 | This articlemay rely excessively on sourcestoo closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from beingverifiable andneutral. Please helpimprove it by replacing them with more appropriatecitations toreliable, independent sources.(May 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Inter-Access Point Protocol orIEEE 802.11F is a recommendation that describes an optional extension toIEEE 802.11 that provideswireless access point communications among multivendor systems.[1]802.11 is a set ofIEEE standards that govern wireless networking transmission methods. They are commonly used today in their802.11a,802.11b,802.11g and802.11n versions to provide wireless connectivity in the home, office and some commercial establishments.
TheIEEE 802.11 standard doesn't specify the communications between access points in order to support usersroaming from 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).
The protocol is designed for the enforcement of unique association throughout anExtended Service Set and 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 aRADIUS server. The RADIUS server also provides a mapping service between AP'sMAC address andIP address.
The 802.11F Recommendation has been ratified and published in 2003.
IEEE 802.11F was a Trial Use Recommended Practice. The IEEE 802Executive Committee approved its withdrawal on February 3, 2006.[2]
