Wireless LAN (802.11) Testing Overview

Note  This content applies to the Windows Logo Kit (WLK). For the latest information using the new Windows Hardware Certification Kit (HCK), see Windows HCK User's Guide on the Windows Hardware Dev Center.

The procedures that are presented in this section outline the process for testing your Wireless LAN (WLAN) device to ensure that it will function correctly with the Microsoft Windows operating system. These procedures use the Microsoft Windows Driver Kit (WDK) and Driver Test Manager (DTM). To comply with the WLAN Logo Program and ensure that the device and driver function correctly, you must run all of the tests that DTM identifies as required for the device.

Note   You must use the latest version of the WDK to compile your driver in order for it to pass testing and obtain a logo.

Note   Software-based Access Points using the Realtek 8185 chipset were deprecated with the release of WLK version 1.3. DTM testing with Software-based Access Points are exclusively supported with Atheros WLAN NICs. WLK customers that are testing WLAN drivers must use Atheros hardware to complete their submissions. If you have further questions on this, please let us know at wlanndt@microsoft.com.

The test procedures in this section are divided into the following types of topics:

• Overview: The overview topics describe the hardware, software, and tester knowledge requirements for running the WLAN test.

• Preparing: The preparing topics describe how to configure test machines and setup DTM machine pools for Windows logo testing.

• Running: The running topics describe how to execute the WLAN Logo tests for your device.

• Troubleshooting: The troubleshooting topics describe how to diagnose and fix common problems that you might encounter during WLAN testing.

WLAN Device Tests

The tests that you need to run depend on the capabilities of the device or system that you are testing.

Execution time:

• Windows XP -3 to 4 hours

• Windows Vista - 6 to 8 hours

• Windows 7 - 8 to 12 hours

DTM Setup for WLAN Device Testing

A DTM setup for WLAN device testing consists of the following three components:

• A computer that is running DTM Studio. Through this application, you can control and configure the DTM controller to send jobs to the DTM clients on the DTM system pool. All requirements for a WLAN Logo submission are enforced when the DTM test execution job is configured.

• A DTM controller computer. This computer must be running Microsoft Windows Server 2003. (This computer can be the same computer that runs DTM Studio.) This component reserves DTM clients in the system pool for a test job.

• Several DTM client computers. For WLAN Logo device tests, you need three client machines. These are identified as the DUT (Device Under Test), SUT (Support Device Under Test), and Test SoftAP, as shown in the following figure. The DUT and SUT will have the test device and driver installed. The Test SoftAP will have two Atheros-based 802.11n capable wireless adapters installed. When a test job is run, the DTM clients will first copy NDISTest from the DTM controller onto the DTM clients and run NDISTest locally. The DTM controller will gather test results.

Install the Windows 7 operating system on the Test Soft AP.

Note   Windows Vista is deprecated and is not supported for the Test SoftAP.

The following table summarizes the configurations:

Note   The operating systems installed on the test clients must be matching processor architecture versions. If you are Logo testing a 32-bit driver, the DUT, SUT, and Test SoftAP must all have 32-bit versions of Windows installed upon them. For example, you may not use a 64-bit DUT with a 32-bit Test SoftAP.

The following figure provides an overview of the WLAN Logo test setup.

This section includes

Preparing for Wireless LAN (802.11) Testing

Running Wireless LAN (802.11) Tests for Logo Submission

Troubleshooting Wireless LAN (802.11) Testing

Build date: 9/14/2012