31
For the changes to take effect, click the
Apply
button. If you have made changes to
the settings but wish to restore the previous settings, click
Restore
.
Personal Keys tab
Personal WEP keys are used for authenticating the user in a network. Personal
keys are usually created by the system administrator, who can store them on smart
cards and then distribute them to the users. Personal keys can also be saved in a
file. Because personal keys are not network specific, they cannot be saved together
with profiles. They can, however, be saved independently from profiles.
Personal keys can be used only with the infrastructure operating mode. Ad hoc
networks use shared keys only. See “WEP security” on page 40 for more
information.
There are two types of personal keys, and the difference between the keys is the
type of information which is used for identifying the user:
To create a new personal key:
1
Click
New
. Give the personal key a name. You can also add in the text box a
further description of the key, such as the name of the network where the key is
used.
2
Select the type of key you want to create: user-specific or station-specific. If you
choose a station-specific key, the MAC address of the wireless LAN card is used
as an identifier. If you choose a user-specific key, you can choose the identifier
yourself. However, make sure that the same personal key is configured to the
access point; if the access point and wireless LAN card are using incompatible
keys, they cannot communicate.
3
Select the appropriate key length. Supported key lengths are 40, 56, 64, 104, and
128 bits. Remember that the more bits there are in the key, the higher the level of
security. Click
Generate
. The system generates your personal key.
4
Click
OK
to save the WEP key and to close the dialog box.
Similarly, you can edit existing keys. You can also remove keys you do not need
any more. Instead of creating a personal key yourself, you can import from a folder
a key created by a system administrator. You can export and save personal keys in
folders. The system administrator can also store personal keys on smart cards.
USER-SPECIFIC
Uses an identifier which the users can create
themselves.
STATION-SPECIFIC
Uses the MAC address of the wireless LAN card to
identify the user.
