Cisco Aironet 340 Series, Hardware Installation Manual

Page: 27 / 132

1-7
Cisco Aironet Wireless LAN Adapters Hardware Installation Guide
OL-0795-01
Chapter 1 Product Overview
Network Configurations Using the Client Adapter
When you enable EAP on your Access Points and LEAP or EAP on your client
adapter, authentication to the network occurs in the following sequence:
1. The client adapter uses the username and password to start the authentication
process.
2.
The Access Point communicates with the EAP-compliant RADIUS server to
authenticate the username and password.
3. If the username and password are valid, the RADIUS server and the client
adapter negotiate a dynamic, session-based WEP key. The key, which is
unique for the authenticated client, provides the client with secure network
access.
4.
The client and Access Point use the WEP key for all data transmissions
during the session.
Note Refer to the IEEE 802.11 Standard for more information on EAP and
to the following URL for additional information on RADIUS
servers: http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/
software/ios120/12cgcr/secur_c/scprt2/scrad.htm.
Network Configurations Using the Client Adapter
The client adapter can be used in a variety of network configurations. In some
configurations, Access Points provide connections to your network or act as
repeaters to increase wireless communication range. The maximum
communication range is based on how you configure your wireless network.
This section describes and illustrates the following common network
configurations:
• Ad hoc wireless local area network (LAN)
•
Wireless infrastructure with workstations accessing a wired LAN
Note
For examples of more complex network configurations involving
client adapters and Access Points, refer to the Cisco Aironet Access
Point Hardware Installation Guide.