Configuring WinXP built-in wireless client for TTLS+PAP using SecureW2 (v3.0, 27th Feb 2014)
Described here are the steps involved in configuring the built-in wireless client under Windows XP to use eduroam, authenticating via TTLS+PAP using the SecureW2 third-party supplicant software. Your home site will be able to tell you whether TTLS+PAP is the appropriate authenticiation method that you should use.
!!! Please Note (Mar 2010) !!!: Under the current licensing of SecureW2, recent versions of the software are no longer available for free and instead an individual or site license must now be purchased. For further information, including license costs, see www.securew2.com.
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Information you will need
To complete these instructions you'll need some information specific to your home site/organisation, plus your own credentials, as listed below. If any of the details in your wifi profile are incorrect then your authentication will fail and you will not gain wifi access via eduroam. The IT department of your home site will be able to provide you with these details:
| Information required | Sample string in the instructions below |
|---|
| Your home site's domain name as would appear in, for example, your e-mail address e.g. ucd.ie | mysite.ie |
| [OPTIONAL] The name of the CA certificate used by your home site for eduroam. You will not require this if your site is using a public CA which is already defined within your wireless client. | GTE CyberTrust Global Root |
| [OPTIONAL] A file containing the actual CA certificate used by your site for eduroam. You will not require this if your site is using a public CA which is already defined within your wireless client. | cacert.crt |
| The name on the SSL certificate presented by the authentication server at your home site e.g. tweedledum.ucd.ie | certname.mysite.ie |
| The username you use to authenticate against your home account. Note the inclusion of your domain name e.g. jsoap@ucd.ie | myname@mysite.ie |
| The password you use to authenticate against your home account. | mypassword |
Notes on the built-in wireless client under WinXP
Notes on the built-in wireless client under WinXP
- WPA2 is supported only in Windows XP SP3 (Service Pack 3) or higher. If you are not already running SP3 or higher then you will need to upgrade.
Configuration instructions
Follow these steps to configure your wireless client:
- First, install SecureW2. This is commercial third-party supplicant software (see note above), available from www.securew2.com. The SecureW2 website contains the software and installation instructions. Follow the instructions to install the software with the TTLS component.
- If your home site has provided you with a file containing a CA certificate then you will need to install it here, otherwise skip to the next step.
Installing the CA certificate
Installing the CA Certificate
Download/copy the certificate file, cacert.crt, to your computer.
Double-click the file, and click Install Certificate...
Follow the Certificate Import Wizard steps - when prompted for the certificate store in which to save the certificate:
- Select Place all certificates in the following store
- Click Browse...
- Select Trusted Root Certification Authorities
You can verify that the certificate is installed by running MMC (mmc.exe), adding the "Certificates" snap-in, and browsing to the appropriate certificate store ("Trusted Root Certification Authorities"->"Certificates") to see if your site's CA certificate is listed there.
Further info on CA certificate
CA Certificate
As described in a later step, you must supply the details of the SSL certificate of your home authentication server as part of the eduroam profile. These details include the identity of the Certificate Authority (CA) that signed the server certificate. The built-in wireless client comes with a list of public CA's already installed and if your site's certificate is signed by one of those CA's then you don't need to install a CA certificate yourself. However, if you wish to explicitly identify an intermediate CA, or your server's certificate is signed by a private root CA, then you must install that intermediate/root CA's certificate before proceeding.
- Double-click on the application icon
in the tray.
Click View Wireless Networks.
- Click Change advanced settings.
- Click on the Wireless Networks tab.
- Click Add...
- Define the profile general details:
| Network name (SSID): | eduroam |
| Select Connect even if this network is not broadcasting |
| Network Authentication: | WPA2 |
| Data Encryption: | AES |
| Un-select This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network; wireless access points are not used |
|
|
Click on the Authentication tab.
- Define the authentication settings:
| EAP type: | SecureW2 EAP-TTLS |
| Un-select Authenticate as computer when computer information is available |
| Un-select Authenticate as guest when user or computer information is unavailable |
|
|
Click Properties
- You have now entered the SecureW2 configuration utility.
Click New
- Name the new profile:
Click OK
- Define your outer/anonymised identity:
| Select Use alternative outer identity: |
| Select Specify outer identity: | anonymous@mysite.ie |
|
|
Further info on outer identity
Outer Identity
Your outer identity hides your real identity/username from eduroam sites that you visit. For personal privacy reasons it is recommended that you configure your client to hide your identity as shown.
Click on Certificates tab.
- Define your home server certificate details:
| Select Verify server certificate |
| Trusted Root CA: | Click on Add CA and select the appropriate CA entry for your home site from the list. |
| Select Verify server name: | certname.mysite.ie |
|
|
Further info on server identity
Server Identity
When your client connects to eduroam, it will try to verify the identity of your home authentication server before it passes your credentials to the server for validation. The wireless client relies upon the SSL certificate presented by your home authentication server in order to carry out this verification. Defining the SSL certificate details here allows the client to complete this verification without any intervention required by you, and provides the greatest level of protection of your credentials.
Click on Authentication tab.
- Define your authentication method:
| Select Authentication Method: | PAP |
|
|
Click on User account tab.
- Provide your credentials:
| Un-select Prompt for user credentials |
| Username: | myname@mysite.ie |
| Password: | mypassword |
| Logon domain: | Leave blank |
|
|
Further info on credential settings
Credential Settings
Your credentials consist of your username, in a form much like an e-mail address, and your password. In this example the option to cache credentials is chosen (by un-selecting the "Prompt user for credentials" option) but you should consider for yourself whether this option is appropriate for you and if in doubt then opt to not have your credentials cached. If your credentials are not cached then you will be prompted for them each time you use eduroam wifi.
Click OK
- Click OK to complete the profile creation.
- Click on the Connection tab.
- Define automatic connection mode:
| Select Connect when this network is in range |
|
|
Click OK
- You can make eduroam your preferred network by highlighting the eduroam entry and using the Move Up button to move it to the top of the list of preferred networks.
Click OK
Your wireless client is now configured to avail of eduroam and should connect automatically when at a site where the eduroam service is available.
