P320W Support Notes
What is 802.1x?
IEEE 802.1x Port-Based Network Access Control is an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standard, which specifies a standard mechanism for authenticating, at the link layer (Layer 2), users' access to IEEE 802 networks such as Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) and Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11). For IEEE 802.11 WLAN, IEEE 802.1x authentication can be based on username/password or digital certificate.
What is the difference between force-authorized, force-unauthorized and auto?
force-authorized—disables 802.1X and causes the port to transition to the authorized state without any authentication exchange required. The port transmits and receives normal traffic without 802.1X-based authentication of the client.
force-unauthorized—causes the port to remain in the unauthorized state, ignoring all attempts by the client to authenticate. The switch cannot provide authentication services to the client through the interface. auto—enables 802.1X and causes the port to begin in the unauthorized state, allowing only EAPOL frames to be sent and received through the port. The authentication process begins when the link state of the port transitions from down to up, or when an EAPOL-start frame is received. The switch requests the identity of the client and begins relaying authentication messages between the client and the authentication server. Each client attempting to access the network is uniquely identified by the switch by using the client's MAC address.
What is AAA?
AAAis the acronym for Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting and refers to the idea of managing subscribers by controlling their access to the network, verifying that they are who they say they are (via login name and password or MAC address) and accounting for their network usage.
What is RADIUS?
RADIUS stands for Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service. RADIUS is a standard that has been implemented into several software packages and networking devices. It allows user information to be sent to a central database running on a RADIUS Server, where it is verified. RADIUS also provides a mechanism for accounting.
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