What Is 802.1X - ZyXEL Communications P-2602HWNLI Support Notes

P-2602HWNLI Support Notes
authentication if the receiving station designates open system authentication.
Share Key:
The optional authentication that involves a more rigorous exchange of frames, ensuring that the
requesting station is authentic. For a station to use shared key authentication, it must implement WEP.

What is 802.1x?

IEEE 802.1x Port-Based Network Access Control is an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers) standard, which specifies a standard mechanism for authenticating, at the link layer (Layer 2),
users' access to IEEE 802 networks such as Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) and Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11). For
IEEE 802.11 WLAN, IEEE 802.1x authentication can be based on username/password or digital
certificate.
What is the difference between No authentication required, No access allowed and
Authentication required?
No authentication required—disables 802.1X and causes the port to transition to the authorized state
without any authentication exchange required. The port transmits and receives normal traffic without
802.1X-based authentication of the client.
No access allowed—causes the port to remain in the unauthorized state, ignoring all attempts by the client
to authenticate. The switch cannot provide authentication services to the client through the interface.
Authentication required—enables 802.1X and causes the port to begin in the unauthorized state, allowing
only EAPOL frames to be sent and received through the port. The authentication process begins when the
link state of the port transitions from down to up, or when an EAPOL-start frame is received. The switch
requests the identity of the client and begins relaying authentication messages between the client and the
authentication server. Each client attempting to access the network is uniquely identified by the switch by
using the client's MAC address.
What is AAA?
AAA is the acronym for Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting and refers to the idea of managing
subscribers by controlling their access to the network, verifying that they are who they say they are (via
login name and password or MAC address) and accounting for their network usage.
What is RADIUS?
RADIUS stands for Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service. RADIUS is a standard that has been
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