Configuring Wlan Access; Wlan Access Overview; Terminology; Client Access - H3C MSR Series Configuration Manual

Configuring WLAN access

The terms AP and fat AP in this document refer to MSR800, MSR 900, MSR900-E, MSR 930, and
MSR 20-1X routers with IEEE 802.11b/g and MSR series routers installed with a SIC WLAN module.

WLAN access overview

A WLAN can provide the following services:
•
WLAN client connectivity to conventional 802.3 LANs
•
Secured WLAN access with different authentication and encryption methods
•
Seamless roaming of WLAN clients in the mobility domain

Terminology

•
Client—A handheld computer or laptop with a wireless NIC or a terminal that supports WiFi.
•
Access point—An AP bridges frames between wireless and wired networks.
•
Fat AP—A fat AP controls and manages all associated wireless stations and bridges frames
between wired and wireless networks.
•
Service set identifier—A client scans all networks at first, and then selects a specific SSID to
connect to a specific wireless network.
•
Wireless medium—A medium used for transmitting frames between wireless clients. Radio
frequency is used as the wireless medium in the WLAN system.

Client access

A wireless client access process involves three steps: active/passive scanning surrounding wireless
services, authentication, and association, as shown in
Figure 1 Establishing a client access
Scanning
When a wireless client is operating, it usually uses both passive scanning and active scanning to get
information about surrounding wireless networks.
1. Active scanning
Figure 1.
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