Networking / Beginners

802.11 Network Operations

From the outset, 802.11 was designed to be just another link layer to higher-layer protocols. Network administrators familiar with Ethernet will be immediately comfortable with 802.11. The shared heritage is deep enough that 802.11 is sometimes referred to as "wireless Ethernet."

The core elements present in Ethernet are present in 802.11. Stations are identified by 48-bit IEEE 802 MAC addresses. Conceptually, frames are delivered based on the MAC address. Frame delivery is unreliable, though 802.11 incorporates some basic reliability mechanisms to overcome the inherently poor qualities of the radio channels it uses.

From a user's perspective, 802.11 might just as well be Ethernet. Network administrators, however, need to be conversant with 802.11 at a much deeper level. Providing MAC-layer mobility while following the path blazed by previous 802 standards requires a number of additional services and more complex framing.

[Previous] [Contents] [Next]

In this tutorial:

  1. 802.11 Networks
  2. IEEE 802 Network Technology Family Tree
  3. Nomenclature and Design
  4. Types of Networks
  5. Independent networks
  6. Infrastructure networks
  7. Extended service areas
  8. Multi-BSS environments: "virtual APs"
  9. Robust security networks (RSNs)
  10. The Distribution System, Revisited
  11. Interaccess point communication as part of the distribution system
  12. Wireless bridges and the distribution system
  13. Network Boundaries
  14. 802.11 Network Operations
  15. Network Services
  16. Station services
  17. Distribution system services
  18. Confidentiality and access control
  19. Spectrum management services
  20. Mobility Support
  21. Designing Networks for Mobility