Summary (Deploying Wireless Provisioning Services (WPS) Technology)

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

When you deploy Wireless Provisioning Services technology, you can provide wireless Internet access to new and existing customers at Wi-Fi hotspots in public locations, such as airports and shopping malls. Customers can connect to your network, create and pay for an account, and connect to the Internet without knowing about your services prior to their arrival at Wi-Fi hotspot locations and without manually configuring their wireless computers. To deploy WPS technology, you must use Windows Server 2003, SP1 and Internet Authentication Service (IAS), and your customers must use computers running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2). Your IAS server must be configured with an IAS extension DLL and URL PEAP-TLV; these technologies allow the IAS server to inform client computers of the location of your provisioning server in IAS Access-Accept messages. In addition, you must deploy an HTTPS provisioning server that provides client computers with network and other configuration parameters described in a collection of XML schemas and provided to client computers in the form of XML master and subfiles. The provisioning server must also maintain a Web application that parses data entered by customers, verifies credit card information, and can dynamically create a user account in an Active Directory or LDAP compatible user accounts database.