User's Manual

7 GLOSSARY

Access Point (AP) – Any entity that has station functionality and provides access to the distribution services, via the wireless

medium (WM) for associated stations.

Ad-Hoc – A network composed solely of stations within mutual communication range of each other via the wireless medium (WM).

An ad hoc network is typically created in a spontaneous manner. The principal distinguishing characteristic of an ad hoc network is

its limited temporal and spatial extent. These limitations allow the act of creating and dissolving the ad hoc network to be sufficiently

straightforward and convenient so as to be achievable by non-technical users of the network facilities; i.e., no specialized technical

skills are required and little or no investment of time or additional resources is required beyond the stations that are to participate in

the ad hoc network. The term ad hoc is often used as slang to refer to an independent basic service set (IBSS).

BSS (Basic Service Set) – An AP associated with several wireless stations.

ESS (Extended Service Set) – More than one BSS can be configured as an Extended Service Set. An ESS is basically a roaming domain.

Ethernet – A popular local area data communications network, originally developed by Xerox Corp., which accepts transmission from

computers and terminals. Ethernet operates on 10 Mbps baseband transmission over shielded coaxial cable or over shielded twisted

pair telephone wire.

LAN – Local Area Network.

Infrastructure – The infrastructure includes the distribution system medium (DSM), AP, and portal entities. It is also the logical

location of distribution and integration service functions of an extended service set (ESS). An infrastructure contains one or more APs

and zero or more portals in addition to the distribution system (DS).

IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) – It develops standards for PC cards, formerly known as

PCMCIA cards, are available in three “types” which are about the same length and width as credit cards, but range in thickness from

3.3 mm (Type I) to 5.0 mm (Type II) to 10.5 mm (Type III). These cards can be used for many functions, including memory storage,

as landline modems and as wireless LAN.

Roaming – A function that allows one to travel with a mobile end system (wireless LAN mobile station, for example) through the

territory of a domain (an ESS, for example) while continuously connecting to the infrastructure.

RTS (Request To Send) Threshold – Transmitters contending for the medium may not hear each other. RTS/CTS mechanism can

solve this “ Hidden Node Problem”.

SOHO – Small Office Home Office

SSID – Service Set Identifier

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) – The optional cryptographic confidentiality algorithm specified by IEEE 802.11 used to provide

data confidentiality that is subjectively equivalent to the confidentiality of a wired local area network (LAN) medium that does not

employ cryptographic techniques to enhance privacy.