User's Manual

Back to Contents
Glossary of Terms
Numerical A B C D E F G H I L M N O P R S
T W
Term Definition
802.11 The 802.11 standard refers to a family of specifications developed
by the IEEE for wireless LAN technology. The 802.11 specifies an
over-the-air interface between a wireless client and a base station
or between two wireless clients and provides 1 or 2 Mbps
transmission in the 2.4 GHz band using either frequency hopping
spread spectrum (FHSS) or direct sequence spread spectrum
(DSSS).
802.11a The 802.11a standard specifies a maximum data transfer rate of
54 Mbps and an operating frequency of 5 GHz. The 802.11a
standard uses the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
(OFDM) transmission method. Additionally, the 802.11a standard
supports 802.11 features such as WEP encryption for security.
802.11b 802.11b is an extension to 802.11 that applies to wireless LANS
and provides 11 Mbps transmission (with a fallback to 5.5, 2 and 1
Mbps) in the 2.4 GHz band. 802.11b uses only DSSS. Throughput
data rate 5+ Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band.
802.11g The 802.11g standard specifies a maximum data transfer rate of
54 Mbps, an operating frequency of 2.4GHz, and WEP encryption
for security. 802.11g networks are also referred to as Wi-Fi
networks.
802.1x 802.1x is the IEEE Standard for Port-Based Network Access
Control. This is used in conjunction with EAP methods to provide
access control to wired and wireless networks.
AAA Server Authentication, Authorization and Accounting Server. A system to
control access to computer resources and track user activity.
Access Point
(AP)
A device that connects wireless devices to another network. For
example, a wireless LAN, Internet modem or others.
ad hoc
network
A communication configuration in which every computer has the
same capabilities, and any computer can initiate a communication
session. Also known as a peer-to-peer network or a computer-to-
computer network.
AES-CCMP Advanced Encryption Standard - Counter CBC-MAC Protocol is the
new method for privacy protection of wireless transmissions
specified in the IEEE 802.11i standard. AES-CCMP provides a
stronger encryption method than TKIP.
Authentication Verifies the identity of a user logging onto a network. Passwords,
digital certificates, smart cards and biometrics are used to prove
the identity of the client to the network. Passwords and digital
certificates are also used to identify the network to the client.
BER Bit error rate. The ratio of errors to the total number of bits being
sent in a data transmission from one location to another.
Bit Rate The total number of bits (ones and zeros) per second that a
network connection can support. Note that this bit rate will vary,
under software control, with different signal path conditions.
Broadcast
SSID
Used to allow an access point to respond to clients on a wireless
network by sending probes.
BSSID A unique identifier for each wireless client on a wireless network.
The Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) is the Ethernet MAC
address of each adapter on the network.
CA (certificate
authority)
A corporate certification authority implemented on a server. In
addition, Internet Explorer’s certificate can import a certificate
from a file. A trusted CA certificate is stored in the root store.
CCX Cisco Compatible eXtension. Cisco Compatible Extensions Program
ensures that devices used on Cisco wireless LAN infrastructure
meet the security, management and roaming requirements.
Certificate Used for client authentication. A certificate is registered on the
authentication server (i.e., RADIUS server) and used by the
authenticator.
CKIP Cisco Key Integrity Protocol (CKIP) is a Cisco proprietary security
protocol for encryption in 802.11 media. CKIP uses a key message
integrity check and message sequence number to improve 802.11
security in infrastructure mode. CKIP is Cisco's version of TKIP.
Client
computer
The computer that gets its Internet connection by sharing either
the host computer's connection or the Access Point's connection.
DSSS Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum. Technology used in radio
transmission. Incompatible with FHSS.
EAP Short for Extensible Authentication Protocol, EAP sits inside of
Point-to-Point Protocol’s (PPP) authentication protocol and provides
a generalized framework for several different authentication
methods. EAP is supposed to head off proprietary authentication
systems and let everything from passwords to challenge-response
tokens and public-key infrastructure certificates all work smoothly.
