Logical service interfaces

4.4 Logical service interfaces

4.4.1 General
A DS may be created from many different technologies including current IEEE 802 wired LANs. IEEE Std
802.11 does not constrain the DS to be either data link or network layer based. Nor does IEEE Std 802.11
constrain a DS to be either centralized or distributed in nature.
IEEE Std 802.11 explicitly does not specify the details of DS implementations. Instead, IEEE Std 802.11
specifies services. The services are associated with different components of the architecture. There are two
categories of IEEE 802.11 service—the station service (SS) and the distribution system service (DSS). Both
categories of service are used by the IEEE 802.11 MAC sublayer.
The complete set of IEEE 802.11 architectural services are as follows:
a) Authentication
b) Association
c) Deauthentication
d) Disassociation
e) Distribution
f) Integration
g) Data confidentiality
h) Reassociation
i) MSDU delivery
j) DFS

k) TPC
l) Higher layer timer synchronization (QoS facility only)
m) QoS traffic scheduling (QoS facility only)
n) Radio measurement
o) DSE
This set of services is divided into two groups: the SS and the DSS. The SS is part of every STA. The DSS is
provided by the DS.
4.4.2 SS
The service provided by STAs is known as the SS.
The SS is present in every IEEE 802.11 STA (including APs, as APs include STA functionality). The SS is
specified for use by MAC sublayer entities. All conformant STAs provide SS.
The SS is as follows:
a) Authentication (not used when dot11OCBActivated is true)
b) Deauthentication (not used when dot11OCBActivated is true)
c) Data confidentiality (not used when dot11OCBActivated is true)
d) MSDU delivery
e) DFS
f) TPC
g) Higher layer timer synchronization (QoS facility only)
h) QoS traffic scheduling (QoS facility only)
i) Radio measurement
j) DSE