ECS4660-28F_Management Guide-R03

C HAPTER 13 | Security Measures
Configuring 802.1X Port Authentication
– 424 –
The operation of 802.1X on the switch requires the following:
◆ The switch must have an IP address assigned.
◆ RADIUS authentication must be enabled on the switch and the IP
address of the RADIUS server specified.
◆ 802.1X must be enabled globally for the switch.
◆ Each switch port that will be used must be set to dot1X “Auto” mode.
◆ Each client that needs to be authenticated must have dot1X client
software installed and properly configured.
◆ The RADIUS server and 802.1X client support EAP. (The switch only
supports EAPOL in order to pass the EAP packets from the server to the
client.)
◆ The RADIUS server and client also have to support the same EAP
authentication type – MD5, PEAP, TLS, or TTLS. (Native support for
these encryption methods is provided in Windows 7, Vista and XP. To
support these encryption methods in Windows 95 and 98, you can use
the AEGIS dot1x client or other comparable client software)
CONFIGURING 802.1X
GLOBAL SETTINGS
Use the Security > Port Authentication (Configure Global) page to
configure IEEE 802.1X port authentication. The 802.1X protocol must be
enabled globally for the switch system before port settings are active.
CLI REFERENCES
◆ "802.1X Port Authentication" on page 1067
PARAMETERS
These parameters are displayed:
◆ System Authentication Control – Sets the global setting for 802.1X.
(Default: Disabled)
◆ EAPOL Pass Through – Passes EAPOL frames through to all ports in
STP forwarding state when dot1x is globally disabled.
(Default: Disabled)
When this device is functioning as intermediate node in the network
and does not need to perform dot1x authentication, EAPOL Pass
Through can be enabled to allow the switch to forward EAPOL frames
from other switches on to the authentication servers, thereby allowing
the authentication process to still be carried out by switches located on
the edge of the network.
When this device is functioning as an edge switch but does not require
any attached clients to be authenticated, EAPOL Pass Through can be
disabled to discard unnecessary EAPOL traffic.