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Interoperability Report – Alcatel-Lucent, v1.0 12013-04-24

INTEROPERABILITY REPORT

Alcatel-Lucent OT8118/8128

Extricom MultiSeries 500/1000 WLAN Controllers & EXRP-30n/-40En Access Points

Extricom version 4.5.09

Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8 version 2.6.6

April 2013

8AL90478USAA Ed.01


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TABLE OF CONTENT:

INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................3

About Alcatel-Lucent ................................................................................................................. 3

Extricom .................................................................................................................................... 3

SITE INFORMATION ....................................................................................................................4 Test Topology ........................................................................................................................... 4

SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................5 Known issues ............................................................................................................................ 6

Compatibility information .......................................................................................................... 6

General conclusion ................................................................................................................... 6

TEST RESULTS ............................................................................................................................7

Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8 WLAN Infrastructure Verification – VoWiFi ......................................... 7 Test Areas ................................................................................................................................ 8

APPENDIX A: TEST CONFIGURATIONS ....................................................................................9

Extricom MultiSeries 500/1000 WLAN Controllers & EXRP-30n/-40En Access Points ............ 9

ESS, Radio and QoS settings ............................................................................................... 9

Setting up WPA2-Enterprise/802.1X ................................................................................... 13

Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8 ........................................................................................................... 15 802.11b/g/n ......................................................................................................................... 15 802.11a/n ............................................................................................................................ 16

APPENDIX B: DETAILED TEST RECORDS .............................................................................. 17


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INTRODUCTION

This interoperability report describes test results and optimal configuration of the Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8in an Extricom WLAN environment.

The document should be used in conjunction with configuration guide(s) from Extricom and Alcatel-Lucent.

About Alcatel -Lucent

The Alcatel-Lucent OmniTouch 8118/8128 WLAN handsets offer a sleeker design, high-resolution color

TFT display (OT8128), IP44 compliant construction, and longer battery time. OT 8118/8128 handsetscan be managed over-the-air (OTA) and are designed to interoperate within a Wi-Fi network. With theOT 8118/8128 WLAN handsets, users get a mobile device for voice conversations, text messaging andalarms from Alcatel-Lucent Call Servers and third party Alarm servers.

Extricom

a About Extr icom:Extricom is a manufacturer of 4th generation enterprise wireless LAN solutions, based on its ChannelBlanket™ technology. While adhering to the 802.11 a/b/g/n standard, Extricom’s patented, Interference-Free architecture takes a completely new approach to the way the infrastructure is deployed. TheChannel Blanket topology provides wire-like reliability, high throughput, seamless mobility, unparalleled

noise immunity, and is easy to install and maintain. In an era of intensive wireless usage powered by themarket explosion of smart phones, iPads, iPods, tablets and other communication devices, voice, data,video, and location services are delivered with an always-on, robust and mobile Wi-Fi connection to anyclient, in any environment. Extricom Interference-Free™ WLAN is purpose-built to slash wirelesscomplexity and future-proof your network for tomorrow’s multi-service demands.

Extricom solutions are in use by customers operating in numerous industries worldwide, includingEducation, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Logistics and Warehousing, Retail and public venues. They havediscovered the uncompromising performance, reliability and ease of ownership that are the hallmark ofthe Extricom WLAN.

Extricom serves its growing global customer base through offices in the USA, Europe and Japan, and byworking with a global network of distributors and partners.

For more information, visit us at www.extricom.com.

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SITE INFORMATION

Test Site(s): Ascom HQGothenburgSweden

Extricom Ltd.Tel-AvivIsrael

Participant(s):

Matthew Williams (Ascom HQ, SE)Toni Freger (Extricom, IL)

……Roaming scenarios between channel blankets were carried out by Toni Freger (Extricom, IL)

Test Topology


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SUMMARY


WLAN Controller FeaturesHigh Level Functionality Result

Association, Open with No Encryption OK

Association, WPA-PSK, TKIP OK

Association, WPA2-PSK, TKIP / AES Encryption OK

Association, PEAP-MSCHAPv2 Auth., AES Encryption OK

Association with EAP-TLS authentication OK

Association, Multiple ESSIDs OK

Beacon Interval and DTIM Period OK*Preauthentication OK**

PMKSA Caching OK**

WPA2-opportunistic/proactive Key Caching OK**

WMM Prioritization OK

802.11 Power-save OK

802.11e U-APSD OK

Active Mode (load test) OK

802.11e U-APSD (load test) OK

*) Beacon interval cannot be changed through the web GUI (default: 100ms)**) Tested by Extricom (enabled by default)

RoamingHigh Level Functionality Result

Roaming, Open with No Encryption OK*

Roaming, WPA-PSK, TKIP Encryption OK*

Roaming, WPA2-PSK, AES Encryption OK*

Roaming, PEAP-MSCHAPv2 Auth, AES Encryption OK*

*) Roaming within channel blankets is handled entirely by controller, hence the absence of handover times.

