Designing Access Controls

Choose the Access Control Methods

For the wireless zones, the APs should implement the access control methods you select as long as they are capable of doing so. In some cases, the switch port to which the AP connects might enforce the access control instead (the AP might still require encryption); however, this strategy is less desirable for several reasons:

When the AP implements 802.1X authentication, the EAP exchange fur- thers the negotiation of secure per-session keys.

If the switch port acts as the authenticator, it can implement dynamic settings for a single user only (the first to authenticate). An AP can enforce different settings for each association with a different user.

A switch might be limited in the number of users that it can authenticate on a single port.

Table 3-16shows the access control methods supported by ProCurve wireless products.

N o t e

ProCurve Networking periodically updates the software on APs, Wireless

 

Edge Services Modules, and switches. Check the ProCurve Web site at http:/

 

/www.procurve.com to see if there is a newer software version, which delivers

 

new capabilities for these wireless products.

 

Table 3-16. Network Access Control Capabilities of ProCurve Wireless Products

 

ProCurve Product

Software Version

MAC-Auth

Web-Auth

802.1X

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless Edge Services xl Module

WS.02.07

X

X

X

Wireless Edge Services zl Module

WS.02.02

X

X

X

AP 530

WA.01.19

X

 

X

AP 420

2.2.1

X

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

Example

Most of the switches on the PCU network support 802.1X and Web-Auth. The existing APs also support 802.1X; however, some older APs do not support Web-Auth. Based only on the current network infrastructure, the PCU network administrators select the access control methods shown in Table 3-17.

Table 3-17. Access Control Method by Existing Infrastructure

Factor

Private Wired

Public Wired

Private Wireless

Public Wireless

Existing infrastructure

802.1X

802.1X

802.1X with WPA/

802.1X with WPA/

 

 

 

WPA2

WPA2

 

 

 

 

 

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