H3C S5100-SI

1-1
1 802.1x Configuration
When configuring 802.1x, go to these sections for information you are interested in:
z Introduction to 802.1x
z Introduction to 802.1x Configuration
z Basic 802.1x Configuration
z Advanced 802.1x Configuration
z Displaying and Maintaining 802.1x Configuration
z Configuration Example
Introduction to 802.1x
The 802.1x protocol (802.1x for short) was developed by IEEE802 LAN/WAN committee to
address security issues of wireless LANs. It was then used in Ethernet as a common
access control mechanism for LAN ports to address mainly authentication and security
problems.
802.1x is a port-based network access control protocol. It authenticates and controls
devices requesting for access in terms of the ports of LAN access devices. With the 802.1x
protocol employed, a user-side device can access the LAN only when it passes the
authentication. Those fail to pass the authentication are denied when accessing the LAN.
This section covers these topics:
z Architecture of 802.1x Authentication
z The Mechanism of an 802.1x Authentication System
z Encapsulation of EAPoL Messages
z 802.1x Authentication Procedure
z Timers Used in 802.1x
z 802.1x Implementation on an S5100-SI/EI Series Switch
Architecture of 802.1x Authentication
As shown in Figure 1-1, 802.1x adopts a client/server architecture with three entities: a
supplicant system, an authenticator system, and an authentication server system.