ZyXEL Communications Dimension GS-3012, User Manual, Page: 119 / 259

GS-3012/GS-3012F User’s Guide
Port Authentication 15-1
Chapter 15
Port Authentication
This chapter describes the IEEE 802.1x authentication method and RADIUS server connection setup.
15.1 Introduction to Authentication
IEEE 802.1x is an extended authentication protocol
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that allows support of RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial
In User Service, RFC 2138, 2139) for centralized user profile management on a network RADIUS server.
15.1.1 RADIUS
RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) authentication is a popular protocol used to authenticate
users by means of an external server instead of (or in addition to) an internal device user database that is limited to
the memory capacity of the device. In essence, RADIUS authentication allows you to validate an unlimited
number of users from a central location.
Figure 15-1 RADIUS Server
15.2 Configuring Port Authentication
To enable port authentication, first activate IEEE 802.1x security (both on the switch and the port(s)) then
configure the RADIUS server settings.
Click Port Authentication under Advanced Application in the navigation panel to display the screen as shown.
Figure 15-2 Port Authentication
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At the time of writing, Windows XP of the Microsoft operating systems supports IEEE 802.1x. See the Microsoft web site
for information on other Windows operating system support. For other operating systems, see its documentation. If your
operating system does not support IEEE 802.1x, then you may need to install 802.1x client software.