Logo

Authentication Sources

Authentication sources define how users and devices are authenticated. See Configuration for a discussion of authentication source usage during configuration.

The general format and usage of the lists on this page is discussed in General GUI Usage.

Four categories of authentication sources are available:

New authentication sources can be defined by selecting new internal source icon, new external source icon, mew exclusive source icon, or new billing source icon drop-down button. Each source has a unique dialog for its type of authentication.

Most of the authentication sources have associated Authentication Rules. Authentication rules dictate the actions to be performed when the authentication is satisfied.

Several of the authentication sources have associated Administration Rules. Administration rules are similar to Authentication Rules, except these rules apply role-based access to A3 management functions.

External Authentication Sources

External authentication sources use credentials not controlled by the A3 owner. An overview of social media authentication is available at Authentication Methods.

The typical end-user experience with all external authentication sources is:

  1. Join the network, either through a wired or wireless connection.
  2. Access A3's Captive Web Portal.
  3. Select an authentication type.
  4. Enter credentials.
  5. Agree to an Acceptable Use Policy.

The sources that are available are shown below.

Email User receives an email with a link to follow to complete registration.
Null Authentication without identification.
SMS User receives a PIN on their cell phone, which they then fill into a CWP.
Sponsor User fills in identification for himself and a company sponsor. Sponsor receives an email to approve access.
Clickatell Authenticate using Clickatell login credentials.
Facebook Authenticate using Facebook login credentials.
Github Authenticate using Github login credentials.
Google Authenticate using Google login credentials.
Instagram Authenticate using Instagram login credentials.
Kickbox Authenticate using Kickbox login credentials.
LinkedIn Authenticate using LinkedIn login credentials.
OpenID Authenticate using OpenID login credentials.
Pinterest Authenticate using Pinterest login credentials.
Twilio Authenticate using Twilio login credentials.
Twitter Authenticate using Twitter login credentials.
WindowsLive Authenticate using WindowsLive login credentials.

Internal Authentication Sources

Internal authentication sources are sources for which the organization deploying A3 has control. Only internal authentication sources can be used for 802.1x/EAP authentication. The sources that are available are:

Active Directory Active Directory.
Authorization No authentication lookup is required.
EAP-TLS Extensible Access Protocol - Transport Layer Security.
Htpasswd A flat file used to store user names and passwords for basic authentication on an Apache HTTP server.
HTTP Authentication using an HTTP API.
Kerberos A secure authentication mechanism based on tickets.
LDAP LDAP accessed directory.
Password of the Day Rotating password.
RADIUS RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) that implement authentication, authorization, and accounting.
SAML SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is an open standard based on XML for exchanging authentication and authorization data. It was designed to support single sign-on for web browsers.

Exclusive Authentication Sources

Exclusive authentication sources are sources that don't fit into other categories. The sources that are available are:

AdminProxy An authentication mechanism used in Microsoft systems for administrator single sign-on.
Blackhole Causes authenticated traffic to be dropped, that is sent into a black hole.
Eduroam A federated global wireless network access service for research and education.

Billing Authentication Sources

Billing authentication sources provide authentication following successful payment. The sources that are available are:

AuthorizeNet Payments made through authorize.net.
Mirapay Payments made through MiraPay.
Paypal Payments made through Paypal.
Stripe Payments made through Stripe.

Copyright © 2021 Extreme Networks. All rights reserved. Published April 2021.