User’s Guide for the WG602 v3 54 Mbps Wireless Access Point
4
Glossary
202-10060-01, September 2004
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.
DHCP is a protocol for assigning dynamic IP addresses to devices on a network. With dynamic addressing,
a device can have a different IP address every time it connects to the network. In some systems, the device's
IP address can even change while it is still connected. DHCP also supports a mix of static and dynamic IP
addresses. Dynamic addressing simplifies network administration because the software tracks IP addresses
rather than requiring an administrator to manage the task. A new computer can be added to a network
without the hassle of manually assigning it a unique IP address.
E
EAP
Extensible Authentication Protocol is a general protocol for authentication that supports multiple
authentication methods.
EAP, an extension to PPP, supports such authentication methods as token cards, Kerberos, one-time
passwords, certificates, public key authentication and smart cards. In wireless communications using EAP, a
user requests connection to a WLAN through an AP, which then requests the identity of the user and
transmits that identity to an authentication server such as RADIUS. The server asks the AP for proof of
identity, which the AP gets from the user and then sends back to the server to complete the authentication.
EAP is defined by RFC 2284.
ESSID
The Extended Service Set Identification (ESSID) is a thirty-two character (maximum) alphanumeric key
identifying the wireless local area network.
Ethernet
A LAN specification developed jointly by Xerox, Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation. Ethernet
networks transmit packets at a rate of 10 Mbps.
G
Gateway
A local device, usually a router, that connects hosts on a local network to other networks.
I
ICMP
See “Internet Control Message Protocol”
