Cisco Systems 3750E manual Authentication Process, 10-3

Chapter 10 Configuring IEEE 802.1x Port-Based Authentication

Understanding IEEE 802.1x Port-Based Authentication

•Authentication server—performs the actual authentication of the client. The authentication server validates the identity of the client and notifies the switch whether or not the client is authorized to access the LAN and switch services. Because the switch acts as the proxy, the authentication service is transparent to the client. In this release, the RADIUS security system with Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) extensions is the only supported authentication server. It is available in Cisco Secure Access Control Server Version 3.0 or later. RADIUS operates in a client/server model in which secure authentication information is exchanged between the RADIUS server and one or more RADIUS clients.

•Switch (edge switch or wireless access point)—controls the physical access to the network based on the authentication status of the client. The switch acts as an intermediary (proxy) between the client and the authentication server, requesting identity information from the client, verifying that information with the authentication server, and relaying a response to the client. The switch includes the RADIUS client, which is responsible for encapsulating and decapsulating the EAP frames and interacting with the authentication server. (The switch is the authenticator in the IEEE 802.1x standard.)

When the switch receives EAPOL frames and relays them to the authentication server, the Ethernet header is stripped, and the remaining EAP frame is re-encapsulated in the RADIUS format. The EAP frames are not modified during encapsulation, and the authentication server must support EAP within the native frame format. When the switch receives frames from the authentication server, the server’s frame header is removed, leaving the EAP frame, which is then encapsulated for Ethernet and sent to the client.

The devices that can act as intermediaries include the Catalyst 3750-E, Catalyst 3750, Catalyst 3560-E, Catalyst 3560, Catalyst 3550, Catalyst 2970, Catalyst 2960, Catalyst 2955, Catalyst 2950, Catalyst 2940 switches, or a wireless access point. These devices must be running software that supports the RADIUS client and IEEE 802.1x authentication.

Authentication Process

When IEEE 802.1x port-based authentication is enabled and the client supports IEEE 802.1x-compliant client software, these events occur:

•If the client identity is valid and the IEEE 802.1x authentication succeeds, the switch grants the client access to the network.

•If IEEE 802.1x authentication times out while waiting for an EAPOL message exchange and MAC authentication bypass is enabled, the switch can use the client MAC address for authorization. If the client MAC address is valid and the authorization succeeds, the switch grants the client access to the network. If the client MAC address is invalid and the authorization fails, the switch assigns the client to a guest VLAN that provides limited services if a guest VLAN is configured.

•If the switch gets an invalid identity from an IEEE 802.1x-capable client and a restricted VLAN is specified, the switch can assign the client to a restricted VLAN that provides limited services.

•If the RADIUS authentication server is unavailable (down) and inaccessible authentication bypass is enabled, the switch grants the client access to the network by putting the port in the critical-authentication state in the RADIUS-configured or the user-specified access VLAN.

Note Inaccessible authentication bypass is also referred to as critical authentication or the AAA fail policy.

Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E Switch Software Configuration Guide

OL-9775-02 10-3