Allied Telesis AT-WA7500, AT-WA7501 manual About IP Tunnels

Chapter 5: Configuring the Spanning Tree

About IP Tunnels

The physical boundary of a network is usually defined by the existence of an IP router. Before IP tunnels technology was developed, wireless end devices could only operate within the limited coverage area of their own network and could not roam across IP subnet boundaries. Using IP tunnel technology, end devices can roam across IP subnet boundaries. IP tunnel technology safely and transparently coexists with routed IP installations while supporting mobility for end devices.

IP tunnels do the following:

ˆEnable access points on different remote IP subnets to belong to the same wireless network.

ˆSupport fast roaming of end devices between access points that are on different IP subnets without losing network connections.

ˆSupport end devices using both IP and other routable or nonroutable protocols.

Only one IP tunnel can exist between the root access point and an access point (usually the designated bridge) on a remote IP subnet. The root access point has a one-to-one relationship with each wireless network. All roaming end devices must have an IP address from the root IP subnet.

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