EAP-FAST EAP-FAST, like EAP-TTLS and PEAP, uses tunneling to protect
traffic. The main difference is that EAP-FAST does not use
certificates to authenticate.
EAP-GTC The EAP-GTC (Generic Token Card) is similar to the EAP-OTP
except with hardware token cards. The request contains a
displayable message, and the response contains the string read
from the hardware token card.
EAP-OTP EAP-OTP (One-Time Password) is similar to MD5, except it uses
the OTP as the response. The request contains a displayable
message. The OTP method is defined in RFC 2289. The OTP
mechanism is employed extensively in VPN and PPP scenarios but
not in the wireless world
EAP-SIM Extensible Authentication Protocol-Subscriber Identity Module (EAP-
SIM) authentication can be used with:
● Network Authentication types: Open, Shared, and WPA-
Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise.
● Data Encryption types: None, WEP and CKIP.
A SIM card is a special smart card that is used by GSM-based
digital cellular networks. The SIM card is used to validate your
credentials with the network
EAP-TLS A type of authentication method using EAP and a security protocol
called the Transport Layer Security (TLS). EAP-TLS uses
certificates that use passwords. EAP-TLS authentication supports
dynamic WEP key management.
EAP-TTLS A type of authentication method using EAP and Tunneled Transport
Layer Security (TTLS). EAP-TTLS uses a combination of certificates
and another security method such as passwords.
Encryption Scrambling data so that only the authorized recipient can read it.
Usually a key is needed to interpret the data.
FHSS Frequency-Hop Spread Spectrum. Technology used in radio
transmission. Incompatible with DSSS.
File and
printer sharing
A capability that allows a number of people to view, modify, and
print the same file(s) from different computers.
Fragmentation
threshold
The threshold at which the wireless adapter breaks the packet into
multiple frames. This determines the packet size and affects the
throughput of the transmission.
GHz Gigahertz. A unit of frequency equal to 1,000,000,000 cycles per
second.
Host computer The computer that is directly connected to the Internet via a
modem or network adapter.
Infrastructure
Network
A wireless network centered around an access point. In this
environment, the access point not only provides communication
with the wired network, but also mediates wireless network traffic
in the immediate neighborhood.
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an
organization involved in defining computing and communications
standards.
Internet
Protocol (IP)
address
The address of a computer that is attached to a network. Part of
the address designates which network the computer is on, and the
other part represents the host identification.
LAN Local area network. A high-speed, low-error data network covering
a relatively small geographic area.
LEAP Light Extensible Authentication Protocol. A version of Extensible
Authentication Protocol (EAP). LEAP is a proprietary extensible
authentication protocol developed by Cisco, which provides a
challenge-response authentication mechanism and dynamic key
assignment.
MAC A hardwired address applied at the factory. It uniquely identifies
network hardware, such as a wireless adapter, on a LAN or WAN.
Mbps Megabits-per-second. Transmission speed of 1,000,000 bits per
second.
MHz Megahertz. A unit of frequency equal to 1,000,000 cycles per
second.
MIC (Michael) Message integrity check (commonly called Michael).
MS-CHAP An EAP mechanism used by the client. Microsoft Challenge
Authentication Protocol (MSCHAP) Version 2, is used over an
encrypted channel to enable server validation. The challenge and
response packets are sent over a non-exposed TLS encrypted
channel.
ns Nanosecond. 1 billionth (1/1,000,000,000) of a second.
OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing.
Open
Authentication
Allows any device network access. If encryption is not enabled on
the network, any device that knows the Service Set Identifier
(SSID) of the access point can gain access to the network.
PEAP Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP) is an Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) draft protocol sponsored by
Microsoft, Cisco, and RSA Security. PEAP creates an encrypted
tunnel similar to the tunnel used in secure web pages (SSL). Inside
the encrypted tunnel, a number of other EAP authentication
methods can be used to perform client authentication. PEAP
requires a TLS certificate on the RADIUS server, but unlike EAP-
TLS there is no requirement to have a certificate on the client.
