Wireless (WiFi) Frequently Asked Questions

Wireless (WiFi) Frequently Asked Questions
Document Number: 54203

Wireless networking is being enabled on wireless-capable PeopleSoft-issued machines.

What does wireless do for me?
What do I need to use wireless?
Where can I connect?
How do I connect?

Legacy JD Edwards Wireless Frequently Asked Questions

What does wireless do for me?

Wireless networking provides users with increased flexibility and productivity when working offsite. Internet access via wireless services is becoming more prevalent in areas such as hotels, airports, and cafes. Support is limited to the enabling of the WiFi adapters on laptops already equipped with a wireless network adapter. Once activated, IT will only support the drivers and software loaded on the laptop and will verify that the laptop is able to transmit and receive via its wireless adapter.

Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) is a technology that uses radio waves instead of wires to transmit data. The current standards are 802.11a, 802.11b or 802.11g.

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What do I need to use wireless?

To use wireless you will need a machine equipped with a WiFi wireless network card. In the legacy J.D. PeopleSoft supports only those machines that were delivered with that card. Those machines include IBM ThinkPad X31, T40, T41; Toshiba Portege 2000, 2010, R100; Toshiba Tecra 9100, 8200, M1 and some 9000s. The wireless card will be enabled for new builds. For current builds there is a button in the software library to enable wireless. See Eureka! document 54204 — Wireless (WIFI) Install and Set-up.

To make a connection you will need a service set identification (SSID). This is an ID that allows you to access the wireless LAN in a facility. You will need to get the SSID information from the wireless point provider. Note: Do not download any software from a wireless provider's web site. The provider might imply that the software is necessary to use the wireless connection. This is not true. Provider software has been known to crash laptops and some may contain Spy and/or Ad ware.

At this time, IT has not expanded support to any wireless adapters or cards beyond the internal wireless driver, and those network Aironet cards provided to legacy JD Edwards employees. (Any cards purchased or installed independently of the IT installation are not supported by PeopleSoft IT at this time.)

The Configuration Utilities are found :

1. Toshiba Tecra 8200, 9000, 9100, and Portege 2000, 2010. ("E5D7 MiniPCMCIA card").

Select Start, then Programs. Select Toshiba Wireless Solution then Client Manager.

2. Toshiba Tecra M1 and Portege R100. IBM T40, T41 and X31.

Go to Start, select Programs, select Intel Network Adapters, select Intel(R) PROSet for Wireless.

Both utilities do have a help file.

For more information on PeopleSoft's wireless support policy see Eureka! document 54201 — TSO Wireless (WiFi) Support Policy.

Where can I connect?

You can connect (1) via third party provided hot spot or (2) using the PeopleSoft provided wireless network LAN at PeopleSoft in Denver, Charlotte or Toronto.

A hot spot is a location such as a hotel, airport, coffee shop, or other facility that has a WiFi network available for consumer use. You can use any 802.11b compatible access point (hot spot) by third party providers. Because of differences in standards and security there is no support available for connections by third party providers. You can locate these "hot spot" connections by simply turning on the radio. You can also open the configuration utility and scan manually.

You can also access wireless points within the PeopleSoft environment. For more information see Eureka! document 52502 — Legacy J.D. Edwards wireless LAN environment.

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How do I connect?

If you need to enable your wireless card see Eureka! document 54204 — Wireless (WIFI) Install and Set-up.

Enable the Wireless Antennae.

Toshiba Portege R100, 2000 and 2010 there is a manual switch on the right edge of the machine, near the front.
Toshiba Tecra 8200, 9000, 9100, M1 there is a manual switch on the front of the machine.
IBM X31, T40 and T41 In the system tray it may look like this: (radio is off) (radio is on, not connected to network).
1. right-click the icon in the system tray.
2. Select Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2100 LAN 3B Mini PCI Adapter.
3. Select Switch Radio On
4. If you don't see the system tray icon:
5. Go to Start, select Programs, select Intel Network Adapters, select Intel(R) PROSet for Wireless.
6. Next to Switch radio, click the button for on.
7. { Fn}+{ F5} should also work to toggle the radio on and off.

The wireless card should automatically detect available wireless network connections. You can use this link to find a hot spot.

