Great News Today! Received THE E-MAIL. Dr. Littman, Dr. Mukherjee, and Dr. Sun approved the Final Dissertation Report. After 5 years, the quest is almost complete. One more trip to Nova in June to meet with Dr. Littman, Dr. Mukherjee, and Dr. Sun and to attend the commencement ceremony.
posted by Ron Wolak at 9:18 PM

Received marked up copy of the 1st submission of the Final Report back on 4/3/2003. Completed all requested changes and proofread multiple multiple times. FedEx'd the finished printout, the highlighted edited copy, and a printout showing all additions and deletions back to Dr. Littman this morning. She should have it Monday afternoon.
posted by Ron Wolak at 8:48 AM

Today is a Great Day!!! Submitted my Final Dissertation Report to Dr. Littman for approval.....
posted by Ron Wolak at 10:25 AM

Met with Dr. Littman today in Fort Lauderdale. Reviewed the Dissertation Update dated 3/10/03 and discussed progress to-date on the Final Dissertation Report. Dr. Littman commented that all Appendixes should be described and referenced in the body of the paper and that Figure text should be readable. She also requested an e-mail progress report on April 10th to ensure that the Dissertation Report is on schedule for graduation this June.
posted by Ron Wolak at 1:05 PM

Attended the UPE Honor Society induction ceremony today. Met briefly with Dr. Sun and Dr. Mukherjee at the patio reception and discussed the status of our Final Dissertation Reports. Also, it looks like GSCIS will be moving to larger facilities again in July. Plans are to move to the 4th floor of the new Business School building.


Dissertation Update - Ron Wolak (3/10/03)

1. Previous Meeting (12/9/02)
Met with Dr. Littman at her home in Fort Lauderdale and reviewed the Dissertation Update dated 12/9/02. Discussed ongoing revisions to Formal Proposal and plans to resubmit the paper prior to the new year.

2. Dissertation Progress
a. Submitted 2nd revision of the Formal Proposal December 20, 2002.
b. Formal Dissertation Proposal approved 1/17/2003 by Dr. Littman, Dr. Mukherjee,
and Dr. Sun.
c. Currently working on chapters 4 & 5 of the Final Dissertation Report.
The following have been completed:
- Case study evidence collection and organization into the AAM WLAN
initiatives journal.
- AAM WLAN initiatives journal database to catalog journal documents
- AAM WLAN initiatives project planning document.
- Chapter 4 empirical data sources and data analysis sections.

3. Wireless Conferences
a. Attended: Cisco/Sarcom WLAN Seminar - Detroit, MI February 5, 2003.
b. Scheduled: Angelbeat – Detroit, MI April 8, 2003.
c. Scheduled: Gartner Symposium/ITxpo - Orlando, FL October 19-24, 2003 .

4. Future Meetings with Dissertation Chairperson
June 29, 2003 for Graduation or June 30, 2003 at 2 pm to review Dissertation progress.

5. Upcoming Dissertation Due Dates
April 22, 2003 Final Dissertation Report Submitted.
posted by Ron Wolak at 8:31 PM

Upcoming Wireless Conferences
- Cisco/Sarcom WLAN Seminar - Detroit, MI February 5, 2003.
- Angelbeat - Detroit, MI April 8, 2003.
- Gartner Symposium/ITxpo - Orlando, FL October 19-24, 2003
posted by Ron Wolak at 11:05 AM

Good News! My Formal Dissertation Proposal was approved 1/17/2003 by Drs. Littman, Mukherjee, and Sun.
posted by Ron Wolak at 7:28 AM

e-learning
Convene/Learning Technology Partners
Manufacturing Training Network http://www.michman.com/index.asp
Blackboard.com

posted by Ron Wolak at 7:29 AM

Writing Guidelines....

Do not use PROVIDE, use ENABLE
Do not use EMPLOYED, use DEFINED
Use GENERATE instead of CREATE
Replace BEST with EFFECTIVELY
Page # need in Citation after “ ”

Proper Phrases:
HomeRF EMPLOYS FHSS technology
The IEEE 802.11b compliant WLANs are insecure
ADSL, for example, SUPPORTS rates ranging from
IrLAP is an IRDA Protocol that ENABLES the establishment of a logical
The Fast Infrared (FIR) extensions SUPPORTS data rates
The IrDA standard SPECIFIES transmissions rates
IEEE 802.11g standard SUPPORTS the use of OFDM
PEAP ENABLES one time
The Bluetooth specification provides the framework for WPAN
Bluetooth solutions EMPLOY FHSS technology

Proofread the following after Print:
Multiple references together
Second use of long citations
Eliminate Personifications - it, its, they, their, describe, describes, explained, seek, seeks
Reference in top of each page
Reference in each paragraph
Spell out 1-9

posted by Ron Wolak at 10:04 PM

UPS'd second submission of the Formal Disseration Proposal to Dr. Littman on 12/18/2002.
posted by Ron Wolak at 9:42 PM

Met with Dr. Littman on 12/9/02 in Fort Lauderdale. Reviewed the Dissertation Update dated 12/9/02. Discussed ongoing revisions to Formal Proposal and plans to resubmit the paper prior to the new year.
posted by Ron Wolak at 8:44 PM

Received marked up Formal Dissertation Proposal from Dr. Littman on November 22, 2002 - the day we returned from Comdex in Las Vegas. It is readily apparent that she spent a considerable amount of time and effort reviewing it.

