Fortress Bridge: Configuration
35
3.4 802.1X Server and LAN Port Settings
NOTE: The RADI-
US server internal
to the Bridge cannot be
used for 802.1X authen-
tication.
The Fortress Bridge can be used with an external 802.1X
authentication server and its internal switch ports can be
individually configured to allow or block 802.1X traffic.
The Fortress Bridge supports non-802.1X authentication
through a separate and unrelated set of configuration settings.
The global settings for non-802.1X authentication are
described in Section 3.6.6. Individual non-802.1X device and
user authentication settings are described in sections 4.1 and
4.2, respectively.

3.4.1 802.1X Authentication Server

When an 802.1X authentication server is configured for it, the
Bridge acts as an 802.1X authenticator, conveying 802.1X
queries and responses between 802.1X supplicants and the
configured authentication server.
NOTE: If you are
using both RADI-
US and 802.1X authenti-
cation services, they can
run on the same exter-
nal server, but you must
enter the server’s set-
tings both on the
SECURI-
TY SETTINGS screen (in
the AUTHENTICATION SET-
TINGS section) and on the
INTERFACES screen (in the
802.1X AUTHENTICATION
SERVER frame).
In order to support 802.1X authentication—whether for
wireless (802.1X Security in Section 3.3.4.5) or wired devices
(Section 3.4.2)—the Bridge must be configured to use an
external, 802.1X authentication server.
Certain other VAP Security Suite settings—specifically those
WPA and WPA2 options that do not use PSK (pre-shared key
mode)—also require the use of an 802.1.X authentication
server. (Possible VAP Security Suite settings are described in
detail in Section 3.3.4.5.)
Finally, even in configurations that do not require the use of an
802.1X authentication server, the fields that configure the
server cannot be empty. In these instances, you can leave
the default 802.1X authentication servers settings in place,
without reference to an actual 802.1X server.
Before configuring the Bridge to use the 802.1X authentication
server, you should first configure the service to use the Bridge
as an 802.1X authenticator (refer to your 802.1X server
documentation for guidance).

To configure the Bridge for use with

an external 802.1X authentication server:

1Log on to the Bridge GUI admin account and select
INTERFACES from the menu on the left.