Network Services

One way to define a network technology is to define the services it offers and allow equipment vendors to implement those services in whatever way they see fit. 802.11 provides nine services. Only three of the services are used for moving data; the remaining six are management operations that allow the network to keep track of the mobile nodes and deliver frames accordingly.

The services are described in the following list and summarized in Table below:

Distribution
This service is used by mobile stations in an infrastructure network every time they send data. Once a frame has been accepted by an access point, it uses the distribution service to deliver the frame to its destination. Any communication that uses an access point travels through the distribution service, including communications between two mobile stations associated with the same access point.

Integration
Integration is a service provided by the distribution system; it allows the connection of the distribution system to a non-IEEE 802.11 network. The integration function is specific to the distribution system used and therefore is not specified by 802.11, except in terms of the services it must offer.

Association
Delivery of frames to mobile stations is made possible because mobile stations register, or associate, with access points. The distribution system can then use the registration information to determine which access point to use for any mobile station. Unassociated stations are not "on the network," much like workstations with unplugged Ethernet cables. 802.11 specifies the function that must be provided by the distribution system using the association data, but it does not mandate any particular implementation. When robust security network protocols are in use, association is a precursor to authentication. Prior to the completion of authentication, an access point will drop all network protocol traffic from a station.

Reassociation
When a mobile station moves between basic service areas within a single extended service area, it must evaluate signal strength and perhaps switch the access point with which it is associated. Reassociations are initiated by mobile stations when signal conditions indicate that a different association would be beneficial; they are never initiated directly by the access point. (Some APs will kick stations off in order to force a client into being the reassociation process; in the future, reassociation may be more dependent on the infrastructure with the development of better network management standards.)
After the reassociation is complete, the distribution system updates its location records to reflect the reachability of the mobile station through a different access point. As with the association service, a robust security network will drop network protocol traffic before the successful completion of authentication.

Disassociation
To terminate an existing association, stations may use the disassociation service. When stations invoke the disassociation service, any mobility data stored in the distribution system is removed. Once disassociation is complete, it is as if the station is no longer attached to the network. Disassociation is a polite task to do during the station shutdown process. The MAC is, however, designed to accommodate stations that leave the network without formally disassociating.

Authentication
Physical security is a major component of a wired LAN security solution. Network attachment points are limited, often to areas in offices behind perimeter access control devices. Network equipment can be secured in locked wiring closets, and data jacks in offices and cubicles can be connected to the network only when needed. Wireless networks cannot offer the same level of physical security, however, and therefore must depend on additional authentication routines to ensure that users accessing the network are authorized to do so. Authentication is a necessary prerequisite to association because only authenticated users are authorized to use the network.
Authentication may happen multiple times during the connection of a client to a wireless network. Prior to association, a station will perform a basic identity exchange with an access point consisting of its MAC address. This exchange is often referred to as "802.11" authentication, which is distinct from the robust cryptographic user authentication that often follows.

Deauthentication
Deauthentication terminates an authenticated relationship. Because authentication is needed before network use is authorized, a side effect of deauthentication is termination of any current association. In a robust security network, deauthentication also clears keying information.

Confidentiality
Strong physical controls can prevent a great number of attacks on the privacy of data in a wired LAN. Attackers must obtain physical access to the network medium before attempting to eavesdrop on traffic. On a wired network, physical access to the network cabling is a subset of physical access to other computing resources. By design, physical access to wireless networks is a comparatively simpler matter of using the correct antenna and modulation methods.
In the initial revision of 802.11, the confidentiality service was called privacy, and provided by the now-discredited Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol. In addition to new encryption schemes, 802.11i augments the confidentiality service by providing user-based authentication and key management services, two critical issues that WEP failed to address.

MSDU delivery
Networks are not much use without the ability to get the data to the recipient. Stations provide the MAC Service Data Unit (MSDU) delivery service, which is responsible for getting the data to the actual endpoint.

Transmit Power Control (TPC)
TPC is a new service that was defined by 802.11h. European standards for the 5 GHz band require that stations control the power of radio transmissions to avoid interfering with other users of the 5 GHz band. Transmit power control also helps avoid interference with other wireless LANs. Range is a function of power; high transmit power settings make it more likely that a client's greater range will interfere with a neighboring network. By controlling power to a level that is "just right," it is less likely that a station will interfere with neighboring stations.

Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS)
Some radar systems operate in the 5 GHz range. As a result, some regulatory authorities have mandated that wireless LANs must detect radar systems and move to frequencies that are not in use by radar. Some regulatory authorities also require uniform use of the 5 GHz band for wireless LANs, so networks must have the ability to re-map channels so that usage is equalized.

Table: Network services Service