HP ProCurve 530 NA, Management And Configuration Manual

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Wireless Interface Configuration
Managing Multiple WLAN (BSS/SSID) Interfaces
Managing Multiple WLAN (BSS/SSID)
Interfaces
A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a local area network (LAN) that users
access through a wireless connection. The IEEE 802.11-1999 standards specify
WLAN technologies. The WLAN uses high-frequency radio waves rather than
wires to communicate between nodes. The access point’s WLAN settings
describe the BSSID unit that consists of an SSID, VLAN, security settings, MAC
Authentication, and RADIUS servers. Each WLAN is in many ways similar to
a standalone access point. The access point supports up to 16 fully configured
WLANs.
Understanding SSID . A Service Set Identifier (SSID) is a code (32 alphanu-
meric characters maximum) attached to all packets on a wireless network for
the purpose of identifying each packet as part of that network. All wireless
devices attempting to communicate with each other must share the same
SSID. SSID also serves to uniquely identify a group of wireless network
devices used in a given service set. Wireless stations that want to connect to
a network through an access point must set their SSIDs to match that of the
access point.
Multiple SSID interfaces enable wireless traffic to be separated for different
user groups using a single access point that services one area. For each SSID
interface, different security settings, VLAN assignments, and other parameters
can be applied. Wireless stations within the service area associate with what
appear to be different access points. All the SSID interfaces are supported
using a single radio channel, enabling efficient use of a limited number of
available radio channels. The access point currently supports up to 16 SSID
interfaces.
Understanding VLAN assignments and SSID . The definitions and descrip-
tions of VLAN (Management VLAN ID, dynamic, or static) are presented in a
separate VLAN section. See
“Configuring VLAN Support” on page 5-57
.
This section provides details on VLAN and SSID configuration. It is important
to establish a configuration plan to enhance the capabilities of the access
point. The access point supports up to 16 fully configured WLANs or SSIDs
on Radio 1, which will
then copy over to Radio 2 . The number of VLANs per
radio match the number of configured WLANs, which establishes a maximum
of 16 total VLANs.