The three major software components of the client adapter are radio
firmware, a driver, and client utilities. These components are installed
together by running a single Install Wizard file that is available from
Cisco.com. This file can be run on Windows 98, 98 SE, NT, 2000, Me, or XP and
can be used with any of the following client adapter types:
- 340 and 350 series PC, LM, and PCI cards
- 350 series mini PCI cards
- PC-Cardbus (CB20A) cards
The firmware contained in the Flash memory of the client adapter
controls the radio. The client adapter is shipped with firmware installed but
to ensure that the client adapter has the most recent version, it may be wise
to install the latest Install Wizard file. The driver provides an interface
between a computer running a Windows operating system and the client adapter,
thereby enabling Windows and the applications it runs to communicate with the
adapter. The driver must be installed before the adapter can be used.
Two client utilities are available for use with Cisco Aironet client
adapters. They are the Aironet Client Utility (ACU) and the Aironet Client
Monitor (ACM). These utilities are optional applications that interact with the
radio firmware to adjust client adapter settings and display information about
the adapter. ACM will be covered later.
ACU enables the creation of
configuration profiles for the client adapter and performs user-level
diagnostics. ACU performs a variety of functions. The Aironet Client Utility
main screen is shown in Figure
.
The
title bar at the top of the Aironet Client Utility screen shows the profile
that is being used by the client adapter. The status bar at the bottom of the
Aironet Client Utility screen reflects the current state of the client adapter.
Figure
shows
that the following states are possible, where radio_name is the client adapter
type and ap_name is the configured name of an access point. Aironet Extensions
must be enabled on access points running Cisco IOS release 12.2(4)JA or greater
in order for the ap_name to appear in the status bar. The information shown in
the status bar is updated once per second. The right side of the status bar
shows the current time of day. If the clock is set to display seconds in the
Aironet Client Utility Preferences screen, the time includes seconds in
addition to hours and minutes. To enable the clock to display seconds, open
ACU, click the Preferences icon or select Preferences from the Options
drop-down menu, check the Display Seconds on Clock check box, and click OK.
The buttons on the ACU screens are used to perform specific functions.
Figure
describes the
most common buttons.
ACU is also available in Windows CE .NET (CE 4.0,
4.1), Windows CE 3.0 (Includes Pocket PC 2002 and Handheld PC 2000), Windows CE
2.11, Windows CE 2.0, Mac OS, Linux, and MS-DOS versions
,
,
. Refer to the
link below for specific installation and configuration for these operating
systems.