User`s guide

Vantage RADIUS Server User’s Guide
5-2 RADIUS Configuration
network. In addition to the shared key, password information exchanged is also encrypted to protect the
wired network from unauthorized access.
5.3.1 EAP Authentication Overview
EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) is an authentication protocol that runs on top of the IEEE802.1x
transport mechanism in order to support multiple types of user authentication. By using EAP to interact
with an EAP-compatible RADIUS server, the access point helps a wireless station and a RADIUS server
perform authentication.
Vantage RADIUS supports PEAP and EAP-MD5 (Message-Digest Algorithm 5). Refer to the Types of
EAP Authentication appendix for descriptions on the four common types.
The following figure shows an overview of authentication when you specify a RADIUS server on your
access point.
Figure 5-1 EAP Authentication
The details below provide a general description of how IEEE 802.1x EAP authentication works.
• The wireless station sends a “start” message to the wireless access point.
• The wireless access point sends a “request identity” message to the wireless station for identity
information.
• The wireless station replies with identity information, including username and password.
• The RADIUS server checks the user information against its user profile database and determines
whether or not to authenticate the wireless station.
For a detailed description of the different types of EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) authentication
protocols, please refer to the appendices.