MAC authentication timers

MAC authentication uses the following timers:

•Offline detect timer—Sets the interval that the device waits for traffic from a user before it regards the user idle. If a user connection has been idle for two consecutive intervals, the device logs the user out and stops accounting for the user.

•Quiet timer—Sets the interval that the device must wait before it can perform MAC authentication for a user that has failed MAC authentication. All packets from the MAC address are dropped during the quiet time. This quiet mechanism prevents repeated authentication from affecting system performance.

•Server timeout timer—Sets the interval that the device waits for a response from a RADIUS server before it regards the RADIUS server unavailable. If the timer expires during MAC authentication, the user cannot access the network.

Using MAC authentication with other features

VLAN assignment

You can specify a VLAN in the user account for a MAC authentication user to control its access to network resources. After the user passes MAC authentication, the authentication server, either the local access device or a RADIUS server, assigns the VLAN to the port as the default VLAN. After the user logs off, the initial default VLAN, or the default VLAN configured before any VLAN is assigned by the authentication server, restores. If the authentication server assigns no VLAN, the initial default VLAN applies.

A hybrid port is always assigned to a server-assigned VLAN as an untagged member. After the assignment, do not re-configure the port as a tagged member in the VLAN.

If MAC-based VLAN is enabled on a hybrid port, the device maps the server-assigned VLAN to the MAC address of the user. The default VLAN of the hybrid port does not change.

ACL assignment

You can specify an ACL in the user account for a MAC authentication user to control its access to network resources. After the user passes MAC authentication, the authentication server, either the local access device or a RADIUS server, assigns the ACL to the access port to filter the traffic from this user. You must configure the ACL on the access device for the ACL assignment function. You can change ACL rules while the user is online.

Auth-Fail VLAN

You can configure an Auth-Fail VLAN on a port to accommodate MAC authentication users that have failed MAC authentication on the port. Users in the Auth-Fail VLAN can access a limited set of network resources, such as a software server, to download anti-virus software and system patches. If no MAC Auth-Fail VLAN is configured, the user that fails MAC authentication cannot access any network resources.

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