Linux Unwired [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Chapter 5. Configuring Access Points with Linux

So you've purchased an access point. You brought
it home from the store, broke open the packaging, discarded all of
the extraneous bits of fluff, and you're likely left
with an access point, a power supply, an Ethernet cable and a CD that
says "Windows Software
Installation."

This chapter explains how to avoid this scenario. While there are
vendors of wireless equipment that still expect you to configure
their gear from a Windows PC, there are many alternatives for the
Linux user.

Many of the early access points from vendors, such as
WaveLAN/Lucent/Orinoco, Linksys, and others, required an external
setup program. With few exceptions, these setup and configuration
programs ran only under Windows. However, as the price of wireless
equipment continued to drop and access points began to be marketed to
home users, a number of vendors chose to make their equipment
configurable with a web browser.

There are also several manufacturers that allow Telnet access for
configuration of their access points. One thing
you're unlikely to find, however, is SSH-enabled
access. As of this writing, there are no commercial access points
capable of SSH. However, at least one company is producing wireless
routers that operate using a Linux kernel. Several organizations have
built custom firmware for these boxes that include SSH daemons. See
Chapter 6 for details.