802.1X Authentication

With 802.1X protocol authentication, it is the user’s identity, which is being verified, not the hardware s/he uses. Therefore you do not register your computer, you must configure it instead. And you have to have a username and a password through which you will identify yourself.

Basic idea of 802.1X is that the computer entering network (when it is turned on or when entering the wireless network cell) is merely allowed to exchange authentication information. Any further communication is blocked. A specialized program, called supplicant, must work on a client computer. It will ensure the exchange of username and password (it will either ask for it or has it saved in its configuration). The computer is unblocked after successful authentication and is able of normal further communication.

Configuration

802.1X configuration method naturally depend on the operation system you use. We describe configuration of the protocol for Ethernet here, the description of wireless network settings can be found in Wi-Fi section. Guides are available for following operating systems:

• 802.1X for Windows 7
• 802.1X for Linux