Roaming authentication overview – Allied Telesis AlliedWare Plus Operating System Version 5.4.4C (x310-26FT,x310-26FP,x310-50FT,x310-50FP) User Manual
Page 1120
Authentication Introduction and Configuration
Software Reference for x310 Series Switches
42.24
AlliedWare Plus
TM
Operating System - Version 5.4.4C
C613-50046-01 REV A
Figure 42-2: Diagram showing Roaming Authentication running with VCStack
Roaming Authentication Overview
Without the Roaming Authentication feature enabled, if a supplicant moves from one
switch port to another switch port, the supplicant’s authenticated status, authentication,
and assigned VLAN is deleted and the supplicant is re-authenticated so the supplicant can
access the network, and all traffic from the supplicant is dropped while the supplicant is
being re-authenticated.
With the Roaming Authentication feature enabled, a switch port inherits the status of a
supplicant from the switch port that the supplicant was moved from. If the Roaming
Authentication feature is enabled on a switch, then once a supplicant (client device) is
authenticated on the switch it does not have to be re-authenticated if it moves between
ports of that switch. Supplicant traffic is not dropped because there is no delay for re-
authentication, during which the supplicant cannot access the network.
For example, when the Roaming Authentication feature is used in an wireless LAN
environment with wireless access points, then the wireless clients can roam between
wireless access points connected to different switch ports without re-authentication.
The Roaming Authentication feature also supports VCStack operation and works on
defined static channel group (static aggregators) and dynamic channel group (LACP)
interfaces. When VCStack and Roaming Authentication features are used together, the
status of a supplicant is inherited from one aggregated interface to another aggregated
interface over the stack.
See the
auth roaming disconnected command on page 43.15
for further information about configuring Roaming
Authentication.