User guide

4-9
Authentication
 Port: The UDP port number used by the RADIUS server for authentication
messages. (Range: 1024-65535; Default:
1812)
 Key: A shared text string used to encrypt messages between the access point
and the RADIUS server. Be sure that the same text string is specified on the
RADIUS server. Do not use blank spaces in the string. (Maximum length: 255
characters)
 Timeout: Number of seconds the access point waits for a reply from the
RADIUS server before resending a request. (Range:
1-60 seconds; Default: 5)
 Retransmit attempts: The number of times the access point tries to resend a
request to the RADIUS server before authentication fails. (Range: 1-30;
Default: 3)
Secondary RADIUS Server Setup – Configure a secondary RADIUS server to
provide a backup in case the primary server fails. The access point uses the
secondary server if the primary server fails or becomes inaccessible. Once the
access point switches over to the secondary server, it periodically attempts to
establish communication again with primary server. If communication with the
primary server is re-established, the secondary server reverts to a backup role.
VLAN ID Format – A VLAN ID (a number between 1 and 4094) can be assigned to
each client after successful authentication using IEEE 802.1X and a central
RADIUS server. The user VLAN IDs must be configured on the RADIUS server for
each user authorized to access the network. VLAN IDs can be entered as
hexadecimal numbers or as ASCII strings.
AUTHENTICATION
Wireless clients can be authenticated for network access by checking their MAC
address against the local database configured on the access point, or by using a
database configured on a central RADIUS server. Alternatively, authentication can
be implemented using the IEEE 802.1X network access control protocol.
A client’s MAC address provides relatively weak user authentication, since MAC
addresses can be easily captured and used by another station to break into the
network. Using 802.1X provides more robust user authentication using user
names and passwords or digital certificates. You can configure the access point to
NOTE: For the Timeout and Retransmit attempts fields, accept the default values
unless you experience problems connecting to the RADIUS server over the
network.