Security Solutions

A-3
Appendix A: Glossary
access grace
period
The period of time between an endpoint failing a test and the endpoint being
quarantined. The network administrator sets the access grace period for a
particular test when configuring the test failure actions for that test in a NAC
policy.
access method The way in which an endpoint connects to the network. Options include VPN,
dial-up, wireless, or Ethernet.
access mode An option that controls whether NAC 800s in a particular enforcement cluster
quarantine endpoints or allow them access to the network. Three settings are
possible: normal, allow all, or quarantine all. “Normal” grants access to all
endpoints that pass the NAC tests, “allow all” permits access to all endpoints
regardless of test results, and “quarantine all” isolates all endpoints regardless
of test results.
access point See AP.
accessible services Those services that are made available to quarantined endpoints so that they
can perform remediation. Services include access to Web sites with service
patch downloads or plug-ins. The network administrator can configure which
services are available to quarantined endpoints.
accounting The process of collecting information about how resources are used. The
collected information can then be used for trend analysis, billing, auditing, or
regulatory compliance. The NAC 800 can provide RADIUS accounting services.
ACE Access Control Entry. A single rule that determines which endpoints or users
can access a network resource. A collection of ACEs composes an ACL.
ACL Access Control List. A set of rules (ACEs) that network edge devices such as
routers, switches, and wireless APs use to control access to network
resources and to identify packets that require special handling such as QoS or
NAT. An ACL can be configured to select packets according to values in their
headers, such as IP protocol, source and destination IP address, and source
and destination TCP or UDP ports.
Active Directory Active Directory. An LDAP-based directory service created by Microsoft that
is included with all Microsoft network servers.
ActiveX A Microsoft technology that enables interactive Web content. An endpoint
must accept ActiveX content from the NAC 800 to be tested via the ActiveX
plug-in. For more information, see the Microsoft Developer Center library at
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa751968.aspx.