Forum

hi
is it necessory to have Open System authentication before EAP authentication and association in 802.11i standard...i mean is it compulsory...does this standard cover this thing???

is 802.11i standard applicable on IBSS...lets say a single client does the job of AP,is it possible???

i came to know through some book that 802.1|X EAP request can be sent by either supplicant or authenticator....what does 802.11i tell abt this issue??/

thanx

Hi Kapil:

Yes, open system authentication is required for every Robust Security Network (RSN) Association (RSNA).

Yes, 802.11i speaks to IBSS with both pre-shared key (PSK) and 802.1X/EAP based authentication and key management (AKM), but vendors will be slow to deliver.

Please tell me more about your third question.

I hope this helps. Thanks. /criss

thanx for ur reply...well my third question is :

802.1X EAP request can be sent by either supplicant or athenticator....now which one does that in 802.11i?????

i came to know that 802.11i doesnt allow Shared Key Authentication before 802.1X authentication...it only allows Open system (quite obvious)...is that correct???

secondly, one of the books mentions that Association is only done in BSS not in IBSS...then how do the STAs in IBSS transfer data b/w them...

Hi Kapil:

Regarding how EAP process starts, 802.11 5.9.2.1 includes:
"If IEEE 802.1X authentication is used, the EAP authentication process starts when the AP?¡é?€??s Authenticator sends the EAP-Request (shown in Figure 13) or the STA?¡é?€??s Supplicant sends the EAPOL-Start message."

Yes, shared key authentication is deprecated in all instances, and specifically forbidden for robust security networks (RSN).

The association service is how a station enlists in an infrastructure basic service set (generically a BSS, specifically an ESS) for indirect delivery of MSDUs through the access point of the BSS. An independent BSS (IBSS) uses direct delivery of MSDUs between stations. There is no association process and authentication is optional.

I hope this helps. Thanks. /criss

thanx ...the explanation is quite clear.....it will surely help