Automatic Configuration Subsystem (Windows CE 5.0)
Windows CE allows your device to manage wireless networks that are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. You can customize the UI to meet the requirements of your device by using the sample UI provided. You can customize the UI to configure a list of preferred 802.11 networks through the Automatic Configuration subsystem.
The following illustration shows an overview of the Windows CE 802.11 Automatic Configuration subsystem.
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The following table shows the technologies shown in the illustration above and describes their relevance in the Automatic Configuration architecture.
| Technology | Description |
|---|---|
| 802.11 miniports | Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) miniports that support the list of required 802.11 object identifiers. |
| EAP | Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). Authentication framework used by 802.1x. |
| EAP/TLS | EAP provider for transport level security (TLS). A thin layer that redirects EAP calls to Schannel.dll. |
| EAPCHAP | EAP provider for MD5 Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP). |
| EAPOL | EAP over LAN. Implements the state machine for 802.1x authentication. Facilitates the sending and receiving of packets on the network and receives network status and configuration information. Registers with the EAP framework for provider-specific operations. |
| NDIS | NDIS library that provides a fully abstracted interface to which you can write a customized network adapter driver. |
| NDISUIO | NDIS protocol driver that exposes a generic interface for sending requests and receiving status from NDIS miniport drivers. |
| Network and Dial-up Connections UI | UI that implements the LAN adapter configuration property sheets.
For adapters that support the 802.11 object identifiers, a wireless tab is present on which you can configure 802.11 parameters and 802.1x authentication. It utilizes the WZCSAPI interface to retrieve and set 802.11 parameters such as the preferred SSID list. Sample code for the Network and Dial-up Connections UI is located at %_WINCEROOT%\Public\Common\Oak\Drivers\Netsamp\Connmc and %_WINCEROOT\Public\Common\Oak\Drivers\Netui. |
| Network Status Monitor | Status monitor that displays network information, such as the IP address and wireless network availability. It also implements a basic configuration shortcut menu for 802.11 adapters when no previous configuration is available. It uses the WZCSAPI interface to retrieve and set 802.11 parameters such as signal strength and visible SSID. The Network status monitor also uses the NDISUIO interface to register for notifications of both adapter insertion and removal. Sample code for the Network Status Monitor is located at %_WINCEROOT%\Public\Common\Oak\Drivers\Netsamp\Ethman and %_WINCEROOT%\Public\Common\Oak\Drivers\Netui. |
| SCHANNEL | Implements the TLS protocol. |
| WZC API | Wireless Automatic Configuration API. Implements the wrapper that is loaded into the user process to communicate with the WAC driver. The code for this interface is located at %_WINCEROOT%\Public\Common\Oak\Inc\Wzcsapi.h. |
| WZCSVC | Wireless Automatic Configuration driver that implements the state machine for discovering and configuring a network. This is based upon the configuration value that is set through the WZC API. |
To add support for the Linksys WPA11 card to your OS design, you must set the BSP flag BSP_NIC_ISLP2NDS=1.
See Also
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