Roaming between channel blankets is supported as successful tests have been carried out by Extricom. Approximate handover times: OPEN 35-70ms and WPA2-PSK/AES 100-140ms

Refer to “Appendix B” for detailed records concerning this interoperability validation.


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Known issues

• In comparison with traditional multiple channel deployments, battery lifetime of the Alcatel-LucentOT81x8 is shorter than normal (up to 30% less)

• In 802.11g/n mode, b-rates are still advertised in beacons. In a future release, Extricom willintroduce the possibility to enable/disable b-rates on an 802.11g/n radio/blanket as a user optionin the web GUI. Until then, Alcatel-Lucent recommends 802.11b/g/n mode where the basic rate isset to 11Mbps and lower data rates are disabled.

For additional information regarding the known issues please contact Alcatel-Lucent support.

Compatibility information

Validation at Ascom HQ in Gothenburg was carried out in an environment involving an ExtricomMultiSeries 1000 (EXSW-400G) WLAN controller that ran software version 4.5.09 and EXRP-30n accesspoints. As a result, this report is applicable to controllers on the same software version and access pointsincorporating the same radio chip.

The following Extricom hardware is supported:

Compatible controllersMultiSeries 500MultiSeries 1000

Compatible access pointsEXRP-30nEXRP-40En

General conclusion

With the exception of battery lifetime, verified test areas, such as authentication, association, handoverand load tests, all produced good results. The roaming experience, no matter whether employing PSKand 802.1X, was fully acceptable. Please note that roaming within a single channel blanket is handledentirely by the WLAN controller.

As mentioned, the outcome of load tests was very good. In both active and U-APSD modes, it waspossible to maintain twelve simultaneous calls per AP without any noticeable deterioration of voicequality. This number was not imposed by a limitation of capacity, but rather phones available at the timeof testing. Keep in mind that a baseline of ten calls per AP is quite adequate for most deployments.


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TEST RESULTS

Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8 WLAN Infrastructure Verification – VoWiFi

Software Versions:

• Extricom software v 4.5.09

• Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8 v 2.6.6

Configuration of WLAN System:

• Beacon Interval: 100ms

• Beacon Rate Control: normal (default)

• DTIM Period: 5• 802.11b/g/n: Channel 1

• 802.11a/n: Channel 36

• WMM/ U-APSD Enabled

• 802.11d Regulatory Domain: SE

Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8 Configuration:

• World Mode Regulatory Domain set to World mode (802.11d).

• IP DSCP for Voice: 0x30 (48) – Class Selector 6

• IP DSCP for Signaling: 0x1A (26) – Assured Forwarding 31

• Transmit Gratuitous ARP: Enable

•

De-authenticate on Roam: Enable• Roaming Methodology: System-aided roaming

Note: Security options, RF and power save modes were adjusted according to requirements in individualtest cases.

Please refer to “Appendix A” for information regarding device configuration.


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Test Areas

Association and Authentication: 100% pass (7/7)

• WPA-AES not configurable via web GUI

• WPA-TKIP possible when selecting TKIP without “WPA2 only”

• Controller with this particular software only supports non-DFS channels in 802.11 a/n mode,avoid channel bonding when available non-DFS channels are scarce

• 802.11g/n (or n/g) mode will still advertise b-rates in beacons, Alcatel-Lucent recommendsb/g/n mode instead

• FreeRadius used in the test cases where an authentication server was needed

Power Save and QoS: 100 % pass (4/4)

• DSCP for voice set to CS6 (default on controller, can be modified)

• WMM and U-APSD cannot be disabled in “any” 802.11n mode

“ Performance” : 100% pass (3/3)

• 12 active calls per single radio verified in active and U-APSD mode

• Load tests done with iPerf and actual FTP file transfers, no noticeable deterioration of voicequality

Roaming and Handover Times: 100% pass (4/4)

• Pre-Authentication is supported but not applicable in a single controller environment (testedby Extricom)

• PMKSA and opportunistic/proactive key caching are supported, but could not be tested.(roaming between channel blankets tested by Extricom)

Battery Lifetime: 100% pass (3/3)

• >60hrs in idle mode

• >3hrs in-call in active mode

• >9hrs in-call in U-APSD mode

Stability: 100% pass (2/2)

• Stable call for the duration of >60hrs in active mode

• Stable call for the duration of >60hrs in U-APSD mode

802.11n features: 802.11a/n 100% Pass (2/2), 802.11b/g/n 100% Pass (1/1)

• Channel bonding in 802.11b/g/n mode is not recommended by Alcatel-Lucent

Virtually all tests were performed in both 802.11b/g/n and 802.11a/n mode.Please keep in mind that metrics do NOT account for “see comments” and “untested” cases.