Dissertation Update - Ron Wolak (12/9/02)

1. Previous Meeting (9/14/02)
a. Met with Dr. Littman in the new library. Reviewed the Dissertation Update dated 9/14/02.
b. Discussed plans to conduct the case study, specific procedures, and formats for presenting the results in a manner similar to the Metcalf dissertation. Data sources will include project journal, presentations, system documentation, and personal interviews with SMEs.
c. Dr. Littman commented that a Definition of Terms section is required in Chapter 1.

2. Conferences Attended
a. Angelbeat – Internet Untethered, Detroit, September 24, 2002
b. Comdex - Fall, Las Vegas, November 15-22, 2002.

3. Dissertation Progress
a. Submitted Formal Proposal October 30, 2002.
b. Received marked up Formal Proposal from Dr. Littman November 22, 2002.
c. Finishing Formal Proposal edits. Plan to resubmit by December 13, 2002.

4. Future Meetings with Dissertation Chairperson
The following meetings are scheduled with Dr. Littman in Fort Lauderdale. They occur on the Monday of scheduled Cluster weekends:
March 10th, 2003 – Monday, 2 pm
June/July, 2003 – Graduation

5. Upcoming Dissertation Due Dates
December 13, 20002 - Resubmit Formal Dissertation Proposal.
March 9, 2003 Final Dissertation Report Submitted.


posted by Ron Wolak at 9:04 PM

Submitted formal dissertation proposal to Dr. Littman by FexEx this morning.
posted by Ron Wolak at 7:03 AM

Completed chapter 3 of the formal dissertation proposal yesterday. My goal is the have it submitted by November 3rd.
posted by Ron Wolak at 9:15 AM

1. Just returned - the Project Napoli installation was completed successfully.
2. Received confirmation from Dr. Littman to meet December 9th at 2pm at her home.
3. Currently working on Definition of Terms section in chapter one and the last half of chapter three.
posted by Ron Wolak at 8:05 AM

September 2002 Cluster Weekend - Nova GSICS, Fort Lauderdale

1. Met with Dr. Littman in the new library. Reviewed the Dissertation Update dated 9/14/02.
2. Also, discussed plans to conduct the case study, specific procedures, and formats for presenting the results in a manner similar to the Metcalf dissertation. Data sources will include project journal, presentations, system documentation, and personal interviews with SMEs
3. Dr. Littman also commented that a Definition of Terms section is required in Chapter one.
4. Will meet with Dr. Littman again on Monday, December 9. Need to confirm exact time.
5. Stayed at the Courtyard - Plantation.
6. Went to MIFL and performed WLAN survey for Project Napoli on Sunday.

posted by Ron Wolak at 2:38 PM

Need definition of terms.
No single sentences or sections at the top of the page.
Provide a paradigm for other companies to use.
Meet with Dr. Littman on Monday, December 9 at 2pm? Need to confirm time.
posted by Ron Wolak at 12:26 PM

Empirical (direct observation) Data Sources for Case Study

1. Researcher' s - WLAN Project Journal (detailed record of weekly activity)
Purchase Orders
E-mail
Microsoft Project Files
PowerPoint Presentations
Dissertation Blog
2. Researcher's PowerPoint Presentations
3. AAMatHome Website
4. Direct Observation and Participant-observation
5. Field visits to conference rooms, adjacent areas, plant-floor, & employee residences
6. WebSitePulse.com
7. MS Project Timlines - These Gantt should provide a temporal structure for the Researcher's Journal. In addition the title of each activity should be able to be mapped back to the steps in the MSDLC model.
8. Visio Diagrams
9. System documentation created by researcher (all initiatives)
10. System documentation created by researcher's assistant
11. E-mail questionnaires followed by personal interviews with the following IT project staff: advanced technology engineer, network administator, IT project engineer, FIS project engineer,
12. Manufacturer and Service Provider (i.e.Comcast Business Communications) presentations and whitepapers
AAMatHome TS & VPN
Typical WLAN in residence diagram
Typical conference room diagram
Logical diagram for ReefEdge test
Logical diagram for Funk 802.1x test
13. Diagram of existing RASpal connectivity
14. Diagram of existing modem pool connectivity


Results Presentation
Step 1 - Gather empirical materials
Step 2 - Review and data analysis of the empirical materials. Data analysis is modeled using a Gantt chart. The chart provides structure for the presentation of the information. In addition, the title is mapped back to the steps in the SDLC model.
Step 3. The written Case Study

posted by Ron Wolak at 11:47 AM

Dissertation Update - Ron Wolak (9/14/02)

