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The IEEE 802.11 State Machine
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The IEEE 802.11 State Machine

Authentication and Association States

  • The 802.11 station keeps two variables for tracking the authentication state and the association state. The states that are tracked are as follows:
    • Authentication state: unauthenticated or authenticated
    • Association state: unassociated or associated
  • Together, these two variables create three possible states for the stations, as shown in Figure 9.6.
    • State 1: initial start state, unauthenticated and unassociated
    • State 2: authenticated and unassociated
    • State 3: authenticated and associated (pending security mechanisms)
  • Because a station must authenticate before it can associate, it can never be unauthenticated and associated. Since the introduction of 802.11i security mechanisms, the IEEE 802.11-2012 standard now considers there to a forth state in the connection state machine (State 4: authenticated and associated – PSK or 802.1X security mechanisms completed.)
Picture

Reference:
Coleman, David D.,Westcott, David A. CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: Exam CWNA-106 Wiley.

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