Wireless Controller as Certification Authority
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless networks, particularly IEEE 802.11 networks, there is a lack of control over the certification process, as external certification authorities manage certificates, leading to potential unauthorized access points being trusted.
Innovation Solution
The controller in the wireless network assumes the role of a certification authority, issuing certificates only to access points verified by its local CA, ensuring strict authentication and authorization policies, thereby reducing reliance on external CAs and eliminating the need for extensive PKI setups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an external certification authority is used to issue certificates, then authentication can be performed, but the controller does not have complete control over the certification process and may trust unauthorized access points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the controller and certification authority functions into a single entity. The controller now performs both network management and certificate issuance, eliminating the need for a separate external CA infrastructure. This consolidation gives the controller complete control over which access points receive certificates, directly resolving the contradiction between authentication control and infrastructure complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller serves itself as the certification authority, issuing certificates to access points autonomously without requiring external CA services. This self-service approach enables the controller to maintain strict authentication policies while eliminating dependency on external infrastructure, thereby improving reliability control without adding complexity.
2Ease of operation
If an external certification authority is used, then certificates can be issued to access points, but infrastructure must be put in place to support the external certification authority
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the certification authority functionality from external infrastructure and embeds it within the controller. By taking out the CA role from external systems and placing it locally in the controller, the system achieves ease of certificate management while eliminating the need for supporting external infrastructure, thus resolving the contradiction between operational ease and infrastructure requirements.
3Reliability
If the controller acts as a certification authority, then strict control over authentication is achieved, but the controller must perform additional functions
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a network controller and a certification authority. By making the controller universal and capable of performing multiple functions (network management plus certificate issuance), the system achieves strict authentication control without significantly increasing overall system complexity, as the same hardware platform handles both roles.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller for a wireless network includes processing elements, an interface for communication with access points for the wireless network, and an interface to another network. The processing elements oversee communication between that other network and the access points, and the controller acts as a certification authority for authenticating access points using public key techniques.