3com WX2200 3CRWX220095A User Manual

C

HAPTER

 20: M

ANAGING

 K

EYS

 

AND

 C

ERTIFICATES

A public-key infrastructure (PKI) is a system of digital certificates and 
certification authorities that verify and authenticate the validity of each 
party involved in a transaction through the use of public key 
cryptography. To have a PKI, the WX switch requires the following:

„

A public key

„

A private key

„

Digital certificates

„

A CA

„

A secure place to store the private key

A PKI enables you to securely exchange and validate digital certificates 
between WX switches, servers, and users so that each device can 
authenticate itself to the others.

3Com’s identity-based networking uses public key cryptography to 
enforce the privacy of data transmitted over the network. Using 
public-private key pairs, users and devices can send encrypted messages 
that only the intended receiver can decrypt. 

Before exchanging messages, each party in a transaction creates a key 
pair that includes the public and private keys. The public key encrypts 
data and verifies digital signatures, and the corresponding private key 
decrypts data and generates digital signatures. Public keys are freely 
exchanged as part of digital certificates. Private keys are stored securely. 

Digital certificates bind the identity of network users and devices to a 
public key. Network users must authenticate their identity to those with 
whom they communicate, and must be able to verify the identity of other 
users and network devices, such as switches and RADIUS servers. 

The 3Com Mobility System supports the following types of X.509 digital 
certificates:

„

Administrative certificate—Used by the WX switch to authenticate 
itself to 3Com Wireless Switch Manager or Web Manager. 

„

WX-WX security certificate—Used by WX switches in a Mobility 
Domain to securely exchange management information. (For more 
information about this option, see “Configuring WX-WX Security” on 
page 158.