System information

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3-10. 802.1X Configurtion
802.1X port-based network access control provides a method to restrict users to
access network resources via authenticating user’s information. This restricts users from
gaining access to the network resources through a 802.1X-enabled port without
authentication. If a user wishes to touch the network through a port under 802.1X control, he
(she) must firstly input his (her) account name for authentication and waits for gaining
authorization before sending or receiving any packets from a 802.1X-enabled port.
Before the devices or end stations can access the network resources through the ports
under 802.1X control, the devices or end stations connected to a controlled port send the
authentication request to the authenticator, the authenticator pass the request to the
authentication server to authenticate and verify, and the server tell the authenticator if the
request get the grant of authorization for the ports.
According to IEEE802.1X, there are three components implemented. They are
Authenticator, Supplicant and Authentication server shown in Fig. 3-53.
Supplicant:
It is an entity being authenticated by an authenticator. It is used to communicate
with the Authenticator
PAE (Port Access Entity)
by exchanging the authentication
message when the Authenticator PAE request to it.
Authenticator:
An entity facilitates the authentication of the supplicant entity. It controls the state
of the port, authorized or unauthorized, according to the result of authentication
message exchanged between it and a supplicant PAE.
The authenticator may request the supplicant to re-authenticate itself at a
configured time period. Once start re-authenticating the supplicant, the controlled
port keeps in the authorized state until re-authentication fails.
A port acting as an authenticator is thought to be two logical ports, a controlled
port and an uncontrolled port. A controlled port can only pass the packets when
the authenticator PAE is authorized, and otherwise, an uncontrolled port will
unconditionally pass the packets with PAE group MAC address, which has the
value of 01-80-c2-00-00-03 and will not be forwarded by MAC bridge, at any time.
Authentication server:
A device provides authentication service, through EAP, to an authenticator by
using authentication credentials supplied by the supplicant to determine if the
supplicant is authorized to access the network resource.