Stringbender
MIS
I'm having RF networking problems. The basic problem is RF communications with Telxon 960SL handheld scanners - the older 900mhz variety - utilizing 802.3 standards. I should also mention that our RF network is actually a "mix" of 900mhz (802.3)and 2.4ghz (802.11) Telxon handheld scanners. The details are below. The problem is that maybe 1 to 5 of our 960SL's will stop communicating with an access point (AP). I confess upfront my limited knowledge of RF networking. I will simply state the only facts I know that relate to the 960SL's that "stop working". All the related hardware/software related info is at the bottom of this thread. Thanks upfront for any help!
*NOTE: I have NOT seen any problems with any of the 2.4ghz devices. The 2.4ghz AP's and the 2.4ghz handheld scanners seem to work fine with no problems.
>>>General clues related to the problem:
*I can see a "problem scanner" in the AP's network map and it has an IP address, but IT DOES NOT show a corresponding MAC address as the other working devices in the network map.
The correlation of IP to Mac address is configured in a batch file that adds the addresses to the ARP table on the Win3K server.
*Currently, the only solution to get the scanners working again is a Win3K server re-boot. However, the problem rears it's ugly head again eventually.
*I've already tried a few things to make the scanners work again (without Win3K re-booting) that didn't help
*I have removed and re-added single ARP table entries for the problem scanners
*I have deleted and re-done the ARP table entries on the Win3K server
*I've re-booted the problem scanners themselves
*I've given a new MAC address entry for the problem scanner while keeping the same IP address (new IP means re-program of scanner)
*I'M FEELING THAT LACK OF ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE OF MAC ADDRESSES, ARP TABLES AND THEIR USE ARE QUITE POSSIBLY THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM HERE
>>>RF Network hardware:
*9 total AP's (access point) installed.
*All 9 AP's are 10BaseT ethernet wired to the LAN
*7 of the total AP's are 900mhz variety
*These 7 AP's are either models ARLAN 630 or AP1000E
*The other 2 AP's are 2.4ghz variety
*These 2 AP's are models CISCO AP4800E
*Approximately 40 Telxon handhelds with 4 being 2.4ghz
*The AP's are installed in multiple warehouses
*The two 2.4ghz AP's are physically located near each other and in a "separate warehouse". However, these AP's, and their RF coverage do, logically speaking, "overlap" with a nearby 900mhz RF network. That's probably a "duh" point, but I wanted to mention it.
>>>RF Network software related:
*The Win3K server that handles the RF communications utillizes ARP table entries. The entries are for both the AP's and the Telxon scanners.
*We utilize a separate NIC (network card interface) for the RF network traffic. The NIC has an IP address of 192.10.9.1
*The AP's, all of them, are configured with - ARP tables, they are all setup as "root mode". I mention these things for two reasons: (1) my suspicions about the ARP configuration, and, (2) my belief that the AP's should really be configured with just 2 "root modes" - one for the 900mhz and one for the 2.4ghz
*NOTE: I have NOT seen any problems with any of the 2.4ghz devices. The 2.4ghz AP's and the 2.4ghz handheld scanners seem to work fine with no problems.
>>>General clues related to the problem:
*I can see a "problem scanner" in the AP's network map and it has an IP address, but IT DOES NOT show a corresponding MAC address as the other working devices in the network map.
The correlation of IP to Mac address is configured in a batch file that adds the addresses to the ARP table on the Win3K server.
*Currently, the only solution to get the scanners working again is a Win3K server re-boot. However, the problem rears it's ugly head again eventually.
*I've already tried a few things to make the scanners work again (without Win3K re-booting) that didn't help
*I have removed and re-added single ARP table entries for the problem scanners
*I have deleted and re-done the ARP table entries on the Win3K server
*I've re-booted the problem scanners themselves
*I've given a new MAC address entry for the problem scanner while keeping the same IP address (new IP means re-program of scanner)
*I'M FEELING THAT LACK OF ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE OF MAC ADDRESSES, ARP TABLES AND THEIR USE ARE QUITE POSSIBLY THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM HERE
>>>RF Network hardware:
*9 total AP's (access point) installed.
*All 9 AP's are 10BaseT ethernet wired to the LAN
*7 of the total AP's are 900mhz variety
*These 7 AP's are either models ARLAN 630 or AP1000E
*The other 2 AP's are 2.4ghz variety
*These 2 AP's are models CISCO AP4800E
*Approximately 40 Telxon handhelds with 4 being 2.4ghz
*The AP's are installed in multiple warehouses
*The two 2.4ghz AP's are physically located near each other and in a "separate warehouse". However, these AP's, and their RF coverage do, logically speaking, "overlap" with a nearby 900mhz RF network. That's probably a "duh" point, but I wanted to mention it.
>>>RF Network software related:
*The Win3K server that handles the RF communications utillizes ARP table entries. The entries are for both the AP's and the Telxon scanners.
*We utilize a separate NIC (network card interface) for the RF network traffic. The NIC has an IP address of 192.10.9.1
*The AP's, all of them, are configured with - ARP tables, they are all setup as "root mode". I mention these things for two reasons: (1) my suspicions about the ARP configuration, and, (2) my belief that the AP's should really be configured with just 2 "root modes" - one for the 900mhz and one for the 2.4ghz