Periodic 802.1X reauthentication

Periodic 802.1X reauthentication tracks the connection status of online users and updates the authorization attributes (such as ACL and VLAN) assigned by the server.

The device reauthenticates online 802.1X users at the periodic reauthentication interval when the periodic online user reauthentication feature is enabled. The interval is controlled by a timer and the timer is user configurable. A change to the periodic reauthentication timer applies to online users only after the old timer expires and the users pass authentication.

The server-assigned session timeout timer (Session-Timeout attribute) and termination action (Termination-Action attribute) together can affect the periodic online user reauthentication feature. To display the server-assigned Session-Timeout and Termination-Action attributes, use the display dot1x connection command (see Security Command Reference).

If no session timeout timer is assigned by the server, whether the device performs periodic 802.1X reauthentication depends on the periodic reauthentication configuration on the device. Support for the assignment of Session-Timeout and Termination-Action attributes depends on the server model.

With the RADIUS DAS feature enabled, the device immediately reauthenticates a user upon receiving a CoA message that carries the reauthentication attribute from a RADIUS authentication server. In this case, reauthentication will be performed regardless of whether 802.1X periodic reauthentication is enabled on the device. For more information about RADIUS DAS configuration, see "Configuring AAA."

By default, the device logs off online 802.1X users if no server is reachable for 802.1X reauthentication. The keep-online feature keeps authenticated 802.1X users online when no server is reachable for 802.1X reauthentication.

The VLANs assigned to an online user before and after reauthentication can be the same or different.