Wireless Security Architecture

Appendix BAdditional Resources

IETF RFCs

IETF is responsible for most of the Internet protocols in use today. As far as Wi-Fi goes, most standards are either IEEE or IETF RFCs.

Navigating and Reading RFCs

RFCs are a great source of information and are relatively easy-to-read bite-sized documents. There are a few notes when reading and reviewing. It's easy to find documents with a simple keyword search and “+RFC” or “+IETF”. You can also start by navigating to the home page at www.rfc-editor.org. Some of the documents will be standards, others informational, and some drafts and experimental.

Figure B.1 shows the header from the RADIUS RFC 2865. In it, you'll notice it's been updated by five other RFCs (2868, 3375, etc.), also linked. And it identifies that this current RFC 2865 has superseded or made obsolete RFC 2138. When reading RFCs, it can be helpful to consider them in context. The “updated by” list, if the RFC has not been superseded, usually contains RFCs that add to or extend the RFC.

Figure B.1: Sample IETF RFC header

For example, RFC 6929 referenced in Figure B.1 adds protocol extensions to RADIUS, and two of the linked RFCs offer implementation guidance.

Almost every RFC will include security considerations toward the end, and this is a great source of information.

Helpful RFCs and Links

• RADIUS Types: https://www.iana.org/assignments/radius-types/radius-types.xhtml ...