Wi-Fi Planet Conference & Expo, Baltimore, MD

Pre-Conference Workshop Agenda*
Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Track: W-A Track: W-B Track: W-C Track: W-D

8:00am - 5:00pm

Registration

TRACK: W-A

9:30am - 11:30am

Wireless LANs: Technologies, Architectures, Issues and Directions
The rapid evolution of wireless LANs, the IEEE 802.11 standard, and the activities of the Wi-Fi Alliance show no signs of slowing down. With that in mind, this tutorial is designed to bring you up to date on the latest advances in wireless LAN technologies, products, standards activities, and architectures--and where all of this is leading over the next few years. If you're involved in specifying, selecting, installing, analyzing, or managing WLANs, this is great opportunity to learn about the latest development in Wi-Fi, and how to build a wireless plan (and a wireless network) that will grow with your organization even as the WLAN landscape changes.
Topics to be discussed:

The 802.11 standard - where are we now, and what's next?
WLAN architectures - distributed, centralized, dense, and mesh
How VoIP over Wi-Fi becomes common in the enterprise
Management challenges and the rise of integrated wireless LANs
WLAN competition: UWB and WiMAX
Future directions - WLAN ubiquity and gigabit speeds

Speaker:
Craig J. Mathias, Principal, Farpoint Group

11:45am - 1:00pm

Lunch and Seminar

1:15pm - 3:15pm

Open-Source Mesh Networks *
* (with VoWiFi)
LocustWorld is a free, open-source mesh networking system developed in the United Kingdom and currently in use on six of the world's seven continents. The LocustWorld software will run on any PC compatible hardware (but is optimized for use on VIA's mini-ITX platform).

WISP's using the LocustWorld system can expect to have access points with all of the features of traditional, proprietary mesh systems, but a typical LocustWorld access point usually costs no more than $500, as compared to price tags in the of $3,500 range for most of the proprietary systems.

The standard LocustWorld software has built-in RADIUS and a centralized management server. It uses 2048 bit PPK encryption for key exchanges between nodes, and forms 128-bit AES VPN tunnels for traffic passing between the nodes. It also supports QoS for voice traffic, and in conjunction with the Asterisk open-source PBX, can support feature-rich VoWiFi service.

The president and co-founder of Fastline Internet, the first wireless ISP in the United States to deploy a mesh network using the LocustWorld System, shows you the ropes and gets you firmly on the road to your own mesh-based network with VoWiFi.
Instructor:
Larry Rhea, CEO, StarNet Online Systems, Director of Mercury Computer

3:15pm - 3:30pm

Afternoon Break

3:30pm - 5:30pm

Wi-Fi Fear Factor: Ranking the Criticality of Today's Wi-Fi Security Issues
A spate of "critical" security issues--largely touted by WLAN equipment and security vendors--have garnered headlines in recent months, leaving potential purchasers of the technology asking the question, "what does this mean to me?" The inadequacies of WEP have been chronicled for years, but more recently the "Queensland Denial of Service Attack" was ballyhooed in May and the "Radius Server vulnerability" grabbed headlines in late July. Exactly how serious are these and other problems for network managers and end users, and what truly are the greatest dangers facing wireless LAN users today? To what extent will 802.11i solve the problems that do exist today? Based on a poll of 2000+ customers, Jesse will present specific security case studies illustrating the most critical roadbocks and pitfalls experienced by financial, healthcare, government and retail organizations.
Instructor:
Jesse Frankel, Director of Systems Engineering, AirMagnet, Inc.

TRACK: W-B

9:30am - 11:30am

Building a Hotspot
Providing public Wi-Fi connections to patrons is far more complicated than simply hooking an access point up to a broadband connection. Beyond just deciding if you want to actually try and make money as a hotspot—a proposition that brings along a whole slew of complications like billing—you also have to factor in things like backhaul, security, authentication, support, roaming partnerships and more. We'll have the pros show you the basics needed from hardware to software to the services that can keep a public access WLAN running smoothly without your constant attention.
Instructor:
Dario Laverde, Founder, Mediatracker.com Software

11:45am - 1:00pm

Lunch and Seminar

1:15pm - 3:15pm

RFID: The Technology, the Dream and Current Realities, Part 1: Introduction
Radio frequency identification - or RFID - is now real and going live in 2005. No more hype. Implementations of first generation systems are launching and changes are already happening in the space. This session will provide an introduction to the technology and explore the potential beyond WalMart and the DoD. This two-hour session will cover:

RFID in Action! - the market potential and applications beyond the supply chain
RFID Tags background - all shapes, sizes and uses
RFID standards bodies, including EPCGlobal
The hardware components of an RFID system - tags, readers, antennas and networks
RFID Printing and Labeling
Middleware Introduction - the software and hardware layers that pull it all together
Who's Who in the RFID market, a technology vendor roadmap

Instructors:
Fran Rabuck, President, Rabuck Associates
Jim Del Rossi, Chief Engagement Manager - RFID, Sun Microsystems
Tuomo Rutanen, VP, Business Development, Ekahau, Inc.
Timothy McGilloway, RFID Specialist, Printronix, Inc.

