Dell PowerConnect W-IAP3WN/P User Manual download pdf (Page 147)

147 | Authentication and User Management DellNetworking W-Series Instant 6.4.0.2-4.1 | User Guide

Understanding Authentication Methods

Authentication is a process of identifying a user by through a valid username and password or based on their MAC

addresses. The following authentication methods are supported in Instant:

l 802.1X authentication

l MAC authentication

l MAC authentication with 802.1X authentication

l Captive Portal Authentication

l MAC authentication with Captive Portal authentication

l 802.1X authentication with Captive Portal Role

l WISPr authentication

802.1X authentication

802.1X is an IEEE standard that provides an authentication framework for WLANs. 802.1x uses the Extensible

Authentication Protocol (EAP) to exchange messages during the authentication process. The authentication

protocols that operate inside the 802.1X framework include EAP-Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS), Protected

EAP (PEAP), and EAP-Tunneled TLS (EAP-TTLS). These protocols allow the network to authenticate the client

while also allowing the client to authenticate the network. For more information on EAP authentication framework

supported by the W-IAP, see Supported EAP Authentication Frameworks on page 148.

802.1X authentication method allows a W-IAP to authenticate the identity of a user before providing network access

to the user. The Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS) protocol provides centralized authentication,

authorization, and accounting management. For authentication purpose, the wireless client can associate to a

network access server (NAS) or RADIUS client such as a wireless W-IAP. The wireless client can pass data traffic

only after successful 802.1X authentication.

For more information on configuring a W-IAP to use 802.1X authentication, see Configuring 802.1X Authentication

for a Network Profile on page 163.

MAC authentication

MAC authentication is used for authenticating devices based on their physical MAC addresses. MAC authentication

requires that the MAC address of a machine matches a manually defined list of addresses. This authentication

method is not recommended for scalable networks and the networks that require stringent security settings. For

more information on configuring a W-IAP to use MAC authentication, see Configuring MAC Authentication for a

Network Profile on page 165.

MAC authentication with 802.1X authentication

This authentication method has the following features:

l MAC authentication precedes 802.1X authentication - The administrators can enable MAC authentication for

802.1X authentication. MAC authentication shares all the authentication server configurations with 802.1X

authentication. If a wireless or wired client connects to the network, MAC authentication is performed first. If

MAC authentication fails, 802.1X authentication does not trigger. If MAC authentication is successful, 802.1X

authentication is attempted. If 802.1X authentication is successful, the client is assigned an 802.1X

authentication role. If 802.1X authentication fails, the client is assigned a deny-all role or mac-auth-only role.

l MAC authentication only role - Allows you to create a mac-auth-only role to allow role-based access rules when

MAC authentication is enabled for 802.1X authentication. The mac-auth-only role is assigned to a client when

the MAC authentication is successful and 802.1X authentication fails. If 802.1X authentication is successful, the

mac-auth-only role is overwritten by the final role. The mac-auth-only role is primarily used for wired clients.

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