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access point (AP)
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A stand-alone wireless hub that allows any computer that has
a wireless network adapter to communicate with another computer and to connect
to the Internet.
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ad hoc network
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In ad hoc mode, wireless clients communicate directly with each other without
the use of a wireless AP. Also known as a peer-to-peer network or a computer-to-computer
network.
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advanced network
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An infrastructure network that uses some form of EAP authentication.
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AES
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Advanced Encryption Standard
An additional replacement
for WEP encryption.
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associated
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The state when a wireless client adapter has made a connection with a
chosen wireless AP.
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association
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The process by which a wireless client negotiates the use of a logical
port with the chosen wireless AP.
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authenticated provisioning
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A provisioning mode supported by
EAP-FAST Extensible Authentication Protocol in
which provisioning is done inside a server-authenticated (TLS) tunnel.
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authentication
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The process whereby preapproved wireless clients may join a collision domain. Authentication
occurs before association.
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available network
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-
A broadcasting network that is within range.
-
Any of the networks listed under Available networks on the
Wireless Networks tab of Windows Wireless Network Connection Properties.
All broadcasting wireless networks (both infrastructure and ad hoc) that are
within receiving range of the wireless client are listed.
Any wireless network that you are already connected to is also listed as an available network,
even if it is not broadcasting.
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base station
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A stand-alone wireless hub that allows any computer that has a wireless
network adapter to communicate with another computer and to connect to the
Internet. A base station is usually referred to as an access point (AP).
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basic network
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-
An infrastructure network that has any of
the following security settings:
-
An ad hoc network that has either WEP security
settings or no security settings.
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BER
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bit error rate
The ratio of errors to the total number
of bits being sent in a data transmission from one location to another.
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broadcasting network
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A network that is broadcasting its network name.
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CA
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Certification Authority
An entity responsible for establishing
and vouching for the authenticity of public keys belonging to users (end
entities) or other certification authorities. Activities of a certification
authority can include binding public keys to distinguished names through
signed certificates, managing certificate serial numbers, and revoking certificates.
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CCK
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complimentary code keying
The modulation technique
for high and medium transmit rates.
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CCKM
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Cisco Centralized Key Management
An authentication method
in which an access point is configured to provide Wireless Domain Services
(WDS) to take the place of the RADIUS server and to authenticate the client
so quickly that there is no perceptible delay in voice or other time-sensitive
applications.
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CCMP
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Counter-Mode/CBC-MAC Protocol An IEEE 802.11i encryption
algorithm. In the IEEE 802.11i standard, unlike WPA,
key management and message integrity is handled by a single component CCMP
built around AES.
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CCX
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Cisco Compatible Extension
A licensing agreement offered
by Cisco Systems to enable interoperability of third-party client adapters
and mobile devices with Cisco Aironet wireless local area network (LAN)
infrastructure.
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CCXv4
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Version 4 of Cisco Compatible Extensions.
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certificate
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A digital document that is commonly used for authentication and secure
exchange of information on open networks, such as the Internet, extranets,
and intranets.
A certificate securely binds a public key to the entity that holds the corresponding
private key. Certificates are digitally signed by the issuing certification
authority and can be issued for a user, a computer, or a service. The most
widely accepted format for certificates is defined by the ITU-T
X.509 version 3 international standard.
See also intermediate certificate
and root certificate.
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certificate store
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The storage area on your computer where requested certificates are stored.
The user store is the Personal folder in the certificate store.
The root store
is in the Trusted Root Certification Authorities folder in the certificate
store.
The machine
store is on the authentication server of the certification authority.
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CKIP
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Cisco Key Integrity Protocol
A Cisco proprietary security
protocol for encryption in IEEE 802.11 media. CKIP uses key permutation,
message integrity check and message sequence number to improve IEEE 802.11
security in infrastructure mode.
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CHAP
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Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol
An authentication scheme used by Point-to-Point-Protocol servers to validate the identity of the
originator of a connection, upon connection or any time later.
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CSP
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cryptographic service provider A cryptographic service
provider contains implementations of cryptographic standards and algorithms.
A smart card is an example of a hardware-based
CSP.
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CSMA/CA
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carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance
An IEEE 802.11 protocol that ensures that the number of collisions within
a domain are kept to a minimum.
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dBm
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A unit of expression of power level in decibels with reference
to a power of 1 milliwatt.
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DBPSK
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differential binary phase shift keying
The modulation
technique used for low transmit rate.
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DHCP
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Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
A mechanism for
allocating IP addresses dynamically so that addresses can be reused when
hosts no longer need them.
