The hardware setup we are using consists of a single wireless client (supplicant) connected to the server via a wireless connection established through an IXP-425 processor platform. The details of the setup as follows:
1. Server: The server is a linux box (RH9) with two ethernet interfaces. One is connected to the Stareast platform through a hub. The other is connected to external wired LAN. The server runs the DHCP and TFTP services which are used to assign IP address to IXP platform ethernet interfaces and to transfer files to the platform. The wireless client is authenticated using a FREERadius server. The authentication method used is EAP-TLS. Other modes are also supported on the same setup.
2. Access point: The IXP-425 processor based Stareast multi radio wireless platform acts as the access point and authenticator in the WLAN connection. It is connected to the server by an ethernet interface and a serial port connection. The stareast platform uses the redboot bootloader. The operating system on the platform is the embedded Linux kernel uclinux.
The wireless card used with the access point is Engenius 2511 MP+ (Prism 2.5). This card is compatible with the hostap driver. The hostap driver allows for the card to be setup in access point mode. We are currently using the hostap deamon and utilities to run the wireless card in access point mode and to carry out the 802.11i authentication and encryption. The IXP 400 software library is added to the uclinux kernel.
3. Supplicant: The client is a laptop station running RH9 OS. The wireless card used here is DWL-650 rev p (Prism 3) with the hostap driver. The 802.11i authentication and encryption is carried out using hostap utilities and wpa_supplicant deamon.
Currently we are working on incorporating the IXP 400 software library functions into the hostap deamon in order to make use of the hardware acceleration features of the IXP-425 processor.
