Reference Guide

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8 Secure Operation
The module can be configured to be in the following FIPS approved modes of operations via corresponding
Aruba Mobility Controllers that have been certificated to FIPS level 2:
• Remote AP FIPS mode – When the module is configured as a Remote AP, it is intended to be
deployed in a remote location (relative to the Mobility Controller). The module provides
cryptographic processing in the form of IPSec for all traffic to and from the Mobility Controller.
• Control Plane Security (CPSec) protected AP FIPS mode – When the module is configured as a
Control Plane Security protected AP it is intended to be deployed in a local/private location (LAN,
WAN, MPLS) relative to the Mobility Controller. The module provides cryptographic processing
in the form of IPSec for all Control traffic to and from the Mobility Controller.
• Remote Mesh Portal FIPS mode – When the module is configured in Mesh Portal mode, it is
intended to be connected over a physical wire to the mobility controller. These modules serve as
the connection point between the Mesh Point and the Mobility Controller. Mesh Portals
communicate with the Mobility Controller through IPSec and with Mesh Points via 802.11i
session. The Crypto Officer role is the Mobility Controller that authenticates via IKEv1/IKEv2
pre-shared key or RSA/ECDSA certificate authentication method, and Users are the "n" Mesh
Points that authenticate via 802.11i preshared key.
• Remote Mesh Point FIPS mode – an AP that establishes all wireless path to the Remote Mesh
portal in FIPS mode over 802.11 and an IPSec tunnel via the Remote Mesh Portal to the
controller.
In addition, the module also supports a non-FIPS mode – an un-provisioned AP, which by default does not
serve any wireless clients. The Crypto Officer must first enable and then provision the AP into a FIPS AP
mode of operation.
This section explains how to place the module in each FIPS mode and how to verify that it is in FIPS mode.
An important point in the Aruba APs is that to change configurations from any one mode to any other mode
requires the module to be re-provisioned and rebooted before any new configured mode can be enabled.
The access point is managed by an Aruba Mobility Controller in FIPS mode, and access to the Mobility
Controller’s administrative interface via a non-networked general purpose computer is required to assist in
placing the module in FIPS mode. The controller used to provision the AP is referred to below as the
“staging controller”. The staging controller must be provisioned with the appropriate firmware image for
the module, which has been validated to FIPS 140-2, prior to initiating AP provisioning. The Crypto
Officer shall perform the following steps:
8.1.1 Configuring Remote AP FIPS Mode
1. Apply TELs according to the directions in section 3.2
2. Log into the administrative console of the staging controller
3. Deploying the AP in Remote FIPS mode configure the controller for supporting Remote APs, For
detailed instructions and steps, see Section “Configuring the Secure Remote Access Point Service”
in Chapter “Remote Access Points” of the Aruba OS User Manual.
4. Enable FIPS mode on the controller. This is accomplished by going to the Configuration >
Network > Controller > System Settings page (this is the default page when you click the
Configuration tab), and clicking the FIPS Mode for Mobility Controller Enable checkbox.
5. Enable FIPS mode on the AP. This accomplished by going to the Configuration > Wireless > AP
Configuration > AP Group page. There, you click the Edit button for the appropriate AP group,
and then select AP > AP System Profile. Then, check the “Fips Enable” box, check “Apply”, and
save the configuration.