SECTION2"FeaturesandFunctionalOverview
2-10 6710Access PointUser’sGuide
Configurationofindividualradio optionsandtheWLIF
wireless access pointconfigurationarediscussedinSection
4,“Configuration.”
OWL/IP Port
TheOWL/IPportisalogicalportusedininstallations
wherethewireless infrastructureisrequiredto operate
across multipleIPsubnets;thatis,ininstallationswhere
IProutersareused.
TheOWL/IPportisanadvancedcapabilitythatallows
stations supportingIPandnonroutableprotocols suchas
NNL(usedinsometerminalemulationinstallations)to
roamwithoutlosingconnectivitywhenawireless LAN
installationmustextendovermultipleIPsubnets.Insome
cases, OWL/IPmayalsoprovideconnectivityinlarger,
routednetworkswhenroamingbetweenIPsubnetsisnot
required,butwhereitisdesirabletoconfigureasingle
wireless networkacross routerboundaries.
OWL/IPusesGeneralRouterEncapsulation(GRE),a
registered protocolfrom theTCP/IPprotocolsuite. GRE
allowsframesdestinedforstationsonadifferentIPsubnet
tobeencapsulatedwithanIPaddress thatpasses
transparentlythroughrouters.Encapsulationisalso
sometimesreferredtoastunneling.
Tosimplifyconfiguration,OWL/IPfunctionalityistreated
asanadditionalportwithintheaccess pointarchitecture.
Itisalogicalportinthat thereisnophysicalradio orwired
LANportassociatedwithOWL/IP.
Encapsulatedframesmaybesent throughanyofthethree
physicalports.Access points separatedbyone ormore
routersmaybethoughtofasoriginatingandreceiving
nodesonthetwosidesofatunnelthatisestablished
throughtherouter.