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DQPSK
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differential quadrature phase shift keying
The modulation
technique used for standard transmit rate.
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DSSS
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direct sequence spread spectrum
A spreading technique
in which various data, voice, and/or video signals are transmitted over
a specific set of frequencies in a sequential manner from lowest to highest
frequency, or highest to lowest frequency.
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EAP
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Extensible Authentication Protocol
EAP ensures mutual
authentication between a wireless client and a server that resides at the
network operations center.
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EAP-FAST
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Extensible Authentication Protocol-Flexible Authentication via Secure
Tunneling AuthenticationA standards-based extensible
framework developed by Cisco Systems that uses symmetric key algorithms
to achieve a tunneled authentication process.
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EIRP
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effective isotropic radiated power
Expresses the performance
of a transmitting system in a given direction. EIRP is the sum of the power
at the antenna input plus antenna gain.
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file and printer sharing
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A capability that allows a number of people to view, modify,
and print the same file(s) from different computers.
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fragmentation threshold
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The threshold at which the Dell Wireless WLAN Card breaks the packet
into multiple frames. This determines the packet size and affects the throughput
of the transmission.
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GHz
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gigahertz
A unit of frequency equal to 1 000 000 000
cycles per second.
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GINA
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Graphical Identification and Authentication A dynamic
link library (DLL) file that is part of the Windows operating system.
GINA is loaded early in the boot process and handles the user identification
and authorization logon process.
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GTC
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Generic Token Card A type of tunneled authentication
protocol used in conjunction with PEAP authentication
in which the user types the data displayed by a token card device when logging
on to the wireless network.
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host computer
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The computer that is directly connected to the Internet via
a modem or network adapter.
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IEEE
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Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
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IEEE 802.1X-2001
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The IEEE standard for Port Based Network Access Control.
The IEEE 802.1X standard enforces authentication of a network node before
it can begin to exchange data with the network.
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IEEE 802.11a
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The 54 Mbit/s, 5 GHz standard (1999)
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IEEE 802.11b
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The 11 Mbit/s, 2.4 GHz standard.
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IEEE 802.11d
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International (country-to-country) roaming extensions.
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IEEE 802.11e
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IEEE 802.11e (as of July 2005) is a draft standard that defines a set
of Quality of Service enhancements for LAN applications,
in particular the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi® standard. The standard
is considered of critical importance for delay-sensitive applications, such
as Voice over Wireless IP and Streaming Multimedia.
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IEEE 802.11g
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The 54 Mbit/s, 2.4 GHz standard (backwards compatible with IEEE 802.11b) (2003)
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IEEE 802.11h
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A supplementary standard to IEEE 802.11 to comply with European regulations.
It adds transmission power control and dynamic frequency selection.
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IEEE 802.11i
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IEEE 802.11i (also known as WPA2™) is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11
standard specifying security mechanisms for wireless networks. The draft
standard was ratified on 24 June 2004, and supersedes the previous security
specification, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), which was shown to have severe
security weaknesses.
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IETF
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Internet Engineering Task Force
A large open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers
concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet.
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infrastructure network
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A network in which there is at least one wireless AP and one wireless
client. The wireless client uses the wireless AP to access the resources
of a traditional wired network. The wired network can be an organization
intranet or the Internet, depending on the placement of the wireless AP.
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intermediate certificate
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A certificate issued by an intermediate certification authority (CA).
See also root certificate.
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Internet Protocol (IP) address
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The address of a computer that is attached to a network. Part
of the address designates which network the computer is on, and the other
part represents the host identification.
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IPv6
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Internet Protocol Version 6
IPv6 is the next generation protocol designed by the IETF to replace the current
version Internet Protocol, IP Version 4 (IPv4).
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ISM frequency bands
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Industrial, Scientific, and Medical frequency bands in the range of 902–928
MHz, 2.4–2.485 GHz, 5.15–5.35 GHz, and 5.75–5.825 GHz.
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ITU-T X.509
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In cryptography, ITU-T X.509 is an International Telecommunication Union
Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) standard for public key
infrastructure (PKI). Among other things, ITU-T X.509
specifies standard formats for public key certificates
and a certification path validation algorithm.
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LAN
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local area network
A high-speed, low-error data network
covering a relatively small geographic area.
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LEAP
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Light Extensible Authentication Protocol
A version
of Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). EAP ensures mutual authentication
between a wireless client and a server that resides at the network operations
center.
