User guide

Enterasys Wireless Standalone 802.11n AP User Guide 2-1
2
Configuring Your Network
ProperconfigurationofawirelessnetworkrequiresanunderstandingoftheAP’scomponents
andsecurityfeatures.Thefollowingsectionsdiscusssomenetworkoptionsfocusedaroundthe
useoftheEnterasysWirelessStandalone802.11nAP.TheAP’snetworkmanagement,security,
andauthenticationabilitiesarealsodiscussed.
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Wireless Networking Concepts 2-1
About Clustering 2-4
RADIUS Authentication 2-5
About Network Security 2-5
About Quality of Service 2-6
Wireless Networking Concepts
Wirelesscommunicationbetweentwoormorecomputersrequiresthateachcomputerbe
equippedwithareceiver/transmitter—aWLANnetworkadapter—capa bleofexchangingdigital
informationoveracommonradiofrequency.Thissetupiscalledanadhocconfiguration.An
adhocnetw
orkallowswirelessdevicestocommunicatewitheachotherusinganIndependent
BasicServiceSet(IBSS).
Analternativ
etoanadhocconfigurationistheuseofanAP.Computersandotherwireless
devicescommunicatewitheachotherthroughtheAP.TheIEEE802.11standarddefinesanAPas
adevicethatallowsotherwirelessdevicestocommunicatewithadistributionsystemusinga
BasicServiceSet(B
SS)oraninfrastructurenetwork.
Forthewi
relessdevicestocommunicatewithcomputersonawirednetwork,theAPsmustbe
connectedintothewirednetwork,andprovideaccesstothenetworkedcomputers.Thisiscalled
bridging.
Infrastructure Wireless LAN
TheAPprovideswirelessworkstationswithaccesstoawiredLAN.Anintegratedwired/wireless
LANiscalledaninfrastructureconfiguration.ABSSconsistsofagroupofwirelessPCusers,and
anAPthatdirectlyconnectstothewiredLAN.EachwirelessPCinthisBSScantalktoany
computerinit
swirelessgroupviaaradiolink,oraccessothercomputersornetworkresourcesin
thewiredLANinfrastructureviatheAP.
Theinf
rastructureconfigurationnotonlyextendstheaccessibilityofwirelessPCstothewired
LAN,butalsoincreasestheeffectivewirelesstransmissionrangeforwirelessPCsbypassingtheir
signalthroughoneormoreAPs.