April 06, 2005
TRAPEZE NETWORKS DRIVES NEW SOLUTION FOR ACCESS POINT INTEROPERABILITY IN IETF CAPWAP WORKING GROUP
PLEASANTON, Calif. — April 6, 2005 — As part of its Open Access Point Initiative (OAPI) announced last month, Trapeze Networks™, award winning provider of the wireless LAN (WLAN) Mobility System™, is driving a proposal within the IETF that will provide a very simple way for an access point (AP) and an access controller, such as a WLAN switch, to interoperate. The proposal is based on early discussions led by Trapeze in the CAPWAP working group.
The protocol, known as the Secure Light Access Point Protocol (SLAPP) does not make any assumptions about network architecture or AP design. It defines how an AP discovers an access controller, authentication mechanisms, and a procedure for negotiating a control protocol to use for subsequent communication.
SLAPP is extensible to include existing and emerging protocols for control of 802.11 APs, and other protocols that may be needed in the future for other wireless technologies such as passive RFID and WiMax. In this regard SLAPP is conceptually similar to EAP (the Extensible Authentication Protocol), a widely deployed standard.
SLAPP has a number of advantages. It offers a very simple method for AP vendors to interoperate with an access controller. This will motivate a groundswell of AP development that will increase customer choice. This in turn will drive a cycle of AP innovation. At the same time SLAPP offers switch vendor's options for protocol support, again increasing choice and driving innovation. The common denominator is customers voting on which AP features are important. SLAPP also does not exclude any future standards or innovations.
"This is about growing the market by doing the right thing for the customer,"said Dan Simone, CTO at Trapeze. It's always tempting to build the ultimate protocol to solve some new problem in networking. But experience has shown that simplicity and extensibility are nearly always favored in the market. Our objective with this proposal is to make it simple for APs and switches to interoperate and leave options open for the future. This will allow the market to vote on exactly which features are valued and which are not."
About Trapeze Networks
Trapeze Networks delivers the power of business applications and services to the mobile enterprise workforce. The company's wireless LAN Mobility System enhances productivity, introduces new efficiencies and accelerates business response time by delivering secure mobility for roaming users and sophisticated services for both users and IT, all while offering the lowest total cost of ownership of any WLAN infrastructure provider. Trapeze announced a partnership with 3Com Corporation (NASDAQ: COMS) in August, 2004 and a partnership with both D-Link and Nortel (NYSE/TSX: NT) in March 2005. Trapeze has also been the recipient of eight industry awards, including InfoWorld's Technology of the Year award for the best WLAN Solution in 2004, in recognition of its product and technology strength. Founded in March 2002, Trapeze has raised $67.5 million in venture funding to date and is headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., U.S.A. For more information, please visit www.trapezenetworks.com.
Read the Secure Light AP Protocol Draft.
