Wireless/Redundant Edge Services xl Module Management and Configuration Guide WS.01.03 or greater

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Introduction
Radio Ports
For example, WLAN 1 and WLAN 5 have been assigned to the same BSSID.
The RP advertises the SSID for WLAN 1 in the beacon frame from that BSSID,
but not the SSID for WLAN 5. However, if a wireless station sends a probe
request for WLAN 5’s SSID, then the RP responds and the station can associate.
In other words, WLAN 1 operates in open system and WLAN 5 in closed
system.
Note While, by default, ProCurve RPs beacon the first WLAN assigned to a BSSID,
you can configure that WLAN to operate in closed system instead. However,
you cannot configure a WLAN with an index number higher than four to
operate in open system (unless you use advanced mode configuration to
assign that WLAN as the primary WLAN). See Chapter 3: Wireless Local Area
Networks (WLANs) for more information on configuring open and closed
system operations.
Master Mode
Recall that BSSs and ESSs operate in infrastructure mode: wireless stations
must communicate through their RP. In this mode, 802.11 requires that wire-
less stations and RPs function differently. The wireless stations act in managed
mode, and the RPs in master mode. All communications must proceed
between the master and the managed stations or between a managed station
and the master.
You should understand the basic functions that the RP, as the master, fulfills:
■ It sends beacon frames to:
• announce its presence
• advertise the WLANs that its supports
• perform other network control functions, such as synchronizing the
time
■ It receives authentication requests, which the Wireless Edge Services xl
Module forwards to the authentication server
■ It receives and responds to association requests from wireless stations.
■ 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.