User's Manual

This RADIUS server may authenticate either the user (via passwords or
certificates) or the system (by MAC address). In theory, the wireless
client is not allowed to join the networks until the transaction is
complete.
There are several authentication algorithms used for 802.1x. Some
examples are: EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, and Protected EAP (PEAP). These
are all methods for the wireless client to identify itself to the RADIUS
server. With RADIUS authentication, user identities are checked against
databases. RADIUS constitutes a set of standards addressing
Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA). Radius includes a
proxy process to validate clients in a multi-server environment. The
IEEE 802.1x standard is for controlling and authenticating access to
port-based 802.11 wireless and wired Ethernet networks. Port-based
network access control is similar to a switched local area network (LAN)
infrastructure that authenticates devices that are attached to a LAN
port and prevent access to that port if the authentication process fails.
What is RADIUS?
RADIUS is the Remote Access Dial-In User Service, an Authorization,
Authentication, and Accounting (AAA) client-server protocol, which is
used when a AAA dial-up client logs in or out of a Network Access
Server. Typically, a RADIUS server is used by Internet Service
Providers (ISP) to perform AAA tasks. AAA phases are described as
follows:
● Authentication phase: Verifies a user name and password
against a local database. After the credentials are verified, the
authorization process begins.
● Authorization phase: Determines whether a request is allowed
access to a resource. An IP address is assigned for the dial-up
client.
● Accounting phase: Collects information on resource usage for
the purpose of trend analysis, auditing, session time billing, or
cost allocation.
How 802.1x Authentication Works