL or by some installation-specific technique to recognize application-level transactions. A layer-7 switch may include a web cache and participate in a content delivery network.

Types of switches
Form factor
  • Desktop, not mounted in an enclosure, typically intended to be used in a home or office environment outside of a wiring closet
  • Rack mounted - A switch that mounts in an equipment rack
  • Chassis - with swappable module cards
  • DIN rail mounted - normally seen in industrial environments or panels

Configuration options
Unmanaged switches — these switches have no configuration interface or options. They are plugandplay. They are typically the least expensive switches, found in home, SOHO, or small businesses. They can be desktop or rack mounted.

Managed switches — these switches have one or more methods to modify the operation of the switch. Common management methods include: a command-line interface (CLI) accessed via serial console, telnet or Secure Shell, an embedded Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent allowing management from a remote console or management station, or a web interface for management from a web browser. Examples of configuration changes that one can do from a managed switch include: enable features such as Spanning Tree Protocol, set port bandwidth, create or modify Virtual LANs (VLANs), etc. Two sub-classes of managed switches are marketed today:

Smart (or intelligent) switches — these are managed switches with a limited set of management features. Likewise "web-managed" switches are switches which fall in a market niche between unmanaged and managed. For a price much lower than a fully managed switch they provide a web interface (and usually no CLI access) and allow configuration of basic settings, such as VLANs, port-bandwidth and duplex.

Enterprise Managed (or fully managed) switches — these have a full set of management features, including CLI, SNMP agent, and web interface. They may have additional features to manipulate configurations, such as the ability to display, modify, backup and restore configurations. Compared with smart switches, enterprise switches have more features that can be customized or optimized, and are generally more expensive than smart switches. Enterprise switches are typically found in networks with larger number of switches and connections, where centralized management is a significant savings in administrative time and effort. A stackable switch is a version of enterprise-managed switch.

Traffic Monitoring on a Switched Network
Unless port mirroring or other methods such as RMON, SMON or sFlow are implemented in a switch,[10] it is difficult to monitor traffic that is bridged using a switch because only the sending and receiving ports can see the traffic. These monitoring features are rarely present on consumer-grade switches.

Two popular methods that are specifically designed to allow a network analyst to monitor traffic are:
Port mirroring — the switch sends a copy of network packets to a monitoring network connection.
SMON — "Switch Monitoring" is described by RFC 2613 and is a protocol for controlling facilities such as port mirroring.

Another method to monitor may be to connect a layer-1 hub between the monitored device and its switch port. This will induce minor delay, but will provide multiple interfaces that can be used to monitor the individual switch port.

Typical Switch Management Features
HP Procurve rack-mounted switches mounted in a standard Telco Rack 19-inch rack with network cables
Turn particular port range on or off
Link bandwidth and duplex settings
Priority settings for ports
IP Management by IP Clustering.
MAC filtering and other types of "port security" features which prevent MAC flooding
Use of Spanning Tree Protocol
SNMP monitoring of device and link health
Port mirroring (also known as: port monitoring, spanning port, SPAN port, roving analysis port or link mode port)
Link aggregation (also known as bonding, trunking or teaming)
VLAN settings
802.1X network access control
IGMP snooping

Link aggregation allows the use of multiple ports for the same connection achieving higher data transfer rates. Creating VLANs can serve security and performance goals by reducing the size of the broadcast domain.
More Reading at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_switch
related articles:WS-C2960S-48TS-L , WS-C2960S-24TS-L, WS-C2960S-48FPS-L, WS-C2960S-48LPS-L, WS-C2960S-24PS-L