In my previous post we covered the configuration of some basic layer 3 services for my Ruckus ICX 7150-C12P which is going into my home laboratory. But now we actually want to start plugging things in and turning APs ON! In this post I dig into the details of working with PoE on the ICX Switches. When I started this post I really thought it would be quite trivial, at best a purely supplemental post. Turns out, I was a…
In the previous posts on the topic of Ruckus ICX Switches, we got the ICX 7150-C12P up and running and upgraded to the latest Layer 3 image. In this post I want to start configuring it to act as a Layer 3 switch for my Ruckus laboratory environment. As a supplement to this post, if you are learning about Ruckus ICX Switch capabilities, review the following useful documentation (along with everything else) available on the support site: Command Reference Guide…
This post is a continuation of the two part series Building a Ruckus Home/Office Laboratory on a Budget. This post starts with a new series name because from this point on, the topics discussed are more specific to my own laboratory environment. This post details some of the limitations I have run into when designing my home laboratory, specifically around my internet service provider and home LAN. The Internet Connection Wrinkle My home-office environment is sadly complicated by my internet…
In the previous post regarding the Ruckus ICX Switches, I detailed the configuration and some best practices to allow further configuration/management of a Ruckus ICX switch via SSH. This post will cover the next important step in setting up your ICX switching environment: Upgrading the firmware. SHOW US WHAT YOU GOT! Before starting with any configurations, it is a good idea to make sure you know which firmware your switch has loaded on it and what licenses you currently have….
This post covers the initial steps required to configure a Ruckus ICX 7150 switch. Topics covered here include: Console Access Setting the switch hostname Assigning an IP address Enabling SSH access Setting a username and password Further configuration will be covered in later posts. Console Access All initial configuration tasks must be completed via the console interface on the front of the switch. The Ruckus ICX7150-C12P has two console interfaces. The first you will notice is the standard RJ-45 interface…
In the previous post I covered the basic motivation for needing to build a laboratory for working with the growing range of Ruckus Wireless products and touched lightly on the use of NFV in the laboratory as a method of saving money. In this post I will give a basic overview of the hardware requirements of the laboratory. Laboratory Components The laboratory will consist of the following key entities: Physical network connectivity Virtual Machines x86 Server/s Hypervisor Virtual network connectivity…
A Growing Product Portfolio If you work with Ruckus Wireless equipment and have been keeping up with the growth of the company’s product portfolio, you may have realized that they don’t just sell Wi-Fi Access Points and WLAN Controllers anymore. Several short years ago, you would have been forgiven for having just a ZoneDirector and some Access Points lying around that allowed you to test the latest code release in your environment for any specific bugs pertinent to your customers. Today,…
One of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of signal processing is the Nyquist-Shannon Sampling Theorem. It has been noted before that many engineers misunderstand the theorem, selecting sampling frequencies that are often too low, causing errors in systems design. An understanding of the underlying theory behind signal sampling is also useful to the communications engineer who wants a deeper understanding of the application of analog and digital filtering and information processing in communications equipment. The Need for Sampling Sampling analog,…
The term Passband signal in the current context refers to the modulated signal that results from a baseband signal modulating a carrier wave. Passband signals have some interesting characteristics that we will cover by referring to the diagrams below. (Disclaimer: illustrative purposes only). Properties of Passband Signals Shifted Frequency Response The complete frequency response (including both positive frequencies and negative frequencies) of the baseband signal is preserved in the passband signal, but is now centered around the positive and negative…
Signal filtering plays a fundamental role in electronics and communications. Filters modify specific frequency components of time-domain signals and are used as a tool for signal quality improvement, information recovery and frequency separation [1]. Filters are a fundamental frequency domain tool and as a component in electronic circuits and digital signal processing allow us to: Isolate circuits from DC (0Hz) currents. Suppress high and low frequency noise in received signals. Improve the spectral efficiency of transmitted signals. Separate the frequency…