User Guide

Glossary
37
NXA-WAP250G 802.11b/g Wireless Access Point
Glossary
 10BASE-T - IEEE 802.3 specification for 10 Mbps Ethernet over two pairs of Category 3 or
better UTP cable.
 100BASE-TX - IEEE 802.3u specification for 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet over two pairs of
Category 5 or better UTP cable.
 Access Point - An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless
networks. Access points attached to a wired network, support the creation of multiple radio
cells that enable roaming throughout a facility.
 Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) - An encryption algorithm that implements
symmetric key cryptography. AES provides very strong encryption using a completely
different ciphering algorithm to TKIP and WEP.
 Authentication - The process to verify the identity of a client requesting network access.
IEEE 802.11 specifies two forms of authentication: open system and shared key.
 Backbone - The core infrastructure of a network. The portion of the network that transports
information from one central location to another central location where it is unloaded onto a
local system.
 Beacon - A signal periodically transmitted from the access point that is used to identify the
service set, and to maintain contact with wireless clients.
 Broadcast Key - Broadcast keys are sent to stations using dynamic keying. Dynamic
broadcast key rotation is often used to allow the access point to generate a random group key
and periodically update all key-management capable wireless clients.
 Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) - Provides a framework for passing
configuration information to hosts on a TCP/IP network. DHCP is based on the Bootstrap
Protocol (BOOTP), adding the capability of automatic allocation of reusable network
addresses and additional configuration options.
 Encryption - Data passing between the access point and clients can use encryption to protect
from interception and evesdropping.
 Ethernet - A popular local area data communications network, which accepts transmission
from computers and terminals.
 File Transfer Protocol (FTP) - A TCP/IP protocol used for file transfer.
 Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) - HTTP is a standard used to transmit and receive all
data over the World Wide Web.
 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) - A network layer protocol that reports errors in
processing IP packets. ICMP is also used by routers to feed back information about better
routing choices.
 IEEE 802.11b - A wireless standard that supports wireless communications in the 2.4 GHz
band using Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS). The standard provides for data rates of
1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps.
 IEEE 802.11g - A wireless standard that supports wireless communications in the 2.4 GHz
band using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). The standard provides for
data rates of 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps. IEEE 802.11g is also backward compatible
with IEEE 802.11b.
 Infrastructure - An integrated wireless and wired LAN is called an infrastructure
configuration.