Publications

Abstract not provided.

A major portion of the Wireless Networking Project at Sandia National Laboratories over the last few years has been to examine IEEE 802.11 wireless networking for possible use at Sandia and if practical, introduce this technology. This project team deployed 802.11a, b, and g Wireless Local Area Networking at Sandia. This report examines the basics of wireless networking and captures key results from project tests and experiments. It also records project members thoughts and designs on wireless LAN architecture and security issues. It documents some of the actions and milestones of this project, including pilot and production deployment of wireless networking equipment, and captures the team's rationale behind some of the decisions made. Finally, the report examines lessons learned, future directions, and conclusions.

Traditional encryption, which protects messages from prying eyes, has been used for many decades. The present concepts of encryption are built from that heritage. Utilization of modern software-based encryption techniques implies much more than simply converting files to an unreadable form. Ubiquitous use of computers and advances in encryption technology coupled with the use of wide-area networking completely changed the reasons for utilizing encryption technology. The technology demands a new and extensive infrastructure to support these functions. Full understanding of these functions, their utility and value, and the need for an infrastructure, takes extensive exposure to the new paradigm. This paper addresses issues surrounding the establishment and operation of a key management system (i.e., certification authority) that is essential to the successful implementation and wide-spread use of encryption.

The DOE requires that sensitive unclassified data be protected while being transmitted electronically. On most large networks it is difficult and expensive to provide the required level of physical protection. At Sandia National Laboratories, we are assembling the structure necessary to protect sensitive unclassified data using software-based encryption. This approach has the advantage that the data can be protected after arrival at its destination without additional investment While Sandia has expertise in cryptography, we had not used cryptography in this field. This discussion deals with the client-server model of file-based data exchange and interactive access to on-line data bases using Unix workstations, Macs and PCs.