Chapter 9 Authentication; Authentication Methods In Dell Instant; 802.1X Authentication; Internal Radius Server - Dell PowerConnect W-IAP175P User Manual

Authentication Methods in Dell Instant

Authentication is a process of identifying a user by having them to provide a valid username and password.
Clients can also be authenticated based on their MAC addresses. The following authentication methods are
supported in Dell Instant:

802.1X Authentication

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Captive Portal
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MAC Authentication
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802.1X Authentication
802.1X is a method for authenticating the identity of a user before providing network access to the user. Remote
Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS) is a protocol that 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 IAP. The wireless client can pass data traffic only
after successful 802.1X authentication. The steps involved in 802.1X authentication are:
1. The NAS requests authentication credentials from the wireless client.
2. The wireless client sends the authentication credentials to the NAS.
3. The NAS sends these credentials to a RADIUS server.
4. The RADIUS server checks the user identity and begins authentication with the client if the user identity is
present in its database. The RADIUS server sends an Access-Accept message to the NAS.
If the RADIUS server cannot identify the user, it stops the authentication process and sends an Access-Reject
message to the NAS. The NAS forwards this message to the client and the client must re-authenticate with
correct credentials.
5. After the client is authenticated, the RADIUS server forwards the encryption key to the NAS. The encryption
key is used to encrypt or decrypt traffic sent to and from the client.
NOTE: A NAS acts as a gateway to guard access to a protected resource. A client connecting to the wireless network first
connects to the NAS.
The Dell Instant network supports internal RADIUS server and external RADIUS server for 802.1x
authentication.

Internal RADIUS Server

Each IAP has an instance of Free RADIUS server operating locally. When you enable the Internal RADIUS server
option for the network, the authenticator on the IAP sends a RADIUS packet to the local IP address. The Internal
RADIUS server listens and replies to the RADIUS packet. The following authentication methods are supported in
Dell Instant network:
EAP-TLS - The Extensible Authentication Protocol- Transport Layer Security method supports the

termination of EAP-TLS security using the internal RADIUS server. The EAP-TLS requires both server and
certification authority (CA) certificates installed onto the IAP.The client certificate is verified on the
Dell PowerConnect W-Instant Access Point 5.0.3.0-1.1.0.0 | User Guide
Chapter 9
Authentication
Authentication | 69