Inter-Access Point Protocol
 | This articlemay rely excessively on sourcestoo closely associated with the subject,potentially preventing the article from beingverifiableandneutral.(May 2018) |
Inter-Access Point ProtocolorIEEE 802.11Fis a recommendation that describes an optional extension toIEEE 802.11that provideswireless access pointcommunications among multivendor systems.[1]802.11is a set ofIEEEstandards that govern wireless networking transmission methods. They are commonly used today in their802.11a,802.11b,802.11gand802.11nversions to provide wireless connectivity in the home, office and some commercial establishments.
TheIEEE 802.11standard doesn't specify the communications between access points in order to support usersroamingfrom one access point to another andload balancing.The 802.11 working group purposely did not define this element in order to provide flexibility in working with different wired andwireless distribution systems(i.e., wired backbones that interconnect access points).
Protocol operation
[edit]The protocol is designed for the enforcement of unique association throughout anExtended Service Setand for secure exchange of station's security context between the currentAccess Point(AP) and the new AP during the handoff period. Based on security level, communication session keys between Access Points are distributed by aRADIUSserver. The RADIUS server also provides a mapping service between AP'sMAC addressandIP address.
Status
[edit]The 802.11F Recommendation has been ratified and published in 2003.
IEEE 802.11F was a Trial Use Recommended Practice. The IEEE 802 Executive Committee approved its withdrawal on February 3, 2006.[2]
See also
[edit]- IEEE 802.11kRadio Resource Management
- IEEE 802.11rFastroaming
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Status of the project 802.11fIEEE Task Group TGf
- Quick Guide to IEEE 802.11 WG