95 MAC A UTHENTICATIONCONFIGURATIONWhen configuring MAC authentication, go to these sections for information youare interested in:■ “MAC Authentication Overview” on page 1803■ “Related Concepts” on page 1804■ “Configuring MAC Authentication” on page 1804■ “Displaying and Maintaining MAC Authentication” on page 1806■ “MAC Authentication Configuration Examples” on page 1806MAC AuthenticationOverviewn MAC authentication is not supported on the fixed layer 2 interface of FIC-4FSW,DFIC-9FSW and MSR 20 Series Products.MAC authentication provides a way of authenticating users based on ports andMAC addresses. Once detecting a new MAC address, it initiates theauthentication process. MAC authentication requires neither client software to beinstalled on the hosts, nor any username or password to be provided duringauthentication.Currently, the device supports two MAC authentication modes: RemoteAuthentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) based MAC authentication and localMAC authentication. For detailed information about RADIUS authentication andlocal authentication, refer to “Specifying the RADIUSAuthentication/Authorization Servers” on page 1770.MAC authentication supports two types of usernames:■ MAC address, where the MAC address of a user serves as both the usernameand password.■ Fixed username, where all users use the same preconfigured username andpassword for authentication, regardless of the MAC addresses.RADIUS-Based MACAuthenticationIn RADIUS-based MAC authentication, the device serves as a RADIUS client andrequires a RADIUS server to cooperate with it.■ If the type of username is MAC address, the device forwards a detected MACaddress as the username and password to the RADIUS server for authenticationof the user.