1. Previous Meeting (6/7/02)
a. Met with Dr. Littman in her office today. Reviewed the Dissertation Update dated 6/10/02 and obtained her signature on the approval forms for the Idea Paper, Preliminary Proposal, and Committee Formation.
b. Met with Dr. Sun and Dr. Mukherjee in their offices today. Reviewed the Dissertation Update dated 6/10/02 with both and obtained their signatures on the Committee Formation forms.
c. Met with Ebony Farrington in GSCIS administration and turned over all the signed forms and a marked up copy of the Preliminary Proposal per Dr. Littman's direction.
d. Received marked up copy of Preliminary Proposal from Ebony. Dr. Littman's note on the paper indicated that changes were to be incorporated in the Formal Proposal.

2. Conferences
Attended
a. Intermec- Winning with Wireless Seminar, Troy Michigan, August 14, 2002
Scheduled
b. Angelbeat – Internet Untethered, Detroit, September 24, 2002
c. Comdex - Fall, Las Vegas, November 15-22, 2002.

3. Dissertation Progress (behind schedule – Formal Proposal due on 9/15/02)
a. Incorporated Dr. Littman’s suggested changes in the Formal Proposal.
b. Completed chapters one and two of the Formal Proposal.
c. Completed annotated bibliography.
d. Working on chapters three and four.

4. Wireless Projects

5. Future Meetings with Dissertation Chairperson
The following meetings are scheduled with Dr. Littman in Fort Lauderdale. They occur on the Monday of scheduled Cluster weekends:
December 9th – Monday, 2 pm
March 10th, 2003 – Monday, 2 pm
June/July, 2003 – Graduation

6. Upcoming Dissertation Due Dates
Revised – November 3, 2002 Formal Proposal Submitted
March 9, 2003 Final Dissertation Report Submitted

posted by Ron Wolak at 7:35 AM

Formal Proposal Status:
1. Chapter 1 complete
2. Annotated Bibiography complete
3. Finishing up Literature Review.

posted by Ron Wolak at 2:02 PM

Dissertation To-Do List
1. Add Dr. Littman's markups to the Formal Proposal
2. Finish 50 Annotated Bibliographies
3. Finish Chapter 2 - The Review of Literature
4. Outline Chapter 3
5. Outline Chapter 4

posted by Ron Wolak at 7:04 AM

1. IT Director
2. Dot-Com Startup
3. Online Instructor
4. Online Course Developer
5. Consultant
6. Kennel-Cam
7. Day Trader
8. Wireless Industry
9. Magazine Technical Writer
posted by Ron Wolak at 7:10 AM

June 2002 Cluster Weekend - Nova GSICS, Fort Lauderdale

1. Met with Dr. Sun and Dr. Mukherjee in their offices today. Reviewed the Dissertation Update dated 6/10/02 with both and obtained their signatures on the Committee Formation forms.

2. Met with Dr. Littman in her office. Reviewed the Dissertation Update dated 6/10/02 and obtained her signatures on the approval forms for the Idea Paper, Preliminary Proposal, and Committee Formation.

3. Met with Ebony Farrington in GSCIS administration and turned over all the signed forms and a marked up copy of the Preliminary Proposal per Dr. Littman's direction.

4. Received marked up copy of Preliminary Proposal from Ebony. Dr. Littman's note on the paper indicated that changes were to be incorporated in the Formal Proposal.

5. Stayed at he Westin Fort Lauderdale for two days. However, the room was overpriced and full of ants, so we moved to the Courtyard - Plantation.
posted by Ron Wolak at 6:56 PM

Dissertation Update - Ron Wolak (6/10/02)

1. Previous Meeting - Met with Dr. Littman on Sunday, 3/3/02 to review progress on the Preliminary Dissertation Proposal. Items discussed at that meeting included:
a. Dissertation Update dated 3/2/2002
b. Printout of www.aamathome.com
c. Dr. Littman reviewed the GSCIS requirement for 50 annotated bibliographies (20 for the Preliminary and 50 for the Formal).
d. Dr. Littman suggested that Dr. Sun and Dr. Sumitra be contacted to become members of my Dissertation committee, and that I should schedule a meeting with each of them in June.
e. Dr. Littman also suggested that a copy of the AAM approval letter be included in the Appendix of Preliminary Proposal and that a Table of Contents be added to the paper.

2. Conferences Attended
a. Gartner Wireless Access, Mobile Business Solutions Conference in Chicago. March 11–13, 2002.
b. Sprint PCS User Conference in Las Vegas, April 28 - May 1, 2002.

4. Dissertation Progress
a. Submitted Preliminary Proposal 5/18/02 by express mail to Dr. Littman and received her approval on 5/30/02.
b. Obtained signatures from Dr. Mukherjee and Dr. Sun on Committee Formation forms.
c. Submitted IRB Approval forms to ESET on 5/24/02.

