4. General Description

January 2017doc.: IEEE 802.11-16/1605r3

IEEE P802.11
Wireless LANs

4. General description

4.5Overviewoftheservices

4.5.9Interworkingwithexternalnetworks

Changeasfollows:

Anoverviewoftheinterworkingfunctionsaddressedinthisstandardisprovidedbelow:

Networkdiscoveryandselection

Discoveryofsuitablenetworksthroughtheadvertisementofaccessnetworktype,roamingconsortiumandvenueinformation,viaManagementframes

SelectionofasuitableIEEEStd802.11infrastructureusingadvertisementservices(e.g.,accessnetworkqueryprotocol(ANQP)oranIEEEStd802.21InformationServer)intheBSSorinanexternalnetworkreachableviatheBSS.

SelectionofanSSPNorexternalnetworkwithitscorrespondingIEEEStd802.11Infrastructure

Pre-associationdiscovery(PAD)

DiscoveryofservicesofferedviaaBSS

Emergencyservices

EmergencyCallandNetworkAlertsupportatthelinklevel

QoSmappingdistribution

SSPNinterfaceservicebetweentheAPandtheSSPN

Insertthefollowingnewclauses:

4.5.9.1Pre-associationdiscovery(PAD)

PADisaninterworkingfunctionprovidedbyaBSS(i.e.,anetwork)toallownon-APand non-PCP STAs,prior to in a pre-associ- ation state,todiscoverinformationconcerningservicesthatareavailabletoaSTAwhenitisassociatedwiththeBSS.

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Submissionpage 1Stephen McCann, BlackBerry

January 2017doc.: IEEE 802.11-16/1605r3

4.5.9.1.1Architecture

Figures 4-15a and 4-15b Figure 4-15a (Pre-association discovery architecture) showsthefunctionalflowofMACmessagingandserviceinformationbetweenaserviceinformationclient(SIC)andaserviceinformationregistry(SIR).Theseentitiesaredescribedbelow. The active components within the architecture differ depending upon whether unsolicted or solicited PAD is being used.

Figure4-15a—Unsolicited PAD architecture

Pre-association discovery architecture

Figure 4-15b — Solicited PAD architecture

NOTE—AnSIRcanbeeitherco-locatedwiththeAPoroutsidetheAP. An SIR can only be co-located with an PCP (#6070). ThecommunicationsbetweentheSIRandthe AP,together with theSIR and theANQPserver areout ofthe scope of this document.

The unsolicited PAD procedure is described in 11.25a.2 and solicited PAD procedure is described in 11.25a.3.

4.5.9.1.2Serviceinformationentities

SICand SIRare used to exchangeinformation (e.g. a service name) betweenhigher layerentitiesresources abovethe STAsboth the non-AP STA and the AP.ThePADand service information proceduresoperatebetweentheSICandSIR.

The SIC and SIR are used to transport service relevant information (e.g. a service name), and then exchange that information between the SIC and SIR. PAD signaling is opaque to the service relevant information because it is handled by these entities in the STA and AP or PCP.

4.5.9.1.3Serviceinformationregistry

TheSIRcontainsinformationaboutservicesthatmightbereachablethroughBSS,fortheSTAtoconnecttoafteritassociateswiththeAP.HowtheSIRservice information registryobtainstheinformationaboutservicesisoutsidethescopeofthisstandard.

ThereistypicallyoneSIRassignedtoeachESS.ItcanbeaddressedbyeachAPandeachservicewithinthatESS.ItincludessupportingservicediscoveryrequestsandresponsesfromtheBSS.

TheSIRcommunicateswiththeANQPservertorespondtoANQPrequests.

4.5.9.1.4Serviceinformationclient

TheSIC , also shown in Figure 4-15a (Pre-association discovery architecture), initiatesSTAservicediscov- ery.

WithinaSTAthisexchangeincludessupportingservicediscoveryrequestsandresponsestoandfromappli-cations.The SME determines whether to use unsolicited PAD or , solicited PADor service information proce- dures.TheSMEalsocreatesthecontentsoftheproberequestsandANQPrequests.

Submissionpage 1Stephen McCann, BlackBerry