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m
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meter
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MD5
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Message Digest 5
An algorithm that takes an input message
of arbitrary length and produces an output in the form of a 128-bit fingerprint
or message digest. It is intended for digital signature applications where
a large file must be compressed in a secure manner before being encrypted
with a private key under a public-key algorithm such as RSA.
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MHz
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megahertz
A unit of frequency equal to 1 000 000 cycles
per second.
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Mbit/s
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megabits per second
Transmission speed of 1 000 000
bits per second.
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MS-CHAP
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Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol
MS-CHAP uses the Message Digest 4 (MD4) hashing algorithm and the Data Encryption
Standard (DES) encryption algorithm to generate the challenge and response
and provides mechanisms for reporting connection errors and for changing
the user's password.
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MS-CHAPv2
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Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol version 2
This protocol provides mutual authentication, stronger initial data encryption keys,
and different encryption keys for sending and receiving. To minimize the risk of
password compromise during MS-CHAP exchanges, MS-CHAPv2 supports only a newer,
more secure, version of the MS-CHAP password change process.
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network key
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A string of characters that the user must type when configuring a wireless
network connection with WEP, TKIP, or AES encryption. Small office/home
office users can obtain this string from the AP installer. Enterprise users
can obtain this string from the network administrator.
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nonbroadcasting network
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A network that is not broadcasting its network name.
To connect to a nonbroadcasting network, you must search for the network name.
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ns
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nanosecond
1 billionth (1/1 000 000 000) of a second.
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OFDM
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orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
A frequency
division modulation technique for transmitting signals by splitting the
radio signal into various frequencies that are then transmitted simultaneously,
rather than sequentially.
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PAC
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Protected Access Credential
Credentials distributed to a peer for future optimized network authentication.
The PAC comprises, at most, three components: a shared secret, an opaque element,
and optionally, other information. The shared secret part contains the preshared
key between the peer and authentication server. The opaque part is provided to
the peer and is presented to the authentication server when the peer wishes to
obtain access to network resources. Finally, a PAC may optionally include other
information that may be useful to the client.
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PAP
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Password Authentication Protocol
A method for verifying the identity of a user attempting to log on to a Point-to-Point server.
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PEAP
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Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol
A version
of Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). EAP ensures mutual authentication
between a wireless client and a server that resides at the network operations
center.
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PKI
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public key infrastructure In cryptography, a public key
infrastructure (PKI) is an arrangement that provides for third-party vetting
of, and vouching for, user identities. It also allows binding of public
keys to users. This is usually carried by software at a central location
together with other coordinated software at distributed locations. The public
keys are typically in certificates.
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Power Save mode
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The state in which the radio is periodically powered down
to conserve power. When the radio is in Power Save mode, receive packets
are stored in the AP until the radio comes on.
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preferred network
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A network connection profile created using Windows WZC.
Such profiles are listed under Preferred networks on the Wireless Networks
tab in Windows Wireless Network Connection Properties.
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preferred network connection
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A network connection profile created using either the Dell Wireless WLAN Card Utility
or the Wireless Network Wizard. Such profiles are listed on the
Wireless Networks tab of the utility under
Preferred network connections.
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provisioning
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Providing a peer with a trust anchor, shared secret, or other appropriate
information necessary for establishing a security association.
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QAM
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quadrature amplitude modulation
A modulation technique
that uses variations in signal amplitude and phase to represent data-encoded
symbols as a number of states.
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QoS
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Quality of Service (QoS) refers to the capability of a network to provide
better service to selected network traffic over various technologies.
See IEEE 802.11e.
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RADIUS
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Remote Access Dial-In User Service
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residential gateway
|
A stand-alone wireless hub that allows any computer that has a wireless
network adapter to communicate with another computer and to connect to the
Internet. A residential gateway is also referred to as an access point (AP).
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RF
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radio frequency
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roaming
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A feature of the Dell Wireless WLAN Card that enables wireless clients to
move through a facility while maintaining an unbroken connection to the
wireless network.
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root certificate
|
Internet Explorer divides certification authorities (CAs) into two categories,
root certification authorities and intermediate certification authorities.
Root certificates are self-signed, meaning that the subject of the certificate
is also the signer of the certificate. Root CAs have the ability to assign
certificates for intermediate CAs. An intermediate CA has the ability to
issue server certificates, personal certificates, publisher certificates, or
certificates for other intermediate CAs.
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RTS threshold
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The number of frames in the data packet at or above which
an RTS/CTS (request to send/clear to send) handshake is turned on before
the packet is sent. The default value is 2347.
