OpenFlow AP with PC Engine

From OpenFlow Wiki

This page explains how to setup OpenFlow AP using PCEngine platform.

Hardware

The PCEngine box we use in our deployment is custom built from the following components. We buy most of our component from Mini-box and/or Netgate, as linked below. Do let us know if any link is broken.

• Motherboard (PCEngine Alix3d2) : netgate minibox
• Outdoor Enclosure : netgate minibox
• Mini PCI WiFi card (802.11b/g): netgate minibox
  • At the time of our purchase, linux 802.11n driver was not ready. This card uses the same chip as ours but has higher transmission power.
• Power Adaptor : netgate minibox
• Passive POE injector : netgate minibox
• Antenna : I-com
• Pigtail : streakwave
• Serial DB9(F) to RJ45 Adapter : sfcable
• CF card (We used 2GB CF card)

Setup and Installation

• To jump-start the setup, we provide the disk image of our AP here.
• SNMP Installation

Configuration

AP Configuration

(1) AP images. You can get NOX Image from [1]

(2) Configuration changes on OpenFlow

• Disable NOX

Comment out "DEFAUTL_NOX" in /etc/noxbox.conf

#DEFAULT_NOX="./nox_core -i ptcp: pyswitch monitorsui"

• To change controller IP/TCP port number, modify "CONTROLLER_ADDR" in /etc/noxbox.conf

CONTROLLER_ADDR=xxx.yyy.zzz.uuu:ppp

• To change OpenFlow interfaces

/etc/noxbox.conf  OPENFLOW_INTERFACES="ath0 ath1 eth0"

• IP address assignment (it is DHCP by default)

File: /etc/noxbox.conf

• • To use DHCP

ON_IP_ADDR=dhcp

• • To use Static IP

ON_IP_ADDR=192.168.0.1
ON_NETMASK=255.255.255.0
ON_GATEWAY=192.168.0.254

• SSID

File: ath0: /etc/hostapd/hostapd.ath0.conf

File: ath1: /etc/hostapd/hostapd.ath1.conf

Set "ssid" to your ssid.

• Hiding SSID, Change WiFi channel

/etc/network/interfaces

iface ath0 inet manual
  ..
  pre-up iwpriv ath0 hide_ssid 1
  pre-up iwconfig ath0 channel 3
  ..

Upgrading OpenFlow

(1) Compile new OpenFlow source code on x86 machine

(2) Replace /root/current/openflow on AP to the complied directory tree

(3) Reboot the AP

Multiple SSIDs

(1) Create multiple virtual interface. For example, two virtual interface vath00 vath01 on physical interface wifi0

wlanconfig vath00 create wlandev wifi0 wlanmode ap 
wlanconfig vath01 create wlandev wifi0 wlanmode ap

(2) You can now treat vath00 and vath01 as a independent interface

(3) Run hostapd on both vath00 and vath01 (you can assign different SSID on each interface).

(4) On the ethernet side, you can create vlan inteface like this

/sbin/vconfig add eth0 0
/sbin/vconfig add eth0 1

Now you have two interface eth0.0 and eth0.1, each has vlan tag 0 and 1 respectively.

(5) You can run multiple OpenFlow instances using any combination of those crated virtual interfaces (eth0.0, eth0.1, vath00, vath01).