Allied Telesis AT-9000 Series - Manual (Page 897)

AT-9000 Switch Command Line User’s Guide
869
Operating Modes for Authenticator Ports
Authenticator ports have three modes:
 Single host mode
 Multi host mode
 Multi supplicant mode
Single Host Mode
An authenticator port set to the single host mode permits only one
supplicant to log on and forwards only the traffic of that supplicant. After
one supplicant has logged on, the port discards packets from any other
supplicant.
In Figure 153, port 6 is an authenticator port set to the single host mode. It
permits only one supplicant to log on and forwards the traffic of just that
supplicant.
Figure 153. Single Host Mode
Multi Host Mode
This mode permits multiple clients on an authenticator port. An
authenticator mode forwards packets from all clients once one client has
successfully logged on. This mode is typically used in situations where you
want to add 802.1x port-based network access control to a switch port that
is supporting multiple clients, but do not want to create individual accounts
for all the clients on the RADIUS server.
This is referred to as “piggy-backing.” After one client has successfully
logged on, the port permits the other clients to piggy-back onto the initial
client’s log on, so that they can forward packets through the port without
authentication.
RADIUS
Authentication
Server
Authenticated Client
Port 6
Role: Authenticator
Operating Mode: Single
Host Mode