Dell C1048P Port Extender Networking Configuration Guide for the C9000 Series - Page 100

When multiple end users are connected to a single authenticator port, single-host mode authentication does not authenticate all end users, and all but one are denied access to the network. For these cases, the Dell Networking OS supports multi-host mode authentication. Figure 9. Multi-Host Authentication Mode When you configure multi-host mode authentication, the first client to respond to an identity request is authenticated and subsequent responses are still ignored. However, because the authenticator expects the possibility of multiple responses, no system log is generated. After the first supplicant is authenticated, all end users connected to the authorized port are allowed to access the network. If the authorized port becomes unauthorized due to re-authentication failure or the supplicant sends an EAPOL logoff frame, all connected end users are denied access to the network. If you change the host mode on a port that is already authenticated: • From single-host to multi-host - All devices connected to the port that were previously blocked may access the network; the supplicant does not re-authenticate. • From multi-host to single-host - The port restarts the authentication process. The first end user to respond is authenticated and allowed access. Configuring Multi-Host Authentication To enable multi-host authentication on a port, enter the dot1x host-mode multi-host command in Interface mode. To return to the default single-host authentication mode, enter the no dot1x host-mode command. To verify the currently configured authentication mode, enter the show dot1x interface command. Dell(conf-if-te-2/1)# dot1x host-mode multi-host Dell(conf-if-te-2/1)# do show dot1x interface tengigabitethernet 2/1 802.1X 100