Network Access Control NAC It's something that controls access to the network. And at its simplest level, this is what NAC does. But if that's all that it was, then it wouldn't be fundamentally different from a network authentication and authorization server. Traditional authentication to the network follows the IEEE 802.1X standard that provided an authentication method to devices wishing to join a Local Area Network (LAN) or wireless LAN. 802.1X Wireless/Wired Authentication The mechanism was a port-based network access control which used agents, the software running on client devices that provide credentials to the authenticator to control access to the network. Another means to control access to a public network such as one serving a coffee shop or in a hotel, is a captive portal. If you've ever connected to a network in an airport, hotel, or coffee shop, you might recall interacting with a web page, sometimes agreeing t...
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