5. Wireless Projects

6. Future Meetings with Dissertation Chairperson - The following meetings are scheduled with Dr. Littman in Fort Lauderdale. They occur on the Monday of scheduled Cluster weekends:
September 16th, 2002 – Monday, 2 pm
December 9th, 2002 – Monday, 2 pm
March 10th, 2003 – Monday, 2 pm

7. Upcoming Dissertation Due Dates:
September 15, 2002 Formal Proposal Submitted
March 9, 2003 Final Dissertation Report Submitted


posted by Ron Wolak at 5:05 PM

E-mailed IRB request and paperwork to Dr. Cannady.
E-mailed Fall 2002 registration form and AAM voucher to Ebony Farrington.
posted by Ron Wolak at 5:48 PM

Submitted Committee Formation Approval form by e-mail to Dr. Littman.
posted by Ron Wolak at 6:04 PM

Submitted Preliminary Dissertation Proposal by Express Mail - 40 pages.
posted by Ron Wolak at 8:53 PM

E-mailed Dr. Sun and Dr. Mukherjee today and received their e-mail replies agreeing to be on my dissertation committee. I will meet with both on June 7, 2002.
posted by Ron Wolak at 8:13 PM

Sprint PCS Wireless User Conference – Las Vegas 4/28/2002 - 5/1/2002

Interesting Technologies:
1. Activephoto.com 3G wireless PC slot in a Ricoh RDC-i700 camera. Photos wirelessly transfer to the activephoto.com site for viewing and editing. $.70/picture.
2. Sprint PCS Business Connection – Personal and Enterprise. Developed by seven.com. Contact Billy Alvarado – Product Manager. billy@seven.com
Enterprise edition releases in July and has end-to-end security, carrier focused, outside the enterprise, zero hardware/software footprint. Devices are provisioned and supported by SprintPCS. No Sync/Cradle – Browser based. Identity from handheld, lazy caching to come, Web-based user account setup. CALL to pilot. Shane T. Johnston – Group Manager is contact sjohns93@sprintspectrum.com. Works with Exchange 5.5 and Lotus Notes.
3. Qualcomm Wireless Knowledge – competitor to seven.com, behind the firewall solution with syncing or browsing. Thin Webmail for Palm or PocketPC. Currently in use by SprintPCS company.
4. Extend Connect Software from extendedsystems.com
5. CDMA2000 1X CF card www.yisotel.com
6. Sierra Wireless AirCard 500 with voice
7. Novatel Wireless Merlin C201 CDMA2000 1X PC-card – no external antenna.
8. Possible Wireless Initiatives: Enterprise Business Connection, Warehouse/Inventory, Mobile Executives, Mobile Sales, Mobile Quality w/camera, Mobile Tech Support.
9. Sprint’s network based initiative VPN solution w/Nortel offers up to 3 to 1 compression for more perceived throughput.
10. Initial 3G deployment will have guaranteed 40 – 70 Kbps. 120-200 with compression in 2003, and 2Mb in 2004 (will need new hardware..
11. Bluekite compression software on the client – has problems.
12. Infowave for syncing to Exchange
13. Sprint PCS provides a technical applications manager and a local SE.
14. Samsung SPHa500 – Sept., i300 new model (Color PDA)
15. Audiovox/Toshiba with embedded Sierra Wireless Q203 but not with Sprint.
16. Sanyo: SCP5300 October w/camera. 4900 speaker phone at launch.
17. www.supply.com for custom cables
18. Possible deployment combinations:
a. IPAQ w/sleeve and AirCard 550 (data + phone, not both)
b. IPAQ w/sleeve and Novatel C201
c. 3G Sanyo or Samsung flip phone with cable from supply.com
d. Flip phone + PC-card and 2nd line option at $10/month
e. PC-card + Flip phone + 2nd line option + Samsung PDA phone
f. PC-card + Color Treo + 2nd line option
g. PC-card + HP Jornado + Yisotel CF card
17. www.supply.com for custom cables
18. Possible deployment combinations:
a. IPAQ w/sleeve and AirCard 550 (data + phone, not both)
b. IPAQ w/sleeve and Novatel C201
c. 3G Sanyo or Samsung flip phone with cable from supply.com
d. Flip phone + PC-card and 2nd line option at $10/month
e. PC-card + Flip phone + 2nd line option + Samsung PDA phone
f. PC-card + Color Treo + 2nd line option
g. PC-card + HP Jornado + Yisotel CF card
19. www.3Gtoday.com shows hardware available worldwide – by Qualcomm
20. SK-Telecom another cell manufacturer
21. Samsung 4200
22. Sprint will offer Speech to Text rendering (type the keys and return DB info from company apps) – zero footprint
23. Lamont Eanes – VP Network, In building distribution systems – DAS (Distributed Antenna System) user either a repeater if there is enough signal or a radio if not
24. PCS cell has 1-3 mile coverage, up to 11 carriers, 3 sectors (panels)
25. Items to find out from Sprint for company locations – location to and number or cell sites & carriers along with macro loading
26. RF penetration into building determined by distance from cell and building materials.
27. Enhanced In-building Coverage (EIBC) program – Spectra Site, Azonic, Insite Wireless

posted by Ron Wolak at 2:58 PM

Dissertation Update - Ron Wolak (4/26/02)