PEAP has not been ratified by the IETF. The IETF is currently
comparing PEAP and TTLS (Tunneled TLS) to determine an
authentication standard for 802.1X authentication in 802.11
wireless systems. PEAP is an authentication type designed to take
advantage of server-side EAP-Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS)
and to support various authentication methods, including user's
passwords and one-time passwords, and Generic Token Cards.
Peer-to-Peer
Mode
A wireless network structure that allows wireless clients to
communicate with each other without using an access point.
Power Save
mode
The state in which the radio is periodically powered down to
conserve power. When the notebook is in Power Save mode,
receive packets are stored in the access point until the wireless
adapter wakes up.
Preferred
network
One of the networks that has been configured. Such networks are
listed under Preferred networks on the Wireless Networks tab of
the Wireless Configuration Utility (Windows 2000 environment) or
Wireless Network Connection Properties (Windows XP
environment).
RADIUS Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) is an
authentication and accounting system that verifies users
credentials and grants access to requested resources.
RF Radio Frequency. The international unit for measuring frequency is
Hertz (Hz), which is equivalent to the older unit of cycles per
second. One Mega-Hertz (MHz) is one million Hertz. One Giga-
Hertz (GHz) is one billion Hertz. For reference: the standard US
electrical power frequency is 60 Hz, the AM broadcast radio
frequency band is 0.55 -1.6 MHz, the FM broadcast radio frequency
band is 88-108 MHz, and microwave ovens typically operate at
2.45 GHz.
Roaming Movement of a wireless node between two micro cells. Roaming
usually occurs in infrastructure networks built around multiple
access points. Current wireless network roaming is only supported
in the same subnet of a network.
RTS threshold The number of frames in the data packet at or above which an RTS/
CTS (request to send/clear to send) handshake is turned on before
the packet is sent. The default value is 2347.
Shared Key An encryption key known only to the receiver and sender of data.
SIM Subscriber Identity Module card is used to validate credentials with
the network. A SIM card is a special smart card that is used by
GSM-based digital cellular networks.
Silent Mode Silent Mode Access Points or Wireless Routers have been
configured to not broadcast the SSID for the wireless network.
This makes it necessary to know the SSID in order to configure the
wireless profile to connect to the access point or wireless router.
Single Sign On Single Sign On feature set allows the 802.1x credentials to match
your Windows log on user name and password credentials for
wireless network connections.
SSID Service Set Identifier. SSID or network name is a value that
controls access to a wireless network. The SSID for your wireless
network card must match the SSID for any access point that you
want to connect with. If the value does not match, you are not
granted access to the network. Each SSID may be up to 32
alphanumeric characters long and is case-sensitive.
Stealth A stealth access point is one that has the capability and is
configured to not broadcast its SSID. This is the wireless network
name that appears when a DMU (Device Management Utility, such
as Intel® PROSet/Wireless) scans for available wireless networks.
It is commonly considered a weak security feature, in that it does
not readily disclose the presence of the wireless network. To
connect to a stealth access point, a user must specifically know the
SSID and configure their DMU accordingly. The feature is not a
part of the 802.11 specification, and is known by differing names
by various vendors: closed mode, private network, SSID
broadcasting.
TKIP Temporal Key Integrity protocol improves data encryption. Wi-Fi
Protected Access utilizes its TKIP. TKIP provides important data
encryption enhancements including a re-keying method. TKIP is
part of the IEEE 802.11i encryption standard for wireless networks.
TKIP is the next generation of WEP, the Wired Equivalency
Protocol, which is used to secure 802.11 wireless networks. TKIP
provides per-packet key mixing, a message integrity check and a
re-keying mechanism, thus fixing the flaws of WEP.
TLS Transport Layer Security. A type of authentication method using
the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) and a security
protocol called the Transport Layer Security (TLS). EAP-TLS uses
certificates which use passwords. EAP-TLS authentication supports
dynamic WEP key management. The TLS protocol is intended to
secure and authenticate communications across a public network
through data encryption. The TLS Handshake Protocol allows the
server and client to provide mutual authentication and to negotiate
an encryption algorithm and cryptographic keys before data is
transmitted.
