Dependent Mode - Proxim Harmony 8550 Manual

When the Access Point receives a packet from the Ethernet network, it compares the
packet's destination address with the node addresses listed in its table. If the packet's
destination address is not in the table, the Access Point will forward the packet to the
mobile clients. If the packet's destination address is listed in the table as a member of the
radio network, the Access Point will forward the packet to the mobile clients. If the
packet's destination address is listed in the table as a member of the Ethernet network,
the Access Point will not forward the packet to the mobile clients. The Access Point
applies the same principles to determine if a packet received over its radio should be
forwarded to the Ethernet network.
An Access Point in Independent mode cannot filter out Ethernet packets based on
protocol type, and it will forward all broadcast packets to mobile clients. Given this, the
Access Point can only support a limited amount of network traffic. Proxim recommends
that you only use an Access Point in Independent mode on networks that contain less
than 512 nodes.
The number of mobile clients that can be supported by the Harmony 802.11b Access
Point depends on the amount of information that each client exchanges with the network.
Therefore, the number of clients that can be supported by one Access Point will vary
based on the applications in use and how frequently network information is accessed.
When operating in Independent mode, the Access Point's Status LED blinks in a repeat-
ing pattern: the LED is green for two seconds and then it blinks off momentarily.
Note:
An Access Point in Independent mode will not attempt to communicate with an
AP Controller, even if one is present on the network.

Dependent Mode

When AP Controller Dependence is configured to Dependent, the Harmony 802.11b
Access Point is a member of a Harmony system and works in conjunction with a
Harmony Access Point Controller.
A Harmony system generally consists of one or more Harmony AP Controllers, one or
more Harmony Access Points, and one or more mobile clients that have an 802.11b
adapter installed, as shown in Figure 3.
21