WinXP Wireless

Not broadcasting your SSID buys you almost nothing. With a decent wireless snoop program the SSID can be found and you have not gained anything. So do not bother with this and save yourself the hassle.

If this is a location where people could snoop (otherwise why bother with the SSID plan) then why are you dismissing encryption. WPA buys you really quite a lot (even WEP deters). Authentication only stops people attaching to things, not seeing traffic.

David _________________________________________ Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server More than 140,000 groups Unlimited download

I'm not sure of the exact nature but my role is to minimise the setup time for the workstations so I need to somehow come up with a way to configure all the SSIDs automatically for all the 6000+ workstations.......... ;-(

As always, "Google is your friend."

You'll find links to a variety of Windows deployment tools.

Just a bit more searching with Google led to:

"The New Wireless Network Setup Wizard in Windows XP Service Pack 2"

To make the configuration of a WEP key or WPA-PSK much easier, Windows XP with SP2 supports Windows Connect Now (formerly known as Windows Smart Network Key [WSNK]), a new feature of wireless devices that automates wireless network configuration. Windows XP with SP2 supports Windows Connect Now through updates to the wireless client software and a new Wireless Network Setup Wizard.

The Wireless Network Setup Wizard steps you through the configuration of wireless network settings--a wireless network name, the authentication and encryption method, and a strong WEP key or WPA-PSK--and then writes that configuration as a set of Extensible Markup Language (XML) files on a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive (UFD). You then plug the UFD into other wireless devices in the home or small office that support Windows Connect Now. All of the wireless devices that support Windows Connect Now automatically read the settings from the XML files stored on the UFD and configure themselves with the same settings as the computer on which the Wireless Network Setup Wizard was initially run.

This new feature of Windows XP SP2 and other wireless devices, which have a USB port and support Windows Connect Now, greatly simplifies the configuration of strong security for wireless networks in the home or small office.

"About Wireless Provisioning Services"

The Wireless Provisioning Services (WPS) enable the discovery of and connection to wireless networks, typically wireless hotspots. XML data provided by the wireless Internet service provider (WISP) is used to provision wireless connection profiles managed by the Wireless Zero Configuration service.

The WISP provides the XML provisioning data for its wireless network connections through the following methods:

Wireless Network Provisioning The wireless connection is provisioned through XML files from the WPS provisioning store on the client. When the user attempts to connect to a WISP wireless network, XML files can be automatically downloaded from the WISP and saved in the provisioning store.

XML files can also be added and queried through the WPS IProvisioningDomain interface. XML files added through this interface pre-provision the wireless connection without needing to download files from the WISP.

Moral: Google is often the best way to find what you are looking for.

" snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" hath wroth:

If all 6000+ workstations use the exact same wireless adapter, this might be possible. However, I doubt it. The registry key is usually located under the manufacturers ID such as: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\ORiNOCO\\Driver The SSID is in plain text, but the WEP and WPA keys are normally encrypted. I've never tried transplanting a WEP/WPA registry key entry between machines but suspect it might not work.

Windoze has a variety of deployment tools. Back in the daze of NT, I was using MS SMS (system management suffer) to deliver updates to workstations and sometimes install entire applications. It barely worked and screwed up badly on 3rd party applications (i.e. anti-virus software).

MS Server 2003 adds something similar with RIS (remote installation services) in addition to MS SMS. I know zero about how it all works. See:

Drivel: In the distant past, I've done some IP renumbering exercises when two corporations merged. About 300 boxes in 3 locations. There were some futile attempts to automate the process that were doomed from the start by the wide variety of operating systems and configurations. Instead, we just arranged a printed "script", found as many college students as possible, did a dry run, and eventually ruined a weekend juggling IP addresses. It worked well.

One of the IT managers mantra was "Never automate anything you only do once". Methinks he was right.

If you have a domain environment, take a look at the 802.11 Windows GPO.