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An infrastructure mode framework can be provided by a single access point (BSS) or a
number of access points (ESS).
Intrusion Detection
The Intrusion Detection System (IDS) inspects all inbound network activity and reports
suspicious patterns that may indicate a network or system attack from someone attempting
to break into the system. It reports access attempts using unsupported or known insecure
protocols.
IP
The Internet Protocol (IP) specifies the format of packets, also called datagrams, and the
addressing scheme. IP is a connectionless, best-effort packet switching protocol. It provides
packet routing, fragmentation and re-assembly. It is combined with higher-level protocols,
such as TCP or UDP, to establish the virtual connection between destination and source.
The current version of IP is IPv4. A new version, called IPv6 or IPng, is under development.
IPv6 is an attempt to solve the shortage of IP addresses.
IP Address
Systems are defined by their IP address, a four-byte (octet) number uniquely defining each
host on the Internet. It is usually shown in form 192.168.2.254. This is called
dotted-decimal notation.
An IP address is partitioned into two portions: the network prefix and a host number on
that network. A Subnet Mask is used to define the portions. There are two special host
numbers:
■ The Network Address consists of a host number that is all zeroes (for example,
192.168.2.0).
■ The Broadcast Address consists of a host number that is all ones (for example,
192.168.2.255).
There are a finite number of IP addresses that can exist. Therefore, a local area network
typically uses one of the IANA-designated address ranges for use in private networks. These
address ranges are:
10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255
A Dynamic IP Address is an IP address that is automatically assigned to a host by a DHCP
server or similar mechanism. It is called dynamic because you may be assigned a different
IP address each time you establish a connection.
A Static IP Address is an IP address that is hard-wired for a specific host. A static address
is usually required for any host that is running a server, for example, a Web server.