Dell PowerConnect 7048P User Manual - Page 506

What is IEEE 802.1X? The IEEE 802.1X standard provides a means of preventing unauthorized access by supplicants (clients) to the services the switch offers, such as access to the LAN. The 802.1X network has three components: • Supplicant - The client connected to the authenticated port that requests access to the network. • Authenticator - The network device that prevents network access prior to authentication. • Authentication Server - The network server (such as a RADIUS server) that performs the authentication on behalf of the authenticator, and indicates whether the user is authorized to access system services. Figure 19-1 shows the 802.1X network components. Figure 19-1. IEEE 802.1X Network Supplicant Authenticator ` Authentication Server LAN As shown in Figure 19-1, the PowerConnect 7000 Series switch is the authenticator and enforces the supplicant (a PC) that is attached to an 802.1X-controlled port to be authenticated by an authentication server (a RADIUS server). The result of the authentication process determines whether the supplicant is authorized to access services on that controlled port. 506 Configuring 802.1X and Port-Based Security