User's Manual

RADIUS Overview
5-2 Oracle Database Advanced Security Administrator's Guide
change the authentication method without modifying either the Oracle client or the
Oracle database server.
From the user's perspective, the entire authentication process is transparent. When
the user seeks access to an Oracle database server, the Oracle database server, acting
as the RADIUS client, notifies the RADIUS server. The RADIUS server:
■ Looks up the user's security information.
■ Passes authentication and authorization information between the appropriate
authentication server or servers and the Oracle database server.
■ Grants the user access to the Oracle database server.
■ Logs session information, including when, how often, and for how long the
user was connected to the Oracle database server.
The Oracle/RADIUS environment is displayed in Figure 5–1:
Figure 5–1 RADIUS in an Oracle Environment
The Oracle database server acts as the RADIUS client, passing information between
the Oracle client and the RADIUS server. Similarly, the RADIUS server passes
information between the Oracle database server and the appropriate authentication
servers. The authentication components are listed in Table 5–1:
Note: Oracle Advanced Security does not support RADIUS
authentication over database links.
Oracle Client
Radius Client
Oracle Server
Radius Server
or
RSA ACE / Server