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

1-62
Introduction
Radio Ports
■ It receives data traffic from associated wireless stations and forwards
this traffic to an upstream Ethernet device, or if permitted, to other
wireless stations.
■ It forwards return traffic to associated wireless stations.
Masters communicate with managed stations; they do not communicate with
each other. In other words, one RP does not send traffic to another RP, but
simply transits traffic from wireless stations toward the Wireless Edge Ser-
vices xl Module and from the module back to wireless stations.
The Wireless Edge Services xl Module collects traffic from one or more RPs. It
is this module’s role to process this traffic, respond to it, apply appropriate
controls to it, and forward it in the correct uplink VLAN in the Ethernet network.
The module also acts as the authenticator, managing responses to stations’
authentication requests and forwarding users’ credentials to a RADIUS server.
Detector Mode
Typically, ProCurve RPs function as masters within one or more WLANs.
However, you can also assign an RP the role of detector: such an RP scans for
other APs in the vicinity.
Note More precisely, you assign an RP radio the role of detector. For example, a
dual-radio RP could use one radio to support wireless stations and one to
detect APs.
The detector is dedicated to scanning for unauthorized APs, which can
threaten the security of your network. Unauthorized APs fall into two types:
■ APs placed by unauthorized personnel without malicious intent.
For example, employees might introduce APs so that they can connect to
the network more conveniently. Although the employees may not mean
any harm, if these APs are not secured, those who do mean harm can
exploit the vulnerability.
■ APs placed by hackers with malicious intent.
Hackers can use rogue APs to lure users into sending them their passwords
and other sensitive information. They can also hijack your network devices
for illegal activities, opening your organization up to legal sanctions.
You can configure two types of detectors to search for these unauthorized APs:
■ single-channel detector
■ dedicated detector