Motorola WS5100 User Manual

Page of 364
Network Setup   
4-43
 
Configuring WPA/WPA2 using TKIP and CCMP
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a robust encryption scheme specified in the IEEE Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) 
standard, 802.11i. WPA provides more sophisticated data encryption than WEP. WPA is designed for 
corporate networks and small-business environments where more wireless traffic allows quicker discovery 
of encryption keys by an unauthorized person.
WPA's encryption method is Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). TKIP addresses WEP’s weaknesses with 
a re-keying mechanism, a per-packet mixing function, a message integrity check, and an extended 
initialization vector. WPA also provides strong user authentication based on 802.1x EAP. 
WPA2 is a newer 802.11i standard that provides even stronger wireless security than WPA and WEP. CCMP 
is the security standard used by the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). AES serves the same function TKIP 
does for WPA-TKIP. CCMP computes a Message Integrity Check (MIC) using the proven Cipher Block Chaining 
(CBC) technique. Changing just one bit in a message produces a totally different result.
WPA2-CCMP is based on the concept of a Robust Security Network (RSN), which defines a hierarchy of keys 
with a limited lifetime (similar to TKIP). Like TKIP, the keys the administrator provides are used to derive other 
keys. Messages are encrypted using a 128-bit secret key and a 128-bit block of data. The end result is an 
encryption scheme as secure as any the switch provides.
To configure WPA/WPA2-TKIP/CCMP encryption:
1. Select 
Network 
Wireless LANs 
from the main menu tree. 
2. Select an existing WLAN from those displayed within the 
Configuration 
tab and click the 
Edit
 button.
A WLAN screen displays with the WLAN’s existing configuration. Refer to the 
Authentication 
and
 
Encryption 
columns to assess the WLAN’s existing security configuration.
3. Select either the 
WPA/WPA2-TKIP
 or 
WPA2-CCMP
 button from within the 
Encryption field.
4. Click the 
Config
 button to the right of the WPA/WPA2-TKIP and WPA2-CCMP checkboxes.
The 
WPA/WPA2-TKIP/CCMP
 screen displays. This single screen can be used to configure either WPA/
WPA2-TKIP or WPA-CCMP.