You are responsible for additional learning information you may need to connect to a specific network. Except for PeopleSoft provided connections this information cannot be provided to you by PeopleSoft IT. Availability at PeopleSoft is limited to the Legacy J.D. Edwards Wireless LAN Environment.

Leaving Wireless Enabled consumes power and may interfere with other network connections. You should not use wireless when other network connections are available. Therefore you should turn off wireless when you are not using it.

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Legacy JD Edwards Wireless Frequently Asked Questions

Note: This document is relevant for Legacy J.D. Edwards Employees and/or machines only. The steps contained in this document are not to be implemented by Legacy PeopleSoft Employees, nor the software/hardware discussed herein installed or attached to Legacy PeopleSoft Equipment.

Question: Can I use my Cisco wireless card at home?
Answer: Yes, if you have an 802.11b type wireless LAN at home. You will need to configure the card through the Aironet Client Utility for your home wireless LAN setup. See Home Setup – Wireless LAN FAQ for details.

Question: I have a wireless card that I use at home – can I use it at work?
Answer: The only wireless cards that will work on the legacy J.D. Edwards wireless network are Cisco Aironet 340 or 350 cards. Any other vendor’s card will not work.

Question: How do I get wireless for use at work?
Answer: If you are currently on a floor that has a wireless Access Point, you will need a Cisco Aironet 340 or 350 card, part number AIR-PCM352.
If you are on a floor that does not have a wireless Access Point there will be no new installations of wireless in the PeopleSoft network at this time.

Question: Does Cisco have a wireless client for handhelds?
Answer: Cisco does provide the Aironet Client Utility for PocketPC but does not support PalmOS.

Question: Can legacy non-J.D. Edwards employees get on the JDE wireless network?
Answer: No, the legacy J.D. Edwards wireless network is for employee use only.

Question: Do we have any areas where a vendor/business partner/customer can get public wireless access?
Answer: Not currently.

Question: Can I roam between floors and buildings with my wireless card?
Answer: If you are moving from a “wireless” floor to another wireless floor, then yes, roaming is supported – there should be no loss of service. If you move to a floor that does not have an AP, then you will lose network connectivity. Roaming between buildings is currently not possible.

Question: Will my wireless card work at a customer’s site?
Answer: If the customer already has an 802.11b wireless network in place and you are given permissions, an SSID and/or WEP keys, then you will be able to get on their wireless network. Many implementations for wireless LAN require a security mechanism beyond WEP, for example, tunneling wireless traffic over an IPSec tunnel.

Question: What health risks are associated with wireless LAN traffic?
Answer: So far, there has been no conclusive answer. Radio-based networks, however, appear to be just as safe or safer than cellular phones. There is little or no risk in using cellular phones, which operate in frequency bands immediately below wireless networks. Wireless network components should be even safer than cellular phones because they operate at lower power levels, typically between 50 and 100 milliwatts, compared to the 600 milliwatts to 3 watt range of cellular phones. In addition, wireless network components usually transmit for shorter periods of time.

Question: What is Bluetooth? Does it interfere with 802.11b wireless LANs?
Answer: Bluetooth is a wireless specification published by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, with some big promoters including 3COM, Ericsson, IBM, Intel®, Microsoft®, Toshiba. Bluetooth is not a wireless LAN, but a personal area network (PAN). IT is a radio solution that provides connectivity between Bluetooth enabled devices, such as handhelds and mobile phones.
Bluetooth and 802.11b operate in the same 2.4GHz unlicensed radio band and theoretically, can interfere with each other’s signal. I have not seen any reports of this occurring from user testing. If interference occurs, the likelihood is that Bluetooth products will jam the operation of 802.11 and not the other way around. The reason is that Bluetooth hops through frequencies 600 times faster than 802.11. While an 802.11 device is transmitting on a particular frequency, a nearby Bluetooth product will most likely interfere with the 802.11 transmission many times before the 802.11 device hops to the next frequency. This barrage of radio signals emanating from Bluetooth products could seriously degrade the operation of an 802.11 network.

Question: What are other source of interference?
Answer: Microwave ovens operate in the same frequency band that 802.11b wireless LANs use to transmit and receive.