User guide

HiPath Wireless Standalone 802.11n AP User Guide D-1
D
Glossary
Term Definition
AAA Authentication, Authorization and Accounting. A system in IP-
based networking to control what computer resources users have
access to and to keep track of the activity of users over a network.
Access Point (AP) A wireless LAN transceiver or ‘base station’ that can connect a
wired LAN to one or many wireless devices.
ACS Automatic Channel Selection.
ADDBA Add Block Acknowledgement.
Ad-hoc mode An 802.11 networking framework in which devices or stations
communicate directly with each other, without the use of an
access point (AP). (Compare Infrastructure Mode)
AES Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is an algorithm for
encryption that works at multiple network layers simultaneously.
As a block cipher, AES encrypts data in fixed-size blocks of 128
bits. AES was created by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST). AES is a privacy transform for IPSec and
Internet Key Exchange (IKE). AES has a variable key length - the
algorithm can specify a 128-bit key (the default), a 192-bit key, or a
256-bit key.
For the WPA2/802.11i implementation of AES, a 128 bit key length
is used. AES encryption includes 4 stages that make up one
round. Each round is then iterated 10, 12 or 14 times depending
upon the bit-key size. For the WPA2/802.11i implementation of
AES, each round is iterated 10 times.
AES-CCMP AES uses the Counter-Mode/CBC-MAC Protocol (CCMP). CCM is
a new mode of operation for a block cipher that enables a single
key to be used for both encryption and authentication. The two
underlying modes employed in CCM include Counter mode (CTR)
that achieves data encryption and Cipher Block Chaining
Message Authentication Code (CBC-MAC) to provide data
integrity.
ARP Address Resolution Protocol. A protocol used to obtain the
physical addresses (such as MAC addresses) of hardware units in
a network environment. A host obtains such a physical address by
broadcasting an ARP request, which contains the IP address of
the target hardware unit. If the request finds a unit with that IP
address, the unit replies with its physical hardware address.
Association A connection between a wireless device and an Access Point.