Symbol Technologies WS 2000 - Manual (Page 32)

Step 6: Configure WLAN Security
Setting the Authentication Method
The authentication method sets a challenge-response procedure for validating user
credentials such as username, password, and sometimes secret-key information. The WS
2000 Wireless Switch provides two methods for authenticating users: 802.1x EAP and
Kerberos. The administrator can select between these two methods. If WLAN security is
not an issue, an administrator can decide not to enable authentication (No
Authentication), because authentication protocols create overhead for the switch’s
processor.
802.1x EAP Authentication
The IEEE 802.1x is an authentication standard that ties EAP to both wired and wireless
LAN applications. EAP provides effective authentication with or without IEEE 802.1x
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption, or with no encryption at all. EAP supports
multiple authentication measures. It requires that the site have a authentication (Remote
Dial-In User Service) server on the wired side of the access port. All other packet types are
blocked until the authentication server verifies the client’s identity. To set up 802.1x EAP
authentication:
1. Select the 802.1x EAP radio button to enable the 802.1x Extensible Authentication
Protocol (EAP).
2. Click the 802.1x EAP Configuration button to display a sub-screen for specific
authentication settings. For more information about how to configure these settings, go
to How to Configure 802.1 EAP Authentication.
3. Click the Apply button to save changes.
Copyright © 2004 Symbol Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved 32
WS 2000 Wireless Switch: 1.0 Date of last Revision: March 2004