WWAN Authentication Options

Technical Note 2172

Last Reviewed 22-Dec-2004
 Printer-friendly version

Summary

Ethernet and 802.11 connections are normally available as soon as a machine boots up. But most WWAN cards (CDMA, GPRS, EDGE, etc.) do not connect until after a user logs into the Windows desktop, which presents some unique problems:

• Using default settings, Mobility will try to connect as soon as a user enters his or her credentials, but before the Windows desktop authentication takes place. Since there's no network available yet, Mobility is unable to connect, resulting in a message being displayed and a delay in reaching the desktop.

• Without a network connection upon login, Windows is unable to reach the domain controller, so users cannot log in using domain credentials unless those credentials have recently been cached on the machine by a prior, successful domain login over 802.11 or Ethernet. Without a connection to the domain, login scripts don't run and network drives aren't properly mapped.

Solutions

There are a few options for fixing these problems, depending on what your needs are:

• If you do not need to reach the domain controller when logging into the device (because you have cached credentials or are using a local user account), there are two options:

  • Reduce the Mobility connection timeout
    This allows the Windows authentication to proceed, and Mobility connects automatically after the WWAN card connects. See tech note 2173 ("WWAN Authentication—Speeding up the Desktop Login").

  • Configure Mobility to default to bypass
    This is set in the NetMotion Client Poperties and allows the Windows authentication to proceed while bypassing Mobility (not connected). A user will have to manually connect Mobility.

• If you must reach your domain controller when logging into Windows you'll need your modem to connect earlier. See tech note 2174 for instructions on reaching the domain controller over a WWAN connection.

Related Information

Please comment on this technical note.