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scanning
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An active process in which the Dell Wireless WLAN Card sends Probe-Request frames
on all channels of the ISM frequency range and listens for the Probe-Response
frames sent by wireless APs and other wireless clients.
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single sign-on
|
A process that allows a user with a domain account to log on to a network once,
using a password or smart card, and to gain access to any computer in the domain.
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smart card
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Smart cards are small portable credit-card shaped devices with internal
integrated circuits (ICs). The combination of the small size and IC make
them valuable tools for security, data storage, and special applications.
The use of smart cards can improve user security by combining something
a user has (the smart card) with something only the user should know (a
PIN) to provide two-factor security that is more secure than passwords alone.
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SSID
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service set identifier
A value that controls access
to a wireless network. The SSID for your Dell Wireless WLAN Card must match
the SSID for any access point that you want to connect with. If the value
does not match, you are not granted access to the network. You can have
up to three SSIDs. Each SSID can be up to 32 characters long and is case-sensitive.
Also referred to as the network name.
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STA
|
Station A computer that is equipped with a wireless LAN
network adapter (see also wireless client).
A station can be stationary or mobile.
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TKIP
|
Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
An enhanced wireless
security protocol that is part of the IEEE 802.11i encryption standard for wireless
LANs. TKIP provides per-packet key mixing, a message integrity check (MIC),
and a rekeying mechanism.
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TLS
|
Transport Layer Security
The successor to Secure Sockets
Layer (SSL) protocol for ensuring privacy and data integrity between two
communicating applications.
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TTLS
|
Tunneled Transport Layer Security
These settings define
the protocol and the credentials used to authenticate a user. In TTLS, the
client uses EAP-TLS to validate the server and create a TLS-encrypted channel
between the client and server. The client can use another authentication
protocol (typically password-based protocols, such as MD5 Challenge) over
this encrypted channel to enable server validation. The challenge and response
packets are sent over a nonexposed TLS encrypted channel.
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TPM
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Trusted Platform Module A security hardware device on
the system board that holds computer-generated keys for encryption. It is
a hardware based solution that can help avoid attacks by hackers looking
to capture passwords and encryption keys to sensitive data.
The security features provided by the TPM are internally supported by
the following cryptographic capabilities of each TPM: hashing, random
number generation, asymmetric key generation, and asymmetric encryption/decryption.
Each individual TPM on each individual computer system has a unique signature
initialized during the silicon manufacturing process that further enhances
its trust/security effectiveness. Each individual TPM must have an owner
before it is useful as a security device.
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UAPSD
|
Unscheduled Automatic Power Save Delivery
An enhanced power-save mode for IEEE 802.11e networks.
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WEP
|
Wired Equivalent Privacy A form of data encryption.
WEP is defined by the IEEE 802.11 standard and is intended to provide a level of data confidentiality and integrity
that is equivalent to a wired network.
Wireless networks that use WEP are more vulnerable to various types of attacks than those that use WPA.
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wireless client
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A personal computer equipped with a wireless LAN network adapter such
as the Dell Wireless WLAN Card.
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WLAN
|
wireless local area network A local area network (LAN)
that sends and receives data by way of radio.
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WMM™
|
Wi-Fi Multimedia WMM™ improves user experience
for audio, video, and voice applications over a wireless network by prioritizing
streams of content and optimizing the way the network allocates bandwidth
among competing applications.
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WPA
|
Wi-Fi Protected Access Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA2) is a specification
of standards-based, interoperable security enhancements that strongly increase
the level of data protection and access control for existing and future
wireless LAN systems. Designed to run on existing hardware as a software
upgrade, Wi-Fi Protected Access is based on the final IEEE 802.11i amendment
to the IEEE 802.11 standard. WPA2 provides government grade security by
implementing the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) FIPS
140-2 compliant AES encryption algorithm. WPA2 is backwards compatible with
WPA™.
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WPA-PSK
|
Wi-Fi Protected Access Preshared Key. A network authentication mode
that does not use an authentication server. It can be used with WEP or TKIP
data encryption types. WPA-Personal (PSK) requires configuration of a preshared key
(PSK). You must type a text phrase from 8 to 63 characters long, or a hexadecimal
key 64 characters long for a preshared key 256 bits in length. The data
encryption key is derived from the PSK.
WPA2-PSK is a more recent version of this authentication mode based on IEEE 802.11i.
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WPN
|
The file name extension of a wireless preferred network connection profiles file.
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WZC
|
Wireless Zero Configuration Service The Windows service
for connecting to a wireless network.
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