ZyAIR G-2000 Plus User’s Guide

Table 25 Wireless: WPA-PSK

LABEL

DESCRIPTION

 

 

Enable Breathing

Select this check box to enable the Breathing LED, also known as the ZyAIR LED.

LED

The blue ZyAIR LED is on when the ZyAIR is on and blinks (or breaths) when data

 

is being transmitted to/from its wireless stations.

 

Clear the check box to turn this LED off even when the ZyAIR is on and data is

 

being transmitted/received.

Preamble

Select a preamble type from the drop-down list menu. Choices are Long, Short

 

and Dynamic.

 

See the section on preamble for more information.

 

 

802.11 Mode

Select 802.11b Only to allow only IEEE 802.11b compliant WLAN devices to

 

associate with the ZyAIR.

 

Select 802.11g Only to allow only IEEE 802.11g compliant WLAN devices to

 

associate with the ZyAIR.

 

Select Mixed to allow either IEEE802.11b or IEEE802.11g compliant WLAN

 

devices to associate with the ZyAIR. The transmission rate of your ZyAIR might be

 

reduced.

Apply

Click Apply to save your changes back to the ZyAIR.

 

 

Reset

Click Reset to reload the previous configuration for this screen.

 

 

7.7 Wireless Client WPA Supplicants

A wireless client supplicant is the software that runs on an operating system instructing the wireless client how to use WPA. At the time of writing, the most widely available supplicant is the WPA patch for Windows XP, Funk Software's Odyssey client, and Meetinghouse Data Communications' AEGIS client.

The Windows XP patch is a free download that adds WPA capability to Windows XP's builtin "Zero Configuration" wireless client. However, you must run Windows XP to use it.

The Funk Software's Odyssey client is bundled free (at the time of writing) with the client wireless adaptor(s).

7.7.1 WPA with RADIUS Application Example

You need the IP address of the RADIUS server, its port number (default is 1812), and the RADIUS shared secret. A WPA application example with an external RADIUS server looks as follows. “A” is the RADIUS server. “DS” is the distribution system.

1The AP passes the wireless client’s authentication request to the RADIUS server.

2The RADIUS server then checks the user's identification against its database and grants or denies network access accordingly.

3The RADIUS server distributes a Pairwise Master Key (PMK) key to the AP that then sets up a key hierarchy and management system, using the pair-wise key to dynamically generate unique data encryption keys to encrypt every data packet that is wirelessly communicated between the AP and the wireless clients.

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Chapter 7 Wireless Security