1. Previous Meeting - Met with Dr. Littman on Sunday, 3/3/02 to review
progress on the Preliminary Dissertation Proposal. Items discussed at
that meeting included:
a. Dissertation Update dated 3/2/2002
b. Printout of www.aamathome.com
c. Dr. Littman reviewed the GSCIS requirement for 50 annotated
bibliographies (20 for the Preliminary and 50 for the Formal).
d. Dr. Littman commented that she will talk to Dr. Sun and Dr. Sumitra
about becoming members of my Dissertation committee, and that I should
schedule a meeting with each of them in June.
e. Dr. Littman also suggested that a copy of the AAM approval letter be
included in the Appendix of Preliminary Proposal and that a Table of
Contents be added to the paper.

2. Conference - Attended the Gartner Wireless Access, Mobile Business
Solutions Conference in Chicago. March 11 - 13, 2002.

3. Preliminary Proposal Progress
a. Continued to gather and read topic related texts and journal
articles.
b. Completed annotated bibliography section of Preliminary Proposal (see
attached Word file).
c. Currently writing the literature review section of the proposal.
d. Revised goal is to have finished Preliminary Proposal to Dr. Littman
before our meeting on June 10, 2002.

4. Conference - Attending the Sprint PCS User Conference in Las Vegas,
April 28 - May 1, 2002.

posted by Ron Wolak at 8:13 AM

Samsung I300 phone
Air2Web service provider

Clarisys USB IP Phone Handset with Cisco Soft IP Phone software

Wireless Middleware:
Compaq uses Shipcomwireless and Infowave
JPMobile
A2Web
724
posted by Ron Wolak at 10:14 AM

Mobilestar.com - Public WLAN
http://www.netstumbler.com
posted by Ron Wolak at 5:55 PM

AAMatHome VPN - PPTP w/MS-CHAPv2

Qualcomm CDMA2000 - MetroPCS in Florida is 3G and flat rate of $35/month
posted by Ron Wolak at 3:43 PM

Mobile/Wireless Security Policy
Short sweet
Liability, accountability , responsibility defined
Company defined tools, methods, and controls

Gartner recommends security practices that they do not follow and that are unrealistic.

LOSS is the number one Wireless Security Problem - John Girard, Wireless and Mobile Device Security, Gartner Wireless Conference
He would rather have a laptop.
Suggests Personal Firewalls, Power on passwords, and disk encryption

Enterprise Wireless: Measure the Cost and Benefits for a Total Return on Investment - Phil Redman, Gartner Wireless Conference

Bluetooth Seminar
UWB - Ultra Wide band 2006 - 20Mb low power like Bluetooth but much faster up to 100s of Mb


WLAN: Strategizing for Broadband Connectivity - Ken Dulaney
www.research.ibm.com/gsal/wsa - tool for finding roque networks
802.11b - Low cost $175/AP, $75/card
Can stack 3 channels on top of themselves to increase users
802.11e QOS
802.11f Roaming
802.11i Security
Recommends buying a single vendor, use of VPN
802.11a 12 channels, 3 subbands of 4 channels each, they have different MW outputs, 1st subband is 50MW and antenna must be attached to the AP, IF the antenna is not attached, the 2nd subband must be used.
Uncertainty until Mid-2003, just keep deploying B till then.
802.11b uses CCK modulation and g uses OFDM like a.
Europe may not approve a because of HiperLAN2 which has lost steam, if not the g will be boosted.
End of 2002 a/b/g solutions
Design fo a & g combination APs
Wired Ethernet is still needed, 602.11 is not a replacement for headquarters or fixed desktops, VOIP is a reality over wired.
Vendor leaders Cisco, Symbol, Proxim, Agere
Red-m a competitor to ReefEdge
Europeans looking to Bluetooth HotSpots using High power/Sensitive Receive APs by companies such as Red-m
Bluetooth has 1mv, 2.5mw, and 100mw outputs
Installation quidelines:
- mount high, above ceiling tile
- plan for multiple APs
- investigate special ceiling tiles Armstrong floor and tile makes special ceiling tile with AP antenna in them
- power over Ethernet
a is best spaced at 7.5m which is expensive
Best spacing is 30m for 33Mbps for a/g/b installation
Cost WLANs First year $3,052 , Second year $2,273
Wired LAN is $5k
Install WLAN AP connected to DMZ in Main Lobby for visitor access to Internet
Recommends installing 802.11b in all laptops
posted by Ron Wolak at 10:26 AM

