O Verview - HP ProCurve 9304M Security Manual

Overview
HP devices support the IEEE 802.1X standard for authenticating devices attached to LAN ports. Using 802.1X
port security, you can configure an HP device to grant access to a port based on information supplied by a client to
an authentication server.
When a user logs on to a network that uses 802.1X port security, the HP device grants (or doesn't grant) access to
network services after the user is authenticated by an authentication server. The user-based authentication in
802.1X port security provides an alternative to granting network access based on a user's IP address, MAC
address, or subnetwork.
This chapter is divided into the following sections:
• "How 802.1X Port Security Works" on page 4-1 explains basic concepts about 802.1X port security.
• "Configuring 802.1X Port Security" on page 4-9 describes how to set up 802.1X port security on HP devices
using the Command Line Interface (CLI).
• "Displaying 802.1X Information" on page 4-18 describes the commands used to display information about an
802.1X port security configuration.
• "Sample 802.1X Configurations" on page 4-28 shows diagrams of two 802.1X port security configurations
and the CLI commands used for implementing them.
IETF RFC Support
HP's implementation of 802.1X port security supports the following RFCs:
• RFC 2284 PPP Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)
• RFC 2865 Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS)
• RFC 2869 RADIUS Extensions
How 802.1X Port Security Works
This section explains the basic concepts behind 802.1X port security, including device roles, how the devices
communicate, and the procedure used for authenticating clients.
Device Roles in an 802.1X Configuration
The 802.1X standard defines the roles of Client/Supplicant, Authenticator, and Authentication Server in a
network.
June 2005
Configuring 802.1X Port Security
Chapter 4
4 - 1