Managing Web Authentication

Obtaining a Web Authentication Certificate

Information About Web Authentication Certificates

The operating system of the controller automatically generates a fully functional web authentication certificate, so you do not need to do anything in order to use certificates with Layer 3 web authentication. However, if desired, you can prompt the operating system to generate a new web authentication certificate, or you can download an externally generated SSL certificate.

Starting with 7.0.250.0 and 7.3.101.0 releases (but not in 7.2.x release), SHA2 certificates are supported.


Note
The WEB UI home page may not load when ip http access class command is enabled. When you encounter this issue, we recommend that you do the following:

  1. Run the show iosd liin command.

  2. Get the internet-address and configure the same ip as permit in the access-list.


Note

For WEB UI access using TACACS+ server, custom method-list for authentication and authorization pointing to the TACACS+ server group does not work. You should use the default authorization method-list pointing to the same TACACS+ server group for the WEB UI to work.

Support for Chained Certificate

Cisco WLC allows the device certificate to be downloaded as a chained certificate (up to a level of 2) for web authentication. Wildcard certificates are also supported. For more information about chained certificates, see the Generate CSR for Third-Party Certificates and Download Chained Certificates to the WLC document at http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless/4400-series-wireless-lan-controllers/109597-csr-chained-certificates-wlc-00.html.


Note

While installing certificate for web authentication for Release 7.6, certificate load fails due to Missing Root CA cert error. Please download a chained certificate that includes intermediate Certificate Authority (CA) & root CA and install it on the Cisco WLC.

Obtaining a Web Authentication Certificate (GUI)

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Security > Web Auth > Certificate to open the Web Authentication Certificate page.

This page shows the details of the current web authentication certificate.
Step 2

If you want to use a new operating system-generated web authentication certificate, follow these steps:

  1. Click Regenerate Certificate. The operating system generates a new web authentication certificate, and a successfully generated web authentication certificate message appears.

  2. Reboot the controller to register the new certificate.
Step 3

If you prefer to use an externally generated web authentication certificate, follow these steps:

  1. Verify that the controller can ping the TFTP server.

  2. Select the Download SSL Certificate check box.

  3. In the Server IP Address text box, enter the IP address of the TFTP server.

    The default values of 10 retries and 6 seconds for the Maximum Retries and Timeout text boxes should work correctly without any adjustment. However, you can change these values.

  4. Enter the maximum number of times that each download can be attempted in the Maximum Retries text box and the amount of time (in seconds) allowed for each download in the Timeout text box.

  5. In the Certificate File Path text box, enter the directory path of the certificate.

  6. In the Certificate File Name text box, enter the name of the certificate (certname.pem).

  7. In the Certificate Password text box, enter the password for the certificate.

  8. Click Apply to commit your changes. The operating system downloads the new certificate from the TFTP server.

  9. Reboot the controller to register the new certificate.

Obtaining a Web Authentication Certificate (CLI)

Procedure

Step 1

See the current web authentication certificate by entering this command:

show certificate summary

Information similar to the following appears:


Web Administration Certificate................... Locally Generated
Web Authentication Certificate................... Locally Generated
Certificate compatibility mode:............... off

Step 2

If you want the operating system to generate a new web authentication certificate, follow these steps:

  1. To generate the new certificate, enter this command:

    config certificate generate webauth

  2. To reboot the controller to register the new certificate, enter this command:

    reset system

Step 3

If you prefer to use an externally generated web authentication certificate, follow these steps:

Note 

We recommend that the Common Name (CN) of the externally generated web authentication certificate be 1.1.1.1 (or the equivalent virtual interface IP address) in order for the client’s browser to match the domains of the web authentication URL and the web authentication certificate.

  1. Specify the name, path, and type of certificate to be downloaded by entering these commands:

    transfer download mode tftp

    transfer download datatype webauthcert

    transfer download serverip server_ip_address

    transfer download path server_path_to_file

    transfer download filename certname .pem

    transfer download certpassword password

    transfer download tftpMaxRetries retries

    transfer download tftpPktTimeout timeout

    Note 

    The default values of 10 retries and a 6-second timeout should work correctly without any adjustment. However, you can change these values. To do so, enter the maximum number of times that each download can be attempted for the retries parameter and the amount of time (in seconds) allowed for each download for the timeout parameter.