3:15pm - 3:30pm

Afternoon Break

3:30pm - 5:30pm

RFID: The Technology, the Dream, and Current Realities, Part 2: Beyond the Basics
This two-hour session will build on Part 1 - RFID Intro. In this session, we'll go into the details and provide examples of RFID technology. We'll go beyond the theory and explain the real life issues discovered and to be considered for implementations.

Architecture details of EPCGlobal - ONS (Object Name Service), EPC-IS (formerly PML) and Application Level Event (ALE) Interface explained
RFID system performance and optimization techniques
The EPC Gen II standard and migration issues to consider
Handheld readers an overview
RFID demonstrations
Data measurements, collection and management
Security and privacy concerns explained
Going Pro - Upcoming RFID Professional Certification from CompTIA

Instructor:
Suresh Biligiri, Sr. Director, Business Development, RFID4U

TRACK: W-C

WLAN Security Workshop:
Stopping WLAN Attacks Using Proactive Assessment
How can you effectively reduce wireless security risks to your network, data and users? The key is finding and fixing your own vulnerabilities through self-assessment. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn how to apply a proactive security stance to protect your network from wireless-borne attack. You will use discovery, analysis, and penetration test tools to learn the art of self-assessment, learning steps that can be taken to close and reduce exposures. Risks related to known attacks will be explained, taking WLAN security from textbook "FUD" to practical action plans.

Using WLAN intrusion detection systems, you will learn how to monitor security incidents, investigate anomalous behavior, and differentiate between average errors and potential attacks. By the close of the day, you will be prepared to assess and protect your own WLAN's vulnerabilities. Armed with hands-on, practical experience using a number of WLAN security measures, you will understand how these tools can help you defend yourself from wireless intruders, safeguarding your network and your business.

Who Should Attend:
IT staff and Network Administrators responsible for safeguarding networks that include 802.11 access and users of public 802.11 hotspots. A basic understanding of 802.11 and how to use an 802.11 WLAN is required.

Instructors:
Diana Kelley, Senior Analyst, Burton Group
Lisa Phifer, Vice President, Core Competence, Inc.

9:30am - 11:30am

Part 1: Understanding WLAN Attacks and Business Risks
Throughout this section, attack examples and live demos will be used to show how attacks work and the damage they can cause. Students will be able to participate in the WLAN used as the attack target.

Inherent WLAN Vulnerabilities
Common and Not-So-Common Attacks against 802.11
Analyzing Probability of Attack and Business Risk

11:45am - 1:00pm

Lunch and Seminar

1:15pm - 3:15pm

Part 2: Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing
Throughout this section, students will be able to use tools to assess their own vulnerabilities and those of the target WLAN. Hands on participation will require installation of shareware and demo software, and there will be limitations associated with WLAN adapters and operating systems.

Using Stumblers and WLAN Discovery Techniques
Using Penetration Test Tools to find Vulnerabilities
Using WLAN Intrusion Detection Systems to monitor security events and enforce security policies
Using WLAN Analyzers for investigation and root cause analysis

3:15pm - 3:30pm

Afternoon Break

3:30pm - 5:30pm

Part 3: Using Assessment Results To Safeguard Your WLAN
Throughout this section, students will have the opportunity to repeat tests performed in part 2 to demonstrate the effectiveness of certain countermeasures that can be applied to mitigate identified vulnerabilities.

Finding and Eliminating Rogue APs and Stations
Hardening Stations, APs, and other WLAN Devices
Deploying 802.11i and 802.1X Security Measures
Combining WLAN Security With Network Security
Planning Ahead For Incident Response

TRACK: W-D

9:30am - 11:30am

Planning for WLAN Security
Wi-Fi planning so far has only focused on optimal AP placement. While it has been established that a sensor overlay network is required to achieve maximum security, optimal sensor placement planning is seldom carried out. Most of the Wi-Fi security solutions today have ignored the need for security planning and are being deployed without any visibility into the level of security they provide. This talk will focus on the parameters one needs to consider to ensure that a given deployment will indeed enable the desired level of security. These parameters include:

100% sensor coverage to eliminate any security blind spots
Redundancy planning to ensure that critical areas get multiple sensor coverage
Taking site specific layout into account
Modeling of sensor detection and prevention ranges

Instructor:
Jai Rawat, Vice President of Product Management and Business Development, AirTight Networks

11:45am - 1:00pm

Lunch and Seminar

1:15pm - 3:15pm

Building (or Rebuilding) Your Wi-Fi Network for Voice
More and more organizations are calling on their wireless LANs to do double duty: to carry data and voice traffic. In fact, this convergence is becoming commonplace in some institutional settings, such as hospitals and educational facilities. Experts from one of the best-established vendors of VoWLAN (voice over wireless LAN) equipment detail the entire process of voice-enabling a Wi-Fi installation, covering gateways, handsets, access-point configuration, network architectures and the special protocols needed for traffic prioritization and call control.
Instructors:
Ben Guderian, Director of Marketing, SpectraLink Corp
Fanny Mlinarsky, Founder and CTO, Azimuth Systems

3:15pm - 3:30pm

Afternoon Break

3:30pm - 5:30pm

Reserved for late-breaking topic
Speakers:
TBA