Novadigm - Market leader in software management to the desktop and mobile
Sygate Security enforcement agent for VPN users
Ataware - shareware to find spyware
SSL in Browser is the way to go
Tokens - Activcard, Arcot, Authenex, Cryptocard, PassGo, RSA, SafeWWW, Vasco
posted by Ron Wolak at 8:16 AM

Wireless Apps - Tactical, not Strategic till 2005 - General Session, Nick Jones Gartner

Personal Firewall needed on all wireless devices - Security on the Fly John Pescatore
SSL to be a key lightweight wireless security solutions
By 2005 Enterprises will have PAN, LAN, WAN (2.5, 3G)
Assume 18 months (3rd trade show) until all security flaws with a security standard are found.
60 percent of the companies that first deployed WLANs did not enable WEP.
Defensive Measures:
Policies
At least WEP
Run VPN
Proprietary security
WLAN sniffers
Physical footprint monitoring
Some companies put wireless PCs on the DMZ and users must run a VPN
Need Personal firewalls on wireless clients
Home PC - use a lightweight agent that tests security of devices.
If all you need is a browser (Bluesocket in wireless) and lightweight security SSL is the way to go. Note: IPSEC is heavyweight security but it opens a big tunnel.
Look to SSL first, and VPN tunnels as a last resort

SMS - Short Message Service - GSM in Europe driven by pre-paid youth market, 1 billion messages a month. Gartner, Benjamin Wook, Mobile Messaging Evolution.
no e-mail address to send message - the phone number is the address
- better solution than WAP
- at Citigroup transactions are SMS and there are many more transaction than on their Website
- Future User Interface - Best is natural language to eliminate the triple tap that users in Europe have been expert at.
posted by Ron Wolak at 10:25 AM

Driving to Chicago today for the Gartner wireless conference at the Sheraton
posted by Ron Wolak at 10:13 AM

Evaluate GoToMyPC as an alternative to VPN. Check out white paper on their site.

Find and order another 10 textbooks to add to the existing 17 to be used in AB

Interview Peter and Eugene after IRP has been submitted and approved
posted by Ron Wolak at 8:44 PM

Wireless Security Solutions
1. ReefEdge 1.2 & 2.0
2. Bluesocket
3. Netmotion
4. Vernier Networks
5. Red-m
6. Fortress Technologies http://www.fortresstech.com
7. SMC Networks
posted by Ron Wolak at 3:21 PM

3rd Meeting with Dissertation Advisor
Met with Dr. Littman in her office at 10 am and reviewed the following:

1. Dissertation Update dated 3/2/2002
2. Printout of aamathome.com
3. Dr. Littman said the GSCIS requirement is for 50 annotated bibliographies (20 for the Preliminary and 50 for the Formal). Use texts and scholarly journals. This is a school priority.
4. Dr. Littman commented that she will talk to Dr. Sun and Dr. Sumitra about becoming member of my Dissertation committee. Should schedule a meeting with each of them in June.
5. Add copy of approval letter into Appendix of Preliminary Proposal.
6. Add Table of Contents to the Preliminary Proposal.



posted by Ron Wolak at 10:59 AM

Die Room & FIS Wireless Installation Progress - Talked with Eugene Maltsez
Die Room - 1 access point connecting 12 CNCs (uses 4 port Rocketport serial-to-Ethernet converter which is compatible with CIMNET DNC software and Ethernet-to-802.11b).
FIS - 6 access points connecting 40 PLCs in 3 plants.

posted by Ron Wolak at 1:54 PM

Dissertation Update - Ron Wolak (3/2/02)

1. Previous Meeting - Met with Dr. Littman on Monday, 12/10/01 to review on the dissertation idea paper. Her comments included the following:
a. Delete the Definition of Terms section in the idea paper.
b. Indicate in the idea paper that the four component projects are funded.
c. Use the 802.11b and ETSI Portal Web sites as possible reference sources.
d. Obtain AAM approval for the proposed case study.

2. Submitted Idea Paper to Dr. Littman for approval on 12/21/01. Paper was approved on 1/5/02.

3. Preliminary Proposal Progress
a. Edited Idea Paper as recommended by Dr. Littman.
b. Continued to gather and read topic related texts and journal articles.
c. Started annotated bibliography section of the proposal.

4. Wireless Projects – Received written approval and funding from AAM for the case study components of dissertation topic

5. Upcoming Dissertation Related Conferences – Gartner Wireless Conference in Chicago on March 11, 2002.

6. Future Meetings with Dissertation Chairperson - The following meetings are scheduled with Dr. Littman in Fort Lauderdale in 2002. They occur on the Monday following scheduled Cluster weekends:
June 10th – Monday, 2 pm
September 16th – Monday, 2 pm
December 9th – Monday, 2 pm

7. Upcoming Dissertation Due Dates:
April 3, 2002 Preliminary Proposal Submitted
April 17, 2002 Committee Selected and Formed
April 17, 2002 IRB Approval
September 15, 2002 Formal Proposal Submitted
March 9, 2003 Final Dissertation Report Submitted


posted by Ron Wolak at 7:35 PM

Dr. Littman approved idea paper as submitted with minor changes on 1/5/02. Made changes and will submit as part of preliminary proposal. Preliminary proposal started....
posted by Ron Wolak at 6:09 PM

