Arch Linux

bachtiar

Member

Registered: 2005-02-08

Posts: 66

Run 802.1x authenticator on wired interface

Is it possible to run a Linux-based 802.1x authenticator on a wired ethernet port? Basically, I'm trying to protect physical network access to a server. The server has only one client, connected via 1Gbps crossover cable, so there is no switch involved.

I've found countless examples where Linux acts as supplicant, and the hardware switch acts as authenticator, but this would be exactly the opposite.

So my question is, is this possible? And if it is, how? Or perhaps there is some better way to secure a crossover cable connection between two machines on network level that is transparent to applications, and possibly also prevents eavesdropping and MITM attacks? Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

Leonid.I

Member

From: Aethyr

Registered: 2009-03-22

Posts: 999

Re: Run 802.1x authenticator on wired interface

Is it possible to run a Linux-based 802.1x authenticator on a wired ethernet port? Basically, I'm trying to protect physical network access to a server. The server has only one client, connected via 1Gbps crossover cable, so there is no switch involved.

I've found countless examples where Linux acts as supplicant, and the hardware switch acts as authenticator, but this would be exactly the opposite.

So my question is, is this possible? And if it is, how? Or perhaps there is some better way to secure a crossover cable connection between two machines on network level that is transparent to applications, and possibly also prevents eavesdropping and MITM attacks? Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

Sure

pacman -S hostapd

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