Intel ac-7260 WMM

[DCarr5]

Hello community,

I've got a query regarding the Intel ac-7260 and WMM. Please excuse my ignorance here, but to enable WMM and to confirm its operation on this WNIC do I need to do anything? The only setting I could find in the configuration to do with WMM was under the configuration 'Ad Hoc Mode', where currently WMM is disabled. Does this therefore mean that WMM is enabled without having to do anything and cannot be disabled (not suggesting I want to but can't see anywhere where you could do this). Also, how do you verify its operation, for example, we are using the Skype soft client and we are marking the various types of traffic with DSCP tags, how can I check how it is being mapped by WMM or is this not possible?

Thanks

[jbenavides · Accepted solution]

Hello darrencarr,

With Intel® PRO/Wireless Software and Intel wireless network adapters, http://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-certified-wmm-programs WMM* (Wi-Fi Multimedia) is enabled by negotiation with a WMM capable wireless access point. No special configuration in the adapter is necessary for WMM support.

WMM is a Wi-Fi Alliance Quality of Service (QoS) enhancement to allow for priority use of bandwidth by audio, video, and voice applications. WMM support is automatically enabled on the Intel® PRO/Wireless Software. In order to use WMM in your wireless network, this configuration has to be enabled in the Access Point.

In the http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/sb/CS-025393.htm Advanced Wi-Fi Adapter Settings you can find "Ad hoc QoS mode". An ad hoc Wi-Fi network (also known as a peer-to-peer network) is a temporary network used when an access point (AP) or broadband Wi-Fi router is not available. It allows users to wirelessly connect directly to each other. When WMM is enabled in the Ad hoc QoS mode, the adapter uses WMM to support priority tagging and queuing capabilities for Ad hoc Wi-Fi networks.

[DCarr5]

Thank you very much for the clear explanation. Much appreciated.

[jbenavides]

We are glad to know the information was what you required. We hope other users will benefit from your inquiry.

[DCarr5]

Hello Jonathan,

I do have one further query if I may which I am struggling with somewhat. In our environment we are dependant upon the application marking the traffic with a dscp value. The application is MS Lync. We will be marking the voice element with dscp 46. As this IP packet is passed down to the WLAN MAC, what value would this be translated to by the client for transmission and ultimate access category? Is there a WMM mapping table/default values that the Intel card uses, or does it rely on information that is shared by the WMM enabled AP? I was reading the WiFi alliance documentation and it makes mention of a protocol that is used between the client and AP but doesn't go into detail about it. In our environment we use Aruba and in the SSID profile you can define the respective dscp values for each of the access categories. I'm just unclear which of the categories the client will place the packet into i.e. is it dependant on a mapping table in the client, for example the default values suggested by the WiFi alliance, or do it take this information from the AP?

Thanks

[jbenavides]

Hello darrencarr,

There is no additional configuration required in the wireless adapter to use WMM*. This will be negotiated when connected to a WMM capable AP, the functionality will be according to WiFi Alliance* standards.

For more information, we advise you to check the Additional Resources and FAQ available in the Wi-Fi Alliance website:

http://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-certified-wmm-programs Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WMM Programs | Wi-Fi Alliance

Here are some additional resources with more information about this topic:

Microsoft Document: Delivering Lync 2013 Real-Time Communications over Wi-Fi

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36494 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36494

From Aruba Networks:

http://www.arubanetworks.com/techdocs/Instant_41_Mobile/Advanced/Content/UG_files/Voice%20and%20Video/WMM%20Traffic.htm Wi-Fi Multimedia Traffic Management

[DCarr5]

Thanks Jonathan,

So, if I have understood this correctly, the DSCP values that I have configured in my SSID configuration profile on the Aruba infrastructure for the respective access categories, are shared with the client through the WMM communication between the client and the AP. For example, if I have configured AC_VO (46), AC_VI (40), AC_BE (34), AC_BK (24) - (just example values), this will be shared with the client. So if then I created a policy based QoS policy for the client (GPo), I configure Lync voice to use DSCP 46, it will then be mapped to the AC_VO access category based on what the client has negotiated with the AP?

I'll go through the links you have provided soon, I just want to confirm my high-level understanding is correct.

[jbenavides]

I will check further on you last statement and will let you know soon about additional information we can provide from the perspective of the Wireless adapter.

We strongly advise you to check the documentation for WMM available in the links provided before.

[DCarr5]

Hi Jonathan,

I had an email from Intel asking for my contact details as they offered to help more with this particular query. I tried to reply but got a bounce back and don't want to post this information in a public forum. Can you please advise who I should send this to?

Thanks

[DCarr5]

Ignore that last email thanks, figured it out