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APPENDIX A: TEST CONFIGURATIONS


In the following appendix, you will find screenshots and explanations of basic settings in order to get theExtricom solution operational with Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8.

Configuration files are found at the end of each section.

ESS, Radio and QoS settings

WLAN Settings > ESSID Definition

- The screen shot above serves as a baseline for ESSID settings


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WLAN Settings > Radios

- Don’t forget to select the 802.11d Regulatory Domain (or “Country”).- Click on “More Options” to configure basic rates

WLAN Settings > Radios > More Options

- The screen shot above serves as a baseline for 802.11a/n (left) and 802.11b/g/n (right) radiosettings. Please note the lowest basic rate for respective radio bands.

- At the time of validation, the controller only supported non-DFS channels 36,40,44,48 in the5GHz band, avoid channel bonding (20/40MHz) when available non-DFS channels are scarce(see “red box”)

Note: Alcatel-Lucent does not recommend 802.11g/n mode at this moment in time (see “Known Issues”,p.6).


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WLAN Settings > ESSID Assignments.

- Make sure that the ESSID is assigned to the appropriate radio

WLAN Settings > Radios > WMM > DiffServ to WMM.

- Voice packets should be prioritized in the network. Per default, Class Selector 6 is mapped to thehigh priority queue “Voice”, while Expedited Forwarding isn’t.

Note: Whenever in 802.11n mode, WMM/U-APSD is enabled by default on the controller.


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WLAN Settings > Radios > WMM > WMM to DiffServ.

- Leave mapping from WMM to DiffServ at its defaults. Ideally DSCP markings should be trusted inorder to facilitate appropriate mapping to WMM at the other end.

Note: U-APSD is strongly recommended since it will boost the battery performance dramatically.

System Tools > Apply

- Finally, don’t forget to apply configuration changes.


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Setting up WPA2-Enterpr ise/802.1X

WLAN Settings > ESSID Definition > RADIUS

- Add details of the RADIUS server to the profile.- Type in the “secret” that corresponds to the secret configured on the server-side.

Note: Both root and client certificates are required for TLS. Otherwise, only the root certificate will suffice.

WLAN Settings > ESSID Definition > ESSID Settings

- Select “WPA/WPA2–Enterprise” with the options “WPA2 Only” and “AES Only” to ensure AES-CCMP encryption.

- Make sure that the corresponding RADIUS profile also is selected (“Radius”).

Note: Proactive/Opportunistic Key caching must be active when roaming between channel blankets.Without key caching, a full EAP exchange is executed every time the handset roams, which may degrade

the user experience during an active call.


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Please refer to Extr icom ’s docum entat ion for explanat ions of var ious set t ings in the web GUI.

MultiSeries 1000 configuration:


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Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8

802.11b/g/n

Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8 Network configuration (802.11b/g/n).


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802.11a/n

Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8 Network configuration (802.11a/n).

General guidelines when deploy ing Alcatel-Lucent OT81x8 handsets (SW version 2.5.7 or later) in802.11a/n environments:

1. Enabling more than 8 channels will degrade roaming performance. Alcatel-lucent stronglyrecommends against going above this lim it.

2. Using 40 MHz channels (or “ channel-bonding” ) will reduce the number of non-DFS*channels to two in ETSI regions (Europe). In FCC regions (North America), 40MHz is amore viable option because of the availability of additional non-DFS channels. Thehandset can co-exist wi th 40MHz stations in the same ESS.

3. Make sure that all non-DFS channel are taken before resort ing to DFS channels. Thehandset can cope in mixed non-DFS and DFS environments; however, due to“ unpredictability” introduced by radar detection protocols , voice quality may becomedistorted and roaming delayed. Hence Alcatel-Lucent recommends avoiding the use ofDFS channels in VoWIFI deployments.

*) Dynamic Frequency Selection (radar detection)


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APPENDIX B: DETAILED TEST RECORDS

Alcatel_lucent VoWIFIPass 25(24)*

Fail 0

Comments 5(6)*

Untested 4

Total 34

*) an(bgn)

Raw VoWIFI Test

Results


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Document History

Rev Date Author Descript ion

R1 2013-04-24 SEKMO ALE revision R1

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