Nortel Networks 2300 manual Configuring Authentication and Authorization by MAC Address

Configuring AAA for Network Users 425

Information for the 802.1X authentication rule for the machine (host/bob-laptop.mycorp.com) is also displayed. However, the bonded option is configured only for the user’s authentication rule. The bonded option applies only to the authentication rules for users, not the authentication rules for machines.

Configuring Authentication and Authorization by MAC Address

You must sometimes authenticate users based on the MAC addresses of their devices rather than a username-password or certificate. For example, some Voice-over-IP (VoIP) phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) do not support 802.1X authentication. If a client does not support 802.1X, WSS Software attempts to perform MAC authentication for the client instead. The WSS can discover the MAC address of the device from received frames and can use the MAC address in place of a username for the client.

Users authorized by MAC address require a MAC authorization password if RADIUS authentication is desired. The default well-known password is nortel.

Caution! Use this method with care. IEEE 802.11 frames can be forged and can result in unauthorized network access if MAC authentication is employed.

Nortel WLAN Security Switch 2300 Series Configuration Guide