Overview/Description
Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) authentication and encryption mechanisms are vast improvements over early implementations of wireless security. Given the variety of ways EAP and WPA can be used in a wireless environment, it is important to understand their strengths and weaknesses, in order to decide which will work best in a given network situation. This course describes the different flavors of EAP as well as the two generations of Wi-Fi Protected Access – WPA and WPA2. The course also provides the information necessary to be able to configure wireless security on Cisco controllers and clients. This course maps to the 640-721, Implementing Cisco Unified Wireless Networking Essentials (IUWNE), exam objectives for describing and configuring authentication methods (Guest, PSK, 802.1X, WPA/WPA2 with EAP-TLS, EAP-FAST, PEAP, LEAP); describing and configuring encryption methods (WPA/WPA2 with TKIP, AES); and describing and configuring the various sources of authentication (PSK, EAP-local or -external, Radius).
Target Audience
Network associates, WLAN designers, planners, implementers, optimizers, trainers or support personnel; candidates for the Implementing Cisco Unified Wireless Networking Essentials v1.0 640-721 examination, seeking to attain Cisco’s CCNA-WIRELESS credential
Prerequisites
Certification in Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (ICND1/CCENT); knowledge and skills commensurate with Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2 (ICND2); a working knowledge of the Windows operating system and Cisco IOS networking and concepts