Blade ICE G8000 manual Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN

RackSwitch G8000 Application Guide

Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN

The G8000 can provide user-level security for its ports using the IEEE 802.1X protocol, which is a more secure alternative to other methods of port-based network access control. Any device attached to an 802.1X-enabled port that fails authentication is prevented access to the network and denied services offered through that port.

The 802.1X standard describes port-based network access control using Extensible Authenti- cation Protocol over LAN (EAPoL). EAPoL provides a means of authenticating and authoriz- ing devices attached to a LAN port that has point-to-point connection characteristics and of preventing access to that port in cases of authentication and authorization failures.

EAPoL is a client-server protocol that has the following components:

„Supplicant or Client

The Supplicant is a device that requests network access and provides the required creden- tials (user name and password) to the Authenticator and the Authenticator Server.

„Authenticator

The Authenticator enforces authentication and controls access to the network. The Authenticator grants network access based on the information provided by the Supplicant and the response from the Authentication Server. The Authenticator acts as an intermedi- ary between the Supplicant and the Authentication Server: requesting identity information from the client, forwarding that information to the Authentication Server for validation, relaying the server’s responses to the client, and authorizing network access based on the results of the authentication exchange. The G8000 acts as an Authenticator.

„Authentication Server,

The Authentication Server validates the credentials provided by the Supplicant to deter- mine if the Authenticator should grant access to the network. The Authentication Server may be co-located with the Authenticator. The G8000 relies on external RADIUS servers for authentication.

Upon a successful authentication of the client by the server, the 802.1X-controlled port transi- tions from unauthorized to authorized state, and the client is allowed full access to services through the port. When the client sends an EAP-Logoff message to the authenticator, the port will transition from authorized to unauthorized state.

40 „ Chapter 2: Port-based Network Access Control BMD00041, November 2008