Wireless/Redundant Edge Services xl Module Management and Configuration Guide WS.02.xx and greater

5-10
Web Authentication for Mobile Users
Configuring Web-Auth
Note The Wireless Edge Services xl Module automatically allows unauthenticated
stations access to the IP address on the static VLAN for the Web-Auth WLAN.
(Such access is necessary for the stations to complete Web-Auth.) Even
though management access to the module is protected by a password, you
might want to protect such access further. Make sure to assign the Web-Auth
WLAN to a different VLAN than the module’s management VLAN. Then
activate secure management. See “Viewing VLAN Interfaces and Enabling
Secure Management” on page 6-3 of Chapter 6: IP Services—IP Settings,
DHCP, and DNS.
Configuring Web-Auth
To configure a WLAN, you must set the service set identifier (SSID) and the
VLAN in which traffic will be forwarded. Typically, you will want the SSID for
the Web-Auth WLAN to be broadcast (beaconed), so you must configure
WLAN 1, 2, 3, or 4 to use Web-Auth. For more information about SSIDs and
WLANs, including which SSIDs are broadcast by the Wireless Edge Services
xl Module, see “Configuration Options: Normal Versus Advanced Mode” on
page 4-4 of Chapter 4: Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs).
Note By default, the Wireless Edge Services xl Module places all wireless traffic in
VLAN 1. If your network has only one subnetwork, this configuration may be
adequate. Often, however, you will want to use a separate VLAN for the
Web-Auth WLAN. If so, you must assign this VLAN an IP address. See
Chapter 6: IP Services—IP Settings, DHCP, and DNS.
You must also set the security options, which specify the authentication
method and the encryption standard for the WLAN. In this case, you will select
Web-Auth as the authentication method. See “Configuring Encryption for a
Web-Auth WLAN” on page 5-29 to learn about encryption options.
In addition to configuring these settings, you can configure advanced settings
for individual WLANs, which include inter-station blocking, closed system
operations, and inactivity timeouts. You can also configure settings for all
WLANs. For more information about configuring these additional settings, see
Chapter 4: Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs).