Linux Networking Cookbook

4.9. Configuring Your Wireless Access Point to Use FreeRADIUS

Problem

OK, setting up FreeRADIUS was fun, now what do you do to make your WAP use it?

Solution

Your nice Pyramid Linux-based WAP needs but a few lines in /etc/hostapd.conf. In this example, the IP address of the FreeRADIUS server is 192.168.1.250:

	##/etc/hostapd.conf
	interface=ath0
	bridge=br0
	driver=madwifi
	debug=0
	ssid=alrac-net
	ieee8021x=1
	auth_algs=0
	eap_server=0
	eapol_key_index_workaround=1

	own_ip_addr=192.168.1.50
	nas_identifier=pyramid.alrac.net
	auth_server_addr=192.168.1.250
	auth_server_port=1812
	auth_server_shared_secret=superstrongpassword

	wpa=1
	wpa_key_mgmt=WPA-EAP
	wpa_pairwise=TKIP
	wpa_group_rekey=300
	wpa_gmk_rekey=640

Edit /etc/network/interfaces so that hostapd starts when your LAN interface comes up. Add these lines to the end of your LAN interface stanza:

	pre-up hostapd -B /etc/hostapd.conf
	post-down killall hostapd

Restart networking:

	pyramid:~# /etc/init.d/networking restart

And you're almost there. See the next recipe for client configuration.

Discussion

All the different wireless access points are configured in different ways. The three things common to all of them are:

• FreeRADIUS Server IP Address

• FreeRADIUS Port: 1812 is the default

• FreeRADIUS Key: shared secret

Remember, you don't have to worry about keys and certificates on the access point. It's just a go-between.

See Also

• RADIUS, by Jonathan Hassell (O'Reilly) for a good in-depth tour of running a RADIUS server

• The FreeRADIUS Wiki: http://wiki.freeradius.org/ ...