Users Guide

1122| Acronyms and Terms Dell Networking W-Series ArubaOS 6.5.x| User Guide
Term Definition
802.11i Provides improved encryption for networks that use 802.11a, 802.11b,
and 802.11g standards. Requires new encryption key protocols, known
as Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) and Advanced Encryption
Standard (AES). Other features include key caching, which facilitates
fast reconnection to the server for users who have temporarily gone
offline, and pre-authentication, which allows fast roaming and is ideal
for use with advanced applications such as Voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP).
802.11j Proposed addition to the 802.11 family of standards that incorporates
Japanese regulatory extensions to 802.11a; the main intent is to add
channels in the radio-frequency (RF) band of 4.9 GHz to 5.0 GHz.
WLANs using 802.11j will provide for speeds of up to 54 Mbps, and will
employ orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). The
specification will define how Japanese 802.11 family WLANs and other
wireless systems, particularly HiperLAN2 networks, can operate in
geographic proximity without mutual interference.
802.11k Proposed standard for how a WLAN should perform channel selection,
roaming, and transmit power control (TPC) to optimize network
performance. In a network conforming to 802.11k, if the access point
(AP) having the strongest signal is loaded to capacity, a wireless
device is connected to one of the under used APs. Even though the
signal may be weaker, the overall throughput is greater because more
efficient use is made of the network resources.
802.11n Wireless networking standard to improve network throughput over the
two previous standards 802.11a and 802.11g with a significant
increase in the maximum raw data rate from 54 Mbit/s to 600 Mbit/s
with the use of four spatial streams at a channel width of 40 MHz.
802.11m An initiative to perform editorial maintenance, corrections,
improvements, clarifications, and interpretations relevant to
documentation for 802.11 family specifications. 802.11m also refers to
the set of maintenance releases itself.
802.11 bSec The bSec protocol is a pre-standard protocol that has been proposed to
the IEEE 802.11 committee as an alternative to 802.11i. The difference
between bSec and standard 802.11i is that bSec implements Suite B
algorithms whenever possible. Notably, AES-CCM is replaced by AES-
CGM, and the Key Derivation Function (KDF) of 802.11i is upgraded to
support SHA-256 and SHA-384.
To provide interoperability with standard Wi-Fi software drivers, bSec is
implemented as a shim layer between standard 802.11 Wi-Fi and a
Layer 3 protocol such as IP. A controller configured to advertise a bSec
SSID will advertise an open network, however only bSec frames will be
permitted on the network.
802.1X Standard designed to enhance 802.11 WLAN security. 802.1X provides
an authentication framework, allowing a user to be authenticated by a
central authority. The actual algorithm that is used to determine
whether a user is authentic is left open and multiple algorithms are
possible.