IEEE 802.1X - Roles

With 802.1X port-based authentication, the devices in the network have specific roles:

• Client (Supplicant) - This is a device running 802.1X-compliant client software, which is available for wired or wireless devices
• Switch (Authenticator) –The switch acts as an intermediary between the client and the authentication server. It requests identifying information from the client, verifies that information with the authentication server, and relays a response to the client. Another device that could act as authenticator is a wireless access point
• Authentication server –The server validates the identity of the client and notifies the switch or wireless access point that the client is or is not authorized to access the LAN and switch services