Facilitating heterogeneous authentication for allowing network access

摘要

A method comprises an operation for facilitating authentication of a client device attempting to connect to a port of a network element. Facilitating authentication includes determining whether the client device is configured for being authenticated using a first authentication mechanism and, in response to determining that the client device is not configured for being authenticated using the first authentication mechanism, determining whether the client device is configured for being authenticated using at least one other authentication mechanism. For each one of the authentication mechanisms, an operation is provided for providing the client device with network connectivity dependent upon a respective first classification policy structure in response to the client device being successfully authenticated and an operation is provided for providing the client device with network connectivity dependent upon a respective second classification policy structure different that the first classification policy structure in response to the client device failing to be successfully authenticated.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
maintaining a respective first classification policy structure and a respective second classification policy structure different than the first classification policy structure for each authentication mechanism supported by a network element; facilitating authentication of a client device attempting to connect to a port of the network element using a particular authentication mechanism, wherein said facilitating includes determining whether the client device is configured for being authenticated using a first authentication mechanism and, in response to determining that the client device is not configured for being authenticated using the first authentication mechanism by the client device failing the first authentication mechanism, determining whether the client device is configured for being authenticated using at least one other authentication mechanism to arrive at the particular authentication mechanism; providing the client device with network connectivity dependent upon the respective first classification policy structure of the particular authentication mechanism in response to the client device being successfully authenticated; and providing the client device with network connectivity dependent upon the respective second classification policy structure of the particular authentication mechanism in response to the client device failing to be successfully authenticated.