User Manual
Publication date: January, 2006
Revision A2
115
The overview of operation flow for the Fig. 3-53 is quite simple. W hen
Supplicant PAE issues a request to Authenticator PAE, Authenticator and
Supplicant exchanges authentication message. Then, Authentic ator
passes the request to RADIUS server to verify. Finally, RADIUS server
replies if the request is granted or denied.
While in the authentication process, the message packets, enc apsulated
by Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPOL), are excha nged
between an authenticator PAE and a supplicant PAE. The Authenticator
exchanges the message to authentication server using EAP
encapsulation. Before successfully authenticating, the supplicant can
only touch the authenticator to perform authentication message
exchange or access the network from the uncontrolled port.
Fig. 3-53
In the Fig. 3-54, this is the typical configuration, a single supplicant, an
authenticator and an authentication server. B and C is in the interna l network, D is
Authentication server running RADIUS, switch at the central location acts
Authenticator connecting to PC A and A is a PC outside the controlled port, running
Supplicant PAE. In this case, PC A wants to access the services on device B and C,
first, it must exchange the authentication message with the authenticator on the po r t
it connected via EAPOL packet. The authenticator transfers the supplicant’s
credentials to Authentication server for verification. If succe ss, the authentication
server will notice the authenticator the grant. PC A, then, is allowed to access B an d
C via the switch. If there are two switches directly connected together instead of
single one, for the link connecting two switches, it may have to ac t two por t roles at
the end of the link: authenticator and supplicant, because the traffic is bi-directional.
A
uthenticato
r
PAE
Services Offered
by Authenticator
(e.g Bridge Relay)
Authenticator’s System Authentication
Server’s System
Authentication
Server
Supplicant
PAE
Supplicant’s
System
Uncontrolled por
t
Controlled por
t
MAC Enable
Port Authorize