Dissertation Idea Paper Submitted Today...Thank goodness..
posted by Ron Wolak at 6:48 PM

Wireless videoconferencing is a possible project if the equipment becomes available.
posted by Ron Wolak at 8:45 AM

Need to find out from Dr. Littman what she requires for an annotated bibliography.
posted by Ron Wolak at 9:25 PM

Received CIO's approval on the following dissertation topic and case study yesterday.
posted by Ron Wolak at 8:29 PM

2nd Meeting with Dissertation Advisor
Met with Dr. Littman yesterday at 2 pm in her home. Her are a few of her comments:
1. Do not use the word "it"
2. In the paper, describe your job position, and responsibilities related to the topic of the dissertation. This research is... and serves as.....
3. Another phrase is "This dissertation documents the process by which a manufacturing enterprise may implement..
4. Use the phrase "As a consequence" instead of "therefore"
5. When included Web URLs in the paper, place them in parenthesis (e.g. (http://www.yahoo.com))
6. The work "can" is stronger than the word "may"
7. Another phrase - Wireless technologies will induce a cultural shift allowing employees to work during meetings, in the cafeteria, and at home.
8. Delete the Definition of Terms section in the idea paper
9. Begin the summary with "This idea paper ..."
10. Indicate in the idea paper that the four component projects are funded.
11. Recommended the 802.11b and ETSI Portal Web sites as sources of references
12. Include Biometrics (i.e. C400 with internal mini-PCI wireless card and PCMCIA thumbprint scanner)
13. Suggest the dissertation include: “A case study of wireless LAN technologies in a large enterprise: The AAM solution”
14. Do not use the word “most.”
15. Do not use the word “many.”
16. Use the word “conducted” instead of “done.”
17. Use the word “generally” instead of “most.”
18. Instead of “therefore” use “conversely.”
19. Use “In the present day” instead of “currently”


Questions for Dr. Littman coming out of the meeting:
1. Case Study References
2. Her requirements to submit an annotated bibliography
3. At what point in the process should we contact the other committee members Sumitra Mukherjee and Junping Sun. Is it appropriate to meet with them (probably not)?

Important Things to Do:
1. Finish Idea Paper prior to Dec 21st
2. Dissertation Tracking Form must be filed with the Program Office for progress grade to be issued. Which means Idea Paper must be approved.
3. Need to provide Dr. Littman with a Certification of Authorship of Dissertation Work form
4. Submit Dissertation Approval Form with Idea Paper
5. Obtain signed approval from Abdallah on Idea Paper
6. Obtain PGP electronic signatures
posted by Ron Wolak at 6:39 AM

Dissertation Update – Ron Wolak
12/10/01


1. Previous Meeting - Met with Dr. Littman on 9/20/01 to discuss possible dissertation topics. She indicated that a topic related to wireless networking at work would be interesting. Her comments included the following:
a. Web sites may be referenced in the dissertation.
b. Recommended the use of the systems model in the dissertation (Whitten text).
c. Possible areas to cover within the dissertation were biometrics, intrusion
detection, sniffing, and protocol analyzers.
d. Need to obtain approval when discussing proprietary information.
c. Structure of dissertation could be a case study similar to that used by David
Metcalf or Salim Yazbeck. Surveys should be avoided.
d. Recommended text by Jim Geier.

2. Wireless Projects - The implementation of wireless technologies within the enterprise will be of great importance during the next couple of years. Among my Top 5 objectives for 2002 recently submitted to the CIO were projects directly related to wireless technologies.

3. Dissertation related Conferences - I am currently approved to attend the following dissertation related conferences in 2002:

March 11-13 Gartner Wireless Access, Chicago
March 17-21 CTIA/IEEE Wireless, Orlando
April 10-12 Gartner Windows XP/.NET, Los Angeles
August 11-14 IEEE Radio and Wireless (RAWCON), Boston
October 16-18 CTIA Wireless IT and Internet, Las Vegas
November 16-22 Comdex Fall, Las Vegas


4. Future Meetings with Dissertation Chairperson - The following meetings are proposed with Dr. Littman in Fort Lauderdale in 2002. They occur on the Monday following scheduled Cluster weekends:

March 4th – Monday, 2 pm
June 10th – Monday, 2 pm
September 16th – Monday, 2 pm
December 9th – Monday, 2 pm

5. Planned Dissertation Due Dates

December 21, 2001 Idea Paper Submitted
April 3, 2002 Preliminary Proposal Submitted
April 17, 2002 Committee Selected and Formed
April 17, 2002 IRB Approval
September 15, 2002 Formal Proposal Submitted
March 9, 2003 Final Dissertation Report Submitted

posted by Ron Wolak at 6:23 PM

The following are items I am working on to bring the Idea Paper closer to completion:
1. Research - Finding, reading, and classifying references - start of annotated bibliography
2. Beginning the intitial phases of the following Wireless projects at work:
a. Wireless LAN pilot (office and plant floor)
b. Wireless LAN pilot security solution
c. Remote user WLAN with associated Broadband VPN
posted by Ron Wolak at 7:02 PM

The recent news below may force a change in deployment strategy for AAM@Home.