  2. Start the download process by entering this command:

    transfer download start

  3. Reboot the controller to register the new certificate by entering this command:

    reset system

Web Authentication Process

Web authentication is a Layer 3 security feature that causes the controller to not allow IP traffic (except DHCP-related packets) from a particular client until that client has correctly supplied a valid username and password. When you use web authentication to authenticate clients, you must define a username and password for each client. When the clients attempt to join the wireless LAN, their users must enter the username and password when prompted by a login page.

Note

If a client uses more than 20 DNS resolved addresses, the controller overwrites the 21st address in the first address space in the Mobile Station Control Block (MSCB) table, but the first address is still retained in the client. If the client again tries to use the first address, it will not be reachable because the controller does not have this address in the list of allowed addresses for the client's MSCB table.


Note
One-Time Passwords (OTP) are not supported on web authentication.
When a client is associated with 802.1X + WebAuth Security and when the client roams, the 802.1X username is updated in the client information.

Note

Web Authentication does not work with IPv6 URL when WLAN is LS however IPv4 with LS and IPv6 with CS works.. The re-directed web-auth page is not displayed when IPv6 URL is typed in the browser and WLAN is in Local Switching.

Disabling Security Alert for Web Authentication Process

When web authentication is enabled (under Layer 3 Security), users might receive a web-browser security alert the first time that they attempt to access a URL.
Figure 1. Typical Web-Browser Security Alert

Note

When clients connect to a WebAuth SSID with preauthorization ACL configured to allow VPN users, the clients will get disconnected from the SSID every few minutes. Webauth SSIDs must not connect without authenticating on the web page.

After the user clicks Yes to proceed (or if the client’s browser does not display a security alert), the web authentication system redirects the client to a login page.

Procedure

Step 1

Click View Certificate on the Security Alert page.

Step 2

Click Install Certificate.

Step 3

When the Certificate Import Wizard appears, click Next.

Step 4

Choose Place all certificates in the following store and click Browse.

Step 5

Expand the Trusted Root Certification Authorities folder and choose Local Computer.

Step 6

Click OK.

Step 7

Click Next > Finish.

Step 8

When the “The import was successful” message appears, click OK.

Because the issuer text box is blank on the controller self-signed certificate, open Internet Explorer, choose Tools > Internet Options > Advanced, unselect the Warn about Invalid Site Certificates check box under Security, and click OK.

Step 9

Reboot the PC. On the next web authentication attempt, the login page appears.

Figure 2. Default Web Authentication Login Page. The following figure shows the default web authentication login page.

The default login page contains a Cisco logo and Cisco-specific text. You can choose to have the web authentication system display one of the following:

  • The default login page

  • A modified version of the default login page

  • A customized login page that you configure on an external web server

  • A customized login page that you download to the controller

The Choosing the Default Web Authentication Login Page section provides instructions for choosing how the web authentication login page appears.

When the user enters a valid username and password on the web authentication login page and clicks Submit, the web authentication system displays a successful login page and redirects the authenticated client to the requested URL.

Figure 3. Successful Login Page

The default successful login page contains a pointer to a virtual gateway address URL in the https://<IP address>/logout.html format. The IP address that you set for the controller virtual interface serves as the redirect address for the login page

Choosing the Default Web Authentication Login Page

Default Web Authentication Login Page

If you are using a custom web-auth bundle that is served by the internal controller web server, the page should not contain more than 5 elements (including HTML, CSS, and Images). This is because the internal controller web server implements a DoS protection mechanism that limits each client to open a maximum of 5 (five) concurrent TCP connections depending on the load. Some browsers may try to open more than 5 TCP sessions at the same time if the page contains more elements and this may result in the page loading slowly depending on how the browser handles the DoS protection.

If you do not want users to connect to a web page using a browser that is configured with SSLv2 only, you can disable SSLv2 for web authentication by entering the config network secureweb cipher-option sslv2 disable command . If you enter this command, users must use a browser that is configured to use a more secure protocol such as SSLv3 or later releases. The default value is disabled.


Note

Cisco TAC is not responsible for creating a custom webauth bundle.

If you have a complex custom web authentication module, it is recommended that you use an external web-auth config on the controller, where the full login page is hosted at an external web server.

This section contains the following subsections:

Choosing the Default Web Authentication Login Page (GUI)

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Security > Web Auth > Web Login Page to open the Web Login page.

Step 2

From the Web Authentication Type drop-down list, choose Internal (Default).

Step 3

If you want to use the default web authentication login page as is, go to Step 8. If you want to modify the default login page, go to Step 4.

Step 4

If you want to hide the Cisco logo that appears in the top right corner of the default page, choose the Cisco Logo Hide option. Otherwise, click the Show option.

Step 5

If you want the user to be directed to a particular URL (such as the URL for your company) after login, enter the desired URL in the Redirect URL After Login text box. You can enter up to 254 characters.

Step 6

If you want to create your own headline on the login page, enter the desired text in the Headline text box. You can enter up to 127 characters. The default headline is “Welcome to the Cisco wireless network.”

Step 7

If you want to create your own message on the login page, enter the desired text in the Message text box. You can enter up to 2047 characters. The default message is “Cisco is pleased to provide the Wireless LAN infrastructure for your network. Please login and put your air space to work.”

Step 8

Click Apply to commit your changes.

Step 9

Click Preview to view the web authentication login page.

Step 10

If you are satisfied with the content and appearance of the login page, click Save Configuration to save your changes. Otherwise, repeat any of the previous steps as necessary to achieve your desired results.

Choosing the Default Web Authentication Login Page (CLI)

Procedure

Step 1

Specify the default web authentication type by entering this command:

config custom-web webauth_type internal

Step 2

If you want to use the default web authentication login page as is, go to Step 7. If you want to modify the default login page, go to Step 3.

Step 3

To show or hide the Cisco logo that appears in the top right corner of the default login page, enter this command:

config custom-web weblogo {enable | disable}

Step 4

If you want the user to be directed to a particular URL (such as the URL for your company) after login, enter this command:

config custom-web redirecturl url

You can enter up to 130 characters for the URL. To change the redirect back to the default setting, enter the clear redirecturl command.

Step 5

If you want to create your own headline on the login page, enter this command:

config custom-web webtitle title

You can enter up to 130 characters. The default headline is “Welcome to the Cisco wireless network.” To reset the headline to the default setting, enter the clear webtitle command.

Step 6

If you want to create your own message on the login page, enter this command:

config custom-web webmessage message

You can enter up to 130 characters. The default message is “Cisco is pleased to provide the Wireless LAN infrastructure for your network. Please login and put your air space to work.” To reset the message to the default setting, enter the clear webmessage command.

Step 7

To enable or disable the web authentication logout popup window, enter this command:

config custom-web logout-popup {enable | disable}

Step 8

Enter the save config command to save your settings.

Step 9

Import your own logo into the web authentication login page as follows:

  1. Make sure that you have a Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server available for the file download. Follow these guidelines when setting up a TFTP server:

    • If you are downloading through the service port, the TFTP server must be on the same subnet as the service port because the service port is not routable, or you must create static routes on the controller.

    • If you are downloading through the distribution system network port, the TFTP server can be on the same or a different subnet because the distribution system port is routable.

    • A third-party TFTP server cannot run on the same computer as the Cisco Prime Infrastructure because the Prime Infrastructure built-in TFTP server and the third-party TFTP server require the same communication port.

  2. Ensure that the controller can contact the TFTP server by entering this command:

    ping ip-address

  3. Copy the logo file (in .jpg, .gif, or .png format) to the default directory on your TFTP server. The maximum file size is 30 kilobits. For an optimal fit, the logo should be approximately 180 pixels wide and 360 pixels high.

  4. Specify the download mode by entering this command:

    transfer download mode tftp

  5. Specify the type of file to be downloaded by entering this command:

    transfer download datatype image

  6. Specify the IP address of the TFTP server by entering this command:

    transfer download serverip tftp-server-ip-address

    Note 

    Some TFTP servers require only a forward slash (/) as the TFTP server IP address, and the TFTP server automatically determines the path to the correct directory.

  7. Specify the download path by entering this command:

    transfer download path absolute-tftp-server-path-to-file

  8. Specify the file to be downloaded by entering this command:

    transfer download filename {filename.jpg | filename.gif | filename.png}

  9. View your updated settings and answer y to the prompt to confirm the current download settings and start the download by entering this command:

    transfer download start

  10. Save your settings by entering this command:

    save config

    Note 

    If you ever want to remove this logo from the web authentication login page, enter the clear webimage command.

Step 10

Follow the instructions in the Verifying the Web Authentication Login Page Settings (CLI) section to verify your settings.

Example: Creating a Customized Web Authentication Login Page

This section provides information on creating a customized web authentication login page, which can then be accessed from an external web server.

Here is a web authentication login page template. It can be used as a model when creating your own customized page:


Note

We recommend that you follow the Cisco guidelines to create a customized web authentication login page. If you have upgraded to the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browsers, ensure that your webauth bundle has the following line in the login.html file:

<body onload="loadAction();">

For more information about this issue, see CSCvj17640. 


<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Pragma" content="no-cache">
<meta HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<title>Web Authentication</title>
<script>

function submitAction(){
	var link = document.location.href;
	var searchString = "redirect=";
	var equalIndex = link.indexOf(searchString);
	var redirectUrl = "";
	
	if (document.forms[0].action == "") {
		var url = window.location.href;
		var args = new Object();
		var query = location.search.substring(1);
		var pairs = query.split("&");
		for(var i=0;i<pairs.length;i++){
		var pos = pairs[i].indexOf('=');
			if(pos == -1) continue;
				var argname = pairs[i].substring(0,pos);
				var value = pairs[i].substring(pos+1);
				args[argname] = unescape(value);
		}
			document.forms[0].action = args.switch_url;
		}

      if(equalIndex >= 0) {
		equalIndex += searchString.length;
		redirectUrl = "";
		redirectUrl += link.substring(equalIndex);
		}
		if(redirectUrl.length > 255)
		redirectUrl = redirectUrl.substring(0,255);
		document.forms[0].redirect_url.value = redirectUrl;
		document.forms[0].buttonClicked.value = 4;
      		document.forms[0].submit();
}

	function loadAction(){
      var url = window.location.href;
      var args = new Object();
      var query = location.search.substring(1);
      var pairs = query.split("&");
      for(var i=0;i<pairs.length;i++){
          var pos = pairs[i].indexOf('=');
          if(pos == -1) continue;
          var argname = pairs[i].substring(0,pos);
          var value = pairs[i].substring(pos+1);
          args[argname] = unescape(value);
      }
//alert( "AP MAC Address is " + args.ap_mac);
      //alert( "The Switch URL to post user credentials is " + args.switch_url);
      document.forms[0].action = args.switch_url;

      // This is the status code returned from webauth login action
      // Any value of status code from 1 to 5 is error condition and user
      // should be shown error as below or modify the message as it suits
      // the customer
      if(args.statusCode == 1){
        alert("You are already logged in. No further action is required on your part.");
      }
      else if(args.statusCode == 2){
        alert("You are not configured to authenticate against web portal. No further action is required on your part.");
      }
      else if(args.statusCode == 3){
        alert("The username specified cannot be used at this time. Perhaps the username is already logged into the system?");
      }
      else if(args.statusCode == 4){
        alert("The User has been excluded. Please contact the administrator.");
      }
      else if(args.statusCode == 5){
        alert("Invalid username and password. Please try again.");
      }
	     else if(args.statusCode == 6){
								alert("Invalid email address format. Please try again.");
      }
}

</script>
</head>
<body topmargin="50" marginheight="50" onload="loadAction();">
<form method="post" action="https://209.165.200.225/login.html">
<input TYPE="hidden" NAME="buttonClicked" SIZE="16" MAXLENGTH="15" value="0">
<input TYPE="hidden" NAME="redirect_url" SIZE="255" MAXLENGTH="255" VALUE="">
<input TYPE="hidden" NAME="err_flag" SIZE="16" MAXLENGTH="15" value="0">

<div align="center">
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr> <td>&nbsp;</td></tr>

<tr align="center"> <td colspan="2"><font size="10" color="#336699">Web Authentication</font></td></tr>

<tr align="center">

<td colspan="2"> User Name &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<input type="TEXT" name="username" SIZE="25" MAXLENGTH="63" VALUE="">
</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center" >
<td colspan="2"> Password &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<input type="Password" name="password" SIZE="25" MAXLENGTH="24">
</td>
</tr>

<tr align="center">
<td colspan="2"><input type="button" name="Submit" value="Submit" class="button" onclick="submitAction();">
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>

</form>
</body>
</html>


These parameters are added to the URL when the user’s Internet browser is redirected to the customized login page:

  • ap_mac —The MAC address of the access point to which the wireless user is associated.

  • switch_url —The URL of the controller to which the user credentials should be posted.

  • redirect —The URL to which the user is redirected after authentication is successful.

  • statusCode —The status code returned from the controller’s web authentication server.

  • wlan —The WLAN SSID to which the wireless user is associated.

The available status codes are as follows:

  • Status Code 1: “You are already logged in. No further action is required on your part.”

  • Status Code 2: “You are not configured to authenticate against web portal. No further action is required on your part.”

  • Status Code 3: “The username specified cannot be used at this time. Perhaps the username is already logged into the system?”

  • Status Code 4: “You have been excluded.”

  • Status Code 5: “The User Name and Password combination you have entered is invalid. Please try again.”


    Note

    For additional information, see the External Web Authentication with Wireless LAN Controllers Configuration Example at http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless-mobility/wlan-security/71881-ext-web-auth-wlc.html.

Example: Modified Default Web Authentication Login Page Example

Figure 4. Modified Default Web Authentication Login Page Example. This figure shows an example of a modified default web authentication login page.

These CLI commands were used to create this login page:

  • config custom-web weblogo disable

  • config custom-web webtitle Welcome to the AcompanyBC Wireless LAN!

  • config custom-web webmessage Contact the System Administrator for a Username and Password.

  • transfer download start

  • config custom-web redirecturl url

Using a Customized Web Authentication Login Page from an External Web Server

Information About Customized Web Authentication Login Page

You can customize the web authentication login page to redirect to an external web server. When you enable this feature, the user is directed to your customized login page on the external web server.

You must configure a preauthentication access control list (ACL) on the WLAN for the external web server and then choose this ACL as the WLAN preauthentication ACL under Layer 3 Security > Web Policy on the WLANs > Edit page.

Choosing a Customized Web Authentication Login Page from an External Web Server (GUI)

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Security > Web Auth > Web Login Page to open the Web Login page.

Step 2

From the Web Authentication Type drop-down list, choose External (Redirect to external server).

Step 3

In the Redirect URL after login text box, enter the URL that you want the user to be redirected after a login.

For example, you may enter your company's URL here and the users will be directed to that URL after login. The maximum length is 254 characters. By default, the user is redirected to the URL that was entered in the user's browser before the login page was served. of the customized web authentication login page on your web server. You can enter up to 252 characters.

Step 4

In the External Webauth URL text box, enter the URL that is to be used for external web authentication.
Step 5

Click Apply.

Step 6

Click Save Configuration.

Choosing a Customized Web Authentication Login Page from an External Web Server (CLI)

Procedure

Step 1

Specify the web authentication type by entering this command:

config custom-web webauth_type external

Step 2

Specify the URL of the customized web authentication login page on your web server by entering this command:

config custom-web ext-webauth-url url

You can enter up to 252 characters for the URL.
Step 3

Specify the IP address of your web server by entering this command:

config custom-web ext-webserver {add | delete} server_IP_address

Step 4

Enter the save config command to save your settings.

