NEAP Hosts on EAP Enabled Ports

For an EAP-enabled port configured for NEAP host support, devices with MAC addresses getting authenticated are allowed access to the port.

The switch allows the following types of NEAP users:
  • NEAP hosts whose MAC addresses are authenticated by RADIUS.

Support for NEAP hosts on EAP-enabled ports is primarily intended to accommodate printers and other passive devices sharing a hub with EAP clients.

Support for NEAP hosts on EAP-enabled ports includes the following features:
  • Authenticated NEAP clients are hosts that satisfy one of the following criteria:
    • Host MAC address is authenticated by RADIUS.

  • NEAP hosts are allowed even if no authenticated EAP hosts exist on the port.

  • When a new host is seen on the port, NEAP authentication is performed as follows:
    • The switch generates a <username, password> pair, which it forwards to the network RADIUS server for authentication.