User Manual

Configuration Examples
689
M4200 and M4300 Series ProSAFE Managed Switches Web Management User Manual
between the authenticator (the system that passes an authentication request to the
authentication server) and the supplicant (the system that requests authentication), as well
as between the authenticator and the authentication server.
The switch support a guest VLAN, which allows unauthenticated users limited access to the
network resources.
Note: You can use QoS features to provide rate limiting on the guest VLAN
to limit the network resources the guest VLAN provides.
Another 802.1X feature is the ability to configure a port to Enable/Disable EAPoL packet
forwarding support. You can disable or enable the forwarding of EAPoL when 802.1X is
disabled on the device.
The ports of an 802.1X authenticator switch provide the means in which it can offer services
to other systems reachable through the LAN. Port-based network access control allows the
operation of a switch’s ports to be controlled to ensure that access to its services is only
permitted by systems that are authorized to do so.
Port access control provides a means of preventing unauthorized access by supplicants to
the services offered by a system. Control over the access to a switch and the LAN to which it
is connected can be desirable when you restrict access to publicly accessible bridge ports or
to restrict access to departmental LANs.
Access control is achieved by enforcing authentication of supplicants that are attached to an
authenticator's controlled ports. The result of the authentication process determines whether
the supplicant is authorized to access services on that controlled port.
A Port Access Entity (PAE) is able to adopt one of two distinct roles within an access control
interaction:
1. Authenticator: A Port that enforces authentication before allowing access to services
available through that Port.
2. Supplicant: A Port that attempts to access services offered by the Authenticator.
Additionally, there exists a third role:
3. Authentication server: Performs the authentication function necessary to check the
credentials of the Supplicant on behalf of the Authenticator.
All three roles are required for you to complete an authentication exchange.
The switch support the Authenticator role only, in which the PAE is responsible for
communicating with the Supplicant. The Authenticator PAE is also responsible for submitting
the information received from the Supplicant to the Authentication Server in order for the
credentials to be checked, which will determine the authorization state of the Port. The
Authenticator PAE controls the authorized/unauthorized state of the controlled Port
depending on the outcome of the RADIUS-based authentication process.