Authentication Servers
To provide a most basic definition, LDAP, RADIUS, Active Directory, and SAML authentication servers are a directory of user names and passwords for the purpose of logging into multiple systems or applications. This is sometimes referred to as "single sign-on". Authentication involves verifying the identity of a user, process, or device, often as a prerequisite to allowing access to resources in an information system. The authenticator is the means used to confirm the identity of a user, processor, or device, which is a different password mapping process for both LDAP and RADIUS to determine authenticity.
SIP has four authentication server types—LDAP, RADIUS, Active Directory, and SAML.
- Lightweight Access Directory Protocol (LDAP) is a cross-platform, open industry standard application protocol used by multiple vendors for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services over an Internet protocol (IP) network. You can set up LDAP with or without using secure sockets layer (SSL).
- Remote Access Dial In User Service (RADIUS) is a client-server protocol that runs in the application layer using UDP port 1812 as transport. Security Manager requires Name and IP to authenticate, but if a DNS is provided, the system will use DNS over IP.
- RADIUS Protocols—the following five RADIUS authentication protocols are supported for use with Security Manager—CHAP, EAPMD5, MSCHAPv1, MSCHAPv2, and PAP.
- Active Directory is a database-based system that provides authentication, directory, policy, and other services in a Windows environment. Active Directory makes it easier for administrators to manage and deploy network changes and policies to all devices connected to the domain. LDAP is one of the protocols you can use to communicate with an Active Directory.
- Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an XML-based open-standard data format for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, in particular, between an identity provider and a service provider.
Open the Authentication Servers Page
To open the Server Authentication page, on the toolbar, click Access > Authentication Servers.
Authentication Servers List
The following table defines the values in the Authentication Servers table.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The name given to the remote server. |
| Type | The type of authentication: Active Directory, LDAP, RADIUS, SAML |
| User Groups Mapped | The user group mapped to the server. |
| Server Retries | The number of times an attempt will be made to contact the remote server. |
| Server Timeout (seconds) | The amount of time (in seconds) to wait for a response from the remote server. |
| Status | The status of the remote server: Enabled or Disabled |
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Action menu with options for tasks to complete at the authentication server level. |