TTLS Tunneled Transport Layer Security. These settings define the
protocol and the credentials used to authenticate a user. In TTLS,
the client uses EAP-TLS to validate the server and create a TLS-
encrypted channel between the client and server. The client can
use another authentication protocol, typically password-based
protocols, such as MD5 Challenge over this encrypted channel to
enable server validation. The challenge and response packets are
sent over a non-exposed TLS encrypted channel. TTLS
implementations today support all methods defined by EAP, as well
as several older methods (CHAP, PAP, MS-CHAP and MS-CHAPv2).
TTLS can easily be extended to work with new protocols by
defining new attributes to support new protocols.
WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy. Wired Equivalent Privacy, 64- and 128-
bit (64-bit is sometimes referred to as 40-bit). This is a low-level
encryption technique designed to give the user about the same
amount of privacy that he would expect from a LAN. WEP is a
security protocol for wireless local area networks (WLANs) defined
in the 802.11b standard. WEP is designed to provide the same
level of security as that of a wired LAN. WEP aims to provide
security by data over radio waves so that it is protected as it is
transmitted from one end point to another.
WEP Key Either a pass phrase or hexadecimal key.
The pass phrase must be 5 ASCII characters for 64-bit WEP or 13
ASCII characters for 128-bit WEP. For pass phrases, 0-9, a-z, A-Z,
and ~!@#$%^&*()_+|`-={}|[]\:";'<?,./ are all valid characters.
The hex key must be 10 hexadecimal characters (0-9, A-F) for 64-
bit WEP or 26 hexadecimal characters (0-9, A-F) for 128-bit WEP.
Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity. Is meant to be used generically when referring of
any type to 802.11 network, whether 802.11b, 802.11a, or dual-
band.
Wireless
Router
A stand-alone wireless hub that allows any computer that has a
wireless network adapter to communicate with another computer
within the same network and to connect to the Internet.
WLAN Wireless Local-Area Network. A type of local-area network that
uses high-frequency radio waves rather than wires to communicate
between nodes.
WPA Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a security enhancement that
strongly increases the level of data protection and access control
to a wireless network. WPA is an interim standard that will be
replaced with the IEEE’s 802.11i standard upon its completion.
WPA consists of RC4 and TKIP and provides support for BSS
(Infrastructure) mode only. (Not compatible with WPA2.)
WPA2 Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2). This is the second generation of
WPA that complies with the IEEE TGi specification. WPA2 consists
of AES encryption, pre-authentication and PMKID caching. It
provides support for BSS (Infrastructure) mode and IBSS (ad hoc)
mode. (Not compatible with WPA.)
WPA-
Enterprise
Wi-Fi Protected Access-Enterprise applies to corporate users. A
new standards-based, interoperable security technology for
wireless LAN (subset of IEEE 802.11i draft standard) that encrypts
data sent over radio waves. WPA is a Wi-Fi standard that was
designed to improve upon the security features of WEP as follows:
● Improved data encryption through the temporal key
integrity protocol (TKIP). TKIP scrambles the keys using a
hashing algorithm and, by adding an integrity-checking
feature, ensures that the keys have not been tampered with.
●
● User authentication, which is generally missing in WEP,
through the extensible authentication protocol (EAP). WEP
regulates access to a wireless network based on a
computer’s hardware-specific MAC address, which is
relatively simple to be sniffed out and stolen. EAP is built on
a more secure public-key encryption system to ensure that
only authorized network users can access the network.
WPA is an interim standard that will be replaced with the IEEE’s
802.11i standard upon its completion.
WPA-Personal Wi-Fi Protected Access-Personal provides a level of security in the
small network or home environment.
WPA-PSK Wi-Fi Protected Access-Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK) mode does not
use an authentication server. It can be used with the data
encryption types WEP or TKIP. WPA-PSK requires configuration of
a pre-shared key (PSK). You must enter a pass phrase or 64 hex
characters for a Pre-Shared Key of length 256-bits. The data
encryption key is derived from the PSK.
Back to Top
Back to Contents
Trademarks and Disclaimers