802.1X is an IEEE standard for network access control. It provides a framework for port-based network access control, allowing you to control access to your network by authenticating and authorizing devices attempting to connect to it. The authentication is typically used for Ethernet networks but can be adapted for use with other network types.
Three components are used to create an authentication mechanism based on 802.1X standards:
Client/Supplicant: The end station that requests access to the LAN and switch services and responds to the requests from the switch.
Authentication Server: The server that performs the actual authentication of the supplicant.
Authenticator: Edge switch or wireless AP that acts as a proxy between the supplicant and the authentication server, requesting identity information from the supplicant, verifying the information with the authentication server, and relaying a response to the supplicant.
ORing’s managed products support 802.1X to provide enhance security for connections. The managed devices act as authenticator and the (supplicants could get authentications from RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service) server.
