User Manual

E-4
Cisco Aironet Wireless LAN Client Adapters Installation and Configuration Guide for Windows
OL-1394-06
Appendix E Configuring the Client Adapter through Windows XP
Configuring the Client Adapter
When you enable Require EAP on your access point and configure your client adapter for EAP-TLS,
PEAP, or EAP-SIM using Windows XP, authentication to the network occurs in the following sequence:
1. The client adapter associates to an access point and begins the authentication process.
Note The client does not gain full access to the network until authentication between the client
and the RADIUS server is successful.
2. Communicating through the access point, the client and RADIUS server complete the authentication
process, with the password (PEAP), certificate (EAP-TLS), or internal key stored on the SIM card
and in the service provider’s Authentication Center (EAP-SIM) being the shared secret for
authentication. The password or internal key is never transmitted during the process.
3. If authentication is successful, the client and RADIUS server derive a dynamic, session-based WEP
key that is unique to the client.
4. The RADIUS server transmits the key to the access point using a secure channel on the wired LAN.
5. For the length of a session, or time period, the access point and the client use this key to encrypt or
decrypt all unicast packets (and broadcast packets if the access point is set up to do so) that travel
between them.
Note Refer to the IEEE 802.11 Standard for more information on 802.1X authentication and to the following
URL for additional information on RADIUS servers:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/software/ios120/12cgcr/secur_c/scprt2/scrad.htm
Configuring the Client Adapter
Follow the steps below to configure your client adapter using Windows XP.
Note If you installed ACU but intend to use Windows XP to configure the client adapter, open ACU and make
sure the Use Another Application to Configure My Wireless Settings option is selected on the Select
Profile screen.
Note These instructions assume you are using Windows XP’s classic view rather than its category view.
Step 1 Make sure the client adapter’s firmware and driver have been installed and the client adapter is inserted
in the Windows XP device.
Step 2 Double-click My Computer, Control Panel, and Network Connections.
Step 3 Right-click Wireless Network Connection.
Step 4 Click Properties. The Wireless Network Connection Properties screen appears.
Step 5 Select the Wireless Networks tab. The following screen appears (see Figure E-1).