DEFINITIONS - 13

parameterized quality of service (QoS): The treatment of the medium access control (MAC) protocol data
units (MPDUs) depends on the parameters associated with the MPDU. Parameterized QoS is primarily
provided through the hybrid coordination function (HCF) controlled channel access (HCCA) mechanism,
but is also provided by the enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) mechanism when used with a
traffic specification (TSPEC) for admission control.
pass-phrase: A secret text string employed to corroborate the user’s identity.
password: A shared, secret, and potentially low-entropy word, phrase, code, or key used as a credential for
authentication purposes.
NOTE—The method of distribution of a password to the units in the system is outside the scope of this standard.
path metric: An aggregate multi-hop criterion used to characterize the performance, quality, and eligibility
of a mesh path.
peer mesh station (STA): A mesh STA to which a mesh peering has been established.
peer trigger frame: A Mesh Data or quality-of-service (QoS) Null frame that initiates a mesh peer service
period.
peer-specific mesh power mode: The activity level identifier of a mesh station (STA) set per mesh peering.
Three peer-specific mesh power modes are defined: active mode, light sleep mode, and deep sleep mode.
peer-to-peer link: A direct link within a quality-of-service (QoS) basic service set (BSS), a tunnelled
direct-link setup (TDLS) link, or a STA-to-STA communication in an independent basic service set (IBSS).
PeerKey Handshake: A key management protocol composed of the station-to-station link (STSL) master
key (SMK) Handshake and the 4-Way STSL transient key (STK) Handshake. This is used to create new
SMK security associations (SMKSAs) and STK security associations (STKSAs) to secure the STSLs.
per-frame encryption key: A unique encryption key constructed for each medium access control (MAC)
protocol data unit (MPDU).
NOTE—A per-frame encryption key is employed by some security protocols defined in this standard.
piggyback: The overloading of a data frame with an acknowledgment of a previously received medium
access control (MAC) protocol data unit (MPDU) and/or a poll to the station (STA) to which the frame is
directed.
point coordinator (PC): The entity within the STA in an AP that performs the point coordination function.
point coordination function (PCF): A class of possible coordination functions in which the coordination
function logic is active in only one station (STA) in a basic service set (BSS) at any given time that the
network is in operation.
portable station (STA): A type of station (STA) that might be moved from location to location, but that
only uses network communications while at a fixed location.
portal: The logical point at which the integration service is provided.
precursor mesh station (STA): A neighbor peer mesh STA on the mesh path to the destination mesh STA,
that identifies the mesh STA as the next-hop mesh STA.
preshared key (PSK): A static key that is distributed to the units in the system by some out-of-band means.