For how long does the WLSM cache user credentials?
A. The cache time can depend on the type of client. There is a keep alive between the AP and the mobile node (MN), which depends on the AP configuration and the type of client. If it is a Cisco client, the AP detects the absence of the client quickly and leaves its association list. Once that happens, the client stays in the MN list of the WDS in a detached state for about 10 minutes. If it is a third party client, the keep alive timeout on an AP can be very long, as long as 30 minutes. Basically, if the Cisco client is not in the dot11 association table in any AP for 10 minutes, re-authentication is needed, which means to send it to the authentication server instead of to the infrastructure AP based on the cached user. If a non-Cisco client is not in the dot11 association table in any AP for between 10 and 30 minutes, re-authentication is needed.
