Configuring the authentication trigger function

The authentication trigger function enables the network access device to initiate 802.1X authentication when 802.1X clients cannot initiate authentication.

This function provides the following types of authentication trigger:

• Multicast trigger—Periodically multicasts Identity EAP-Request packets out of a port to detect 802.1X clients and trigger authentication.

• Unicast trigger—Enables the network device to initiate 802.1X authentication when it receives a data frame from an unknown source MAC address. The device sends a unicast Identity EAP/Request packet to the unknown source MAC address, and retransmits the packet if it has received no response within a period of time. This process continues until the maximum number of request attempts set with the dot1x retry command is reached (see "Setting the maximum number of authentication request attempts").

The identity request timeout timer sets both the identity request interval for the multicast trigger and the identity request timeout interval for the unicast trigger.