Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!m.cs.uiuc.edu!knauer From: knauer@cs.uiuc.edu (Rob Knauerhase) Subject: Re: Apple's FCC request Message-ID: <1991Apr11.042137.31309@m.cs.uiuc.edu> Sender: news@m.cs.uiuc.edu (News Database (admin-Mike Schwager)) Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL References: <91Apr10.132244edt.23275@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca> Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 04:21:37 GMT Lines: 29 In <91Apr10.132244edt.23275@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca> GRAY@ADMIN.HumberC.ON.CA (Kelly Gray) writes: >... off the top of my head, I can come up with a number of MAJOR problems >that would need to be adressed. These include things like data security, >multiple installation interference, and interference with non-LAN radio >systems, or even non radio electronics! >Anyone within range of your office would at least be able to listen in >on your network traffic, and could even connect to the network without >your permission! The thing is, fifty metres is a long reach in a typical >office building. This would include not only the entire floor the network >is installed on, but at least five floors above and below the network too. >In a typical large office building, several companies would have offices >in the same building. Given that the radio signal from the LAN would >extend many floors above and below the network, how do you prevent >interference between two networks (belonging to different companies) >that happen to be located on different floors? While most of the technology problems have been solved (range, reliability, distinct nets on one frequency), most of the policy/risk concerns have been adriotly ignored by Apple and others. The newsgroup comp.risks had several articles about this very issue a couple months ago. If you're really interested, the RISKS-digest archives are on anonymous FTP at crvax.sri.com in the RISKS: directory. Rob -- Robert C. Knauerhase University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign "I get my exercise acting as Dept. of Computer Science, Gigabit Study Group pallbearer for my friends knauer@cs.uiuc.edu, rck@ces.cwru.edu who exercise..." knauer@scivax.lerc.nasa.gov