This document describes how wireless technologies are to be deployed, administered, and supported at the University of Hawaii Manoa campus. General information about the UH Manoa wireless infrastructure can be found at: http://www.hawaii.edu/wireless.
To ensure the integrity, reliability, and security of the UH Manoa Network, Information Technology Services (ITS) reserves the right to restrict the use of wireless devices and/or determine what devices can be connected to the network and how these devices should be configured.
Purpose
This document provides guidelines for deployment and usage of wireless
devices on the Manoa Campus. The guidelines provision a minimum level
of wireless security, network reliability and will minimize network
interference from other devices utilizing the same wireless frequency
spectrum.
Scope of this document
This document is intended to cover any and all wireless devices within
the UH Manoa campus. This includes, but are not limited to, wireless
access points, wireless routers, wireless phones, etc.
Suitability
For data networks, wireless networks should not be considered a
replacement for a wired network. It should be seen only as an extension
to the existing wired network for general purpose access in areas of
transient use such as common areas.
A wireless access point provides shared bandwidth. As more users connect to the access point, the available bandwidth per user diminishes. Therefore, wireless networks are not appropriate for high bandwidth applications such as video streaming. It is most suited for applications such as email and web browsing.
Wireless devices should not be used to access administrative information systems such as FMIS, ISIS/Banner, Peoplesoft, etc. that contain sensitive and confidential information unless using encrypted protocols.
ITS reserves the right to restrict access to services and resources that are disruptive to the wireless network, or pose a threat to the University's information security, audit or accreditation status when used from the wireless network.
Coverage
ITS installs and maintains data wireless access in many public spaces
such as McCarthy Mall, Paradise Palms, Bachman Hall, Campus Center, and
Courtyard Cafe, to name a few. This wireless coverage will continue to
expand as resources become available. For a more complete coverage map,
please refer to: http://www.hawaii.edu/wireless/map.
Data wireless networks in departmentally controlled spaces can be deployed in 2 ways:
1) ITS -installed and managed; or
2) self-supported: departmentally/organizationally installed and
managed. Self-supported wireless networks must be installed in
consultation with ITS to prevent network outages, frequency conflicts,
and to maintain the integrity of the UH Network by preventing
unauthorized access.
Management & Support
For ITS installed and managed wireless devices in public spaces, ITS
will assume responsibility to maintain, update, and upgrade these
devices.
For ITS-installed and managed wireless devices in departmentally controlled spaces, ITS will assume responsibility to maintain, update, and upgrade these devices. When consulting ITS, departments will be advised of the cost of installation and maintenance. In physical spaces shared by more than one organization, ITS will try to work with all organizations to reach a mutually beneficial and agreeable arrangement for all.
Where possible, and when requested by departments/faculty, ITS will wireless-enable general purpose classrooms under our Manoa general purpose classroom support effort, on a best effort basis.
Requests for assistance with planning for wireless networks can be made by calling the ITS Telecom office at: 956-6033.
Self-Supported: If an organization is installing and maintaining their own wireless devices, at a minimum, the device standards & configurations should be: 802.11b standards, configured to be "closed" and WEP-enabled and preferably, support for LDAP and Radius.
Radio Spectrum Management
There are many devices which share the same radio spectrum as the UH
Wireless Network on the Manoa campus. This includes, but is not limited
to 2.4GHz cordless phones, wireless cameras or speakers which may
interfere with the wireless network. Also a wireless access point
using the same frequency range as another unit may cause interference
and degrade the quality of the wireless signal. To prevent such
disruptions on the UH Wireless Network, the use of other devices using
the 2.4GHz frequency range are banned from areas that are now or may
soon have wireless coverage. Non-2.4GHz alternatives are available for
most of these other devices. Also installation of self-supported data
wireless access points must be coordinated with ITS to prevent frequency
conflicts.
Security
The wireless infrastructure should not be relied upon as being secure.
While a minimal level of security is provided through WEP and user
authentication for ITS-managed wireless access points, application and
data protection is still the responsibility of the application and data
owners.
For departmentally deployed wireless networks, wireless access points should be configured to be WEP-enabled. Users of any UH Manoa wireless network should be required to validate their identity (either using their UH Username or a departmental ID) to prevent unauthorized access of the network.
Should ITS encounter a device that is interfering with the UH Manoa network infrastructure, ITS will attempt to notify the administrator on a time permitting basis but reserves the right to disconnect the device without notification. ITS' first priority is to restore the network to its normal operating state.
Any person attaching a wireless device to the UH Manoa Network is responsible for the security of the device and for any intentional or unintentional activities from or to the network pathway that the device is using. Users and system administrators must guard against abuses that disrupt or threaten the network and any systems connected to it.
