C
HAPTER
4: M
ANAGING
D
EVICE
S
ECURITY
48
Defining Port-Based
Authentication
(80.1X)
Port-based authentication authenticates users on a per-port basis via
an external server. Only authenticated and approved system users can
transmit and receive data. Ports are authenticated via the RADIUS
server using the
Extensible Authentication Protocol
(EAP). Port-based
authentication includes:
Authenticators
— Specifies the device port which is
authenticated before permitting system access.
Supplicants —
Specifies the host connected to the authenticated
port requesting to access the system services.
Authentication Server
— Specifies the server that performs
the authentication on behalf of the authenticator, and indicates
whether the supplicant is authorized to access system services.
Port-based authentication creates two access states:
Controlled Access
— Permits communication between the
supplicant and the system, if the supplicant is authorized.
Uncontrolled Access
— Permits uncontrolled communication
regardless of the port state.
This section includes the following topics:
Viewing 802.1X Authentication
Defining 802.1X Authentication