Great Lakes IT Report - Friday, Nov. 30, 2001

COMCAST MAY BE SCRAMBLING TODAY -- Cable companies offering high-speed Internet access via troubled ExciteAtHome scrambled to advise customers about their plans if a judge approves shutting down Excite on Friday, though the backups were of doubtful value to many users. Comcast was advising customers to make backup copies of their e-mails and Web sites, and to arrange for far slower dialup service as a backup for their always-on, high-speed cable modems. Comcast and Cox Communications, two top cable distributors of Excite's high-speed service, said they are building their own high-speed networks to take its place, though those were not expected to be completed until sometime next year. AT&T, which has an offer pending to buy Excite's network for $307 million, will not offer a dial-up alternative because it plans to quickly switch affected customers to another network if necessary. The cable companies were hoping negotiations this week could still avoid an Excite shutdown. Comcast has nearly 800,000 AtHome subscribers, more than 100,000 in metro Detroit.

posted by Ron Wolak at 7:46 AM

Remote user access section would provide a model for the following:
1. Seamless wireless connectivity when moving from work to home - report on lab tests.
2. Access from Coffee Houses and Airports with public 802.11 networks
3. Wireless VPN Broadband access at home.. report on pilot user group (6 IT staff and 4 VPs)
4. Touch on importance of AAM desktop served using Windows Terminal Service

posted by Ron Wolak at 12:49 PM

Discuss Wireless LAN implementations
Discuss the future of wireless at AAM - migration from WLAN 802.11 to 3G & 4G.
posted by Ron Wolak at 2:57 PM

Procrastinating and partying quite a bit lately. Time to get back to work on the idea paper. Meeting with Dr. Littman on December 10th at 2 pm. Need to get going. Coming up with a million other things to do other than the idea paper (like cutting the lawn in the middle of November in Michigan).
posted by Ron Wolak at 1:19 PM

Possible Titles
A Wireless Roadmap for American Axle and Manufacturing
Proposal for Wireless Connectivity in a Modern Manufacturing Environment

posted by Ron Wolak at 7:18 AM

Yazbeck Dissertation
After looking through Yazbeck Dissertation on WLAN at Nova:
Propose a wirelesss network architecture for AAM. Procedures for integrating it into existing wired LAN. Proposed strategy to secure the WLAN in light of existing WEP weaknessess and the need to move forward.
posted by Ron Wolak at 7:51 PM

Dissertation Topic
- Met with Dr. Littman on 9/20/01 for the first time at her home in Ft. Lauderdale. She was helpful and was in the process of finishing her Broadband textbook by October 20. Discussed possible topics. She is very positive on the area of Wireless networking. Her comments included:
1. Web sites can be used as references
2. Recommended book by Jim Geier - How to do a Wireless Implementation
3. Talk about Biometric ID with Wireless
4. Check out David Metcalf's dissertation as a example of a case study
5. Need permission to discuss proprietary information
6. New job - Advanced Technology Manager
7. How to implement, how to accomplish, Corporate direction, policy, guidlelines for the implementation of wired/wireless mixed mode networking (technologies VOIP, Bluetooth, 802.11b,a, x,)
8. Considerations for use in Corporate Headquarters and on the plant floor.
9. Discuss Intrusion Detection Options, sniffing, protocol analyzers.
10. Systems model for the implementation.
11. Does not like SURVEYS
12. Check on the Virtual University.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Factory Floor Wireless

Dissertation Problem:
The high cost and long time to connect existing plant floor PLCs & DNCs to an Ethernet backbone. Wireless security deficiencies and their impact in the plant floor environment.

Goal: Use existing wirless technology to connect plant floor devices in a reliable and cost effective way. Case Study of Plant Floor Wireless Implementation at the forge plant.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
World Headquarters Wireless Infrastructure

Dissertation Problem:
The high cost and lack of flexibility to wire office buildings with conventional wired data and telecommunication infrastructure. Evaluate wireless security deficiencies, changing standards. etc.

Goal: Case study of the selection, implementation, and effectiveness of state of the art wireless technologies for use in the new World Headquarters building. Ground breaking in April, 2002. Both Laptop and Desktop Systems would be included. Wireless security features of Windows XP, EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol, EAP-TLS, 802.11x, Wireless VPN applications. Test and evaluation phases would include use of Wireless Protocol Analyzers (e.g. AiroPeek or NAI Sniffer Wireless) to determine system loading and unauthorized access attempts. Wireless video-conferencing also may be included.
posted by Ron Wolak at 5:53 PM