Web and MAC Authentication

How Web and MAC Authentication Operate

How Web and MAC Authentication Operate

Authenticator Operation

Before gaining access to the network clients first present their authentication credentials to the switch. The switch then verifies the supplied credentials with a RADIUS authentication server. Successfully authenticated clients receive access to the network, as defined by the System Administrator. Clients who fail to authenticate successfully receive no network access or limited network access as defined by the System Administrator.

Web-based Authentication

When a client connects to a Web-Auth enabled port, communication is redirected to the switch. A temporary IP address is assigned by the switch and a login screen is presented for the client to enter their credentials.

Figure 3-1. Example of User Login Screen

The temporary IP address pool can be specified using the dhcp-addrand dhcp-leaseoptions of the aaa port-accessweb-basedcommand. If SSL is enabled on the switch and ssl-loginis enabled on the port the client is redirected to a secure login page (https://...).

The switch passes the supplied username and password to the RADIUS server for authentication.

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