Apple iTunes Services

-

This is just a quick note about some Apple services you may see advertised using mDNS when you are implementing a Bonjour gateway on your wireless network. I've been investigating which services might be visible when the iTunes application is being run on computers that are connected to the wireless network.

From my testing, I have only been able to find 2 services you may come across when using iTunes (this just considers the iTunes application and does not include any other services from Apple TV, printers etc.):
  • _daap._tcp.local.
  • _apple-mobdev._tcp.local.


_daap._tcp.local.

This service becomes available when you choose the option to share your library on the local network Share library on local network:




The service advertisements are generated by the iTunes software on the computer (and hence originate from the computer itself) to be detected by other devices/computers across the network

_apple-mobdev._tcp.local.

This service becomes visible when the 'Sync over Wifi' option is selected for a device that is connected to the computer running via the sync cable. Once this option has been enabled, the device can sync with iTunes using the WiFi network rather than having to be tethered by the sync cable.

Interestingly, the _apple-mobdev._tcp.local. service advertisements come from the device itself (e.g. the iPad which has WiFi sync enabled), NOT the iTunes software on the computer.



Summary

In summary, you may see the following services from when iTunes is being used on your network:
  • _daap._tcp.local. (from the iTunes computer)
  • _apple-mobdev._tcp.local. (from the mobille device - e.g. iPad)
If you come across any other services that may be associated with iTunes, let me know - these were the only 2 I could find (see screenshot below).




Popular posts from this blog

The 5GHz “Problem” For Wi-Fi Networks: DFS

-
Image
Wi-Fi networking provides us with 2 bands for the operation of wireless LAN networks: the 2.4Ghz band and the 5GHz band. The 2.4GHz band has a reputation of being something of a “sewer” of a band, due to its limited number of usable channels, the number of Wi-Fi devices already using the band, and the high levels of non-Wi-Fi interference that it experiences. Many wireless LAN professionals will generally advise that you put your “important stuff” on the 5GHz band whenever possible. 5GHz has far more channels available, a corresponding lower number of devices per channel, and generally suffers much lower non-Wi-Fi interference. However, beneath the headline of “2.4Ghz = bad, 5Ghz = good”, there lurks a shadowy figure that can be troublesome if you’re not aware of its potential impact: DFS. Background Wi-Fi networks operate in areas of RF spectrum that require no licence to operate. This is in contrast to many other areas of the radio spectrum that generally require some form of (p
Read more

Microsoft NPS as a RADIUS Server for WiFi Networks: SSID Filtering

-
Image
The Microsoft Network Policy Server (NPS) is often used as a  RADIUS server for WiFi networks. It can provide authentication and authorization services for devices and users on a wireless network in a Windows Active Directory environment. In this article we look at how we can use NPS to provide authentication for WiFi users across a number of SSIDs. We have previously discussed how to authenticate groups of users using the same SSID and then assign them to a VLAN that is appropriate to their security authorization. However, there may still be instances where two or more SSIDs are in-use on a wireless network and we would like to base policy decisions on the SSID that the authentication request is being generated from. As an example, if we consider a school, perhaps we would like students to only be able to authenticate if they connected to the SSID: "Student_Net". Similarly,  staff should only be able to connect using the SSID: "Staff_Net". This would
Read more

What Are Sticky Clients?

-
Image
One term you'll often hear banded about when talking with Wi-Fi professionals is "sticky clients". I thought it might be worth spending a few moments exploring what is meant by "sticky clients", why they are generally considered to be a bad thing in Wi-Fi networks and some approaches to mitigate them. Background Many folks dealing with Wi-Fi networks often talk about the "sticky" characteristics of wireless clients when discussing client roaming within a W-iFi network. In an ideal world, we'd like to have access points providing ubiquitous coverage across our desired area providing high-quality, consistent client coverage where-ever we go. In this wonderful land of rainbows and unicorns, our clients would gracefully roam from AP to AP, detecting and associating with their closest AP throughout the coverage area to ensure their best connection speed at all times. Unfortunately, the real world doesn’t quite reflect this roaming-client
Read more