Automatic authentication

By default, if Web Authentication is enabled, hosts must log in and enter authentication credentials in order to gain access to the network. If a re-authentication period is configured, the host will be asked to re-enter authentication credentials once the re-authentication period ends.

You can configure Web Authentication to authenticate a host when the user presses the Login button. When a host enters a valid URL address, Web Authentication checks the list of blocked MAC addresses. If the host's MAC address is not on the list and the number of allowable hosts has not been reached, after pressing the Login button, the host is automatically authenticated for the duration of the configured re-authentication period, if one is configured. Once the re-authentication period ends, the host is logged out and must enter the URL address again.

NOTE

Automatic authentication is not the same as permanent authentication. (Refer to Specifying hosts that are permanently authenticated ). You must still specify devices that are to be permanently authenticated even if automatic authentication is enabled.

To enable automatic authentication, enter the following commands.

device(config)# vlan 10
device(config-vlan-10)# webauth
device(config-vlan-10-webauth)# auth-mode none

If automatic authentication is enabled and a host address is not in the blocked MAC address list, Web Authentication authenticates the host and displays the Login page without user credentials, and then provides a hyperlink to the requested URL site.

To determine if automatic authentication is enabled on your device, use the show webauth vlan command at the VLAN configuration level.

Syslog messages are generated under the following conditions:

Automatic authentication is enabled.
Automatic authentication is disabled.
A MAC address is successfully authenticated.
Automatic authentication cannot occur because the maximum number of hosts allowed has been reached.

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Automatic authentication