Cisco Systems 4500 Device Roles, Host Detection

42-2
Software Configuration Guide—Release 15.0(2)SG
OL-23818-01
Chapter 42 Configuring Web-Based Authentication
About Web-Based Authentication
These sections describe the role of web-based authentication as part of the authentication, authorization,
and accounting (AAA) system:
• Device Roles, page 42-2
• Host Detection, page 42-2
• Session Creation, page 42-3
• Authentication Process, page 42-3
• Customization of the Authentication Proxy Web Pages, page 42-4
• Web-Based Authentication Interactions with Other Features, page 42-4
Device Roles
With web-based authentication, the devices in the network have specific roles (Figure 42-1).
Figure 42-1 Web-Based Authentication Device Roles
The roles are as follows:
• Client—The device (workstation) that requests access to the LAN and switch services and responds
to requests from the switch. The workstation must be running an HTML browser with Java Script
enabled.
• Authentication server—Performs the actual authentication of the client. The authentication server
validates the identity of the client and notifies the switch that the client is authorized to access the
LAN and switch services or that the client is denied.
• Switch—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.
Host Detection
The switch maintains an IP device tracking table to store information about detected hosts.
Note By default, the IP device tracking feature is disabled on a switch. You must enable the IP device tracking
feature to use web-based authentication.
Workstations
(clients)
Catalyst switch
or
Cisco Router
Authentication
server
(RADIUS)
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