Step 5

Follow the instructions in the Verifying the Web Authentication Login Page Settings (CLI) section to verify your settings.

Downloading a Customized Web Authentication Login Page

You can compress the page and image files used for displaying a web authentication login page into a.tar file for download to a controller. These files are known as the webauth bundle. The maximum allowed size of the files in their uncompressed state is 1 MB. When the .tar file is downloaded from a local TFTP server, it enters the controller’s file system as an untarred file.

You can download a login page example from Cisco Prime Infrastructure and use it as a starting point for your customized login page. For more information, see the Cisco Prime Infrastructure documentation.


Note

If you load a webauth bundle with a .tar compression application that is not GNU compliant, the controller cannot extract the files in the bundle and the following error messages appear: “Extracting error” and “TFTP transfer failed.” Therefore, we recommend that you use an application that complies with GNU standards, such as PicoZip, to compress the .tar file for the webauth bundle.


Note

Configuration backups do not include extra files or components, such as the webauth bundle or external licenses, that you download and store on your controller, so you should manually save external backup copies of those files or components.


Note

If the customized webauth bundle has more than 3 separated elements, we advise you to use an external server to prevent page load issues that may be caused because of TCP rate-limiting policy on the controller.

Prerequisites for Downloading a Customized Web Authentication Login Page

  • Name the login page login.html. The controller prepares the web authentication URL based on this name. If the server does not find this file after the webauth bundle has been untarred, the bundle is discarded, and an error message appears.

  • Include input text boxes for both a username and password.

  • Retain the redirect URL as a hidden input item after extracting from the original URL.

  • Extract and set the action URL in the page from the original URL.

  • Include scripts to decode the return status code.

  • Make sure that all paths used in the main page (to refer to images, for example).

  • Ensure that no filenames within the bundle are greater than 30 characters.

Downloading a Customized Web Authentication Login Page (GUI)

Procedure

Step 1

Copy the .tar file containing your login page to the default directory on your server.
Step 2

Choose Commands > Download File to open the Download File to Controller page.

Step 3

From the File Type drop-down list, choose Webauth Bundle.

Step 4

From the Transfer Mode drop-down list, choose from the following options:

  • TFTP
  • FTP
  • SFTP (available in the 7.4 and later releases)
Step 5

In the IP Address text box, enter the IP address of the server.

Step 6

If you are using a TFTP server, enter the maximum number of times the controller should attempt to download the .tar file in the Maximum Retries text box.

The range is 1 to 254.

The default is 10.
Step 7

If you are using a TFTP server, enter the amount of time in seconds before the controller times out while attempting to download the *.tar file in the Timeout text box.

The range is 1 to 254 seconds.

The default is 6 seconds.
Step 8

In the File Path text box, enter the path of the .tar file to be downloaded. The default value is “/.”

Step 9

In the File Name text box, enter the name of the .tar file to be downloaded.

Step 10

If you are using an FTP server, follow these steps:

  1. In the Server Login Username text box, enter the username to log into the FTP server.

  2. In the Server Login Password text box, enter the password to log into the FTP server.

  3. In the Server Port Number text box, enter the port number on the FTP server through which the download occurs. The default value is 21.

Step 11

Click Download to download the .tar file to the controller.

Step 12

Choose Security > Web Auth > Web Login Page to open the Web Login page.

Step 13

From the Web Authentication Type drop-down list, choose Customized (Downloaded).

Step 14

Click Apply.

Step 15

Click Preview to view your customized web authentication login page.

Step 16

If you are satisfied with the content and appearance of the login page, click Save Configuration.

Downloading a Customized Web Authentication Login Page (CLI)

Procedure

Step 1

Copy the .tar file containing your login page to the default directory on your server.

Step 2

Specify the download mode by entering this command:

transfer download mode {tftp | ftp | sftp}

Step 3

Specify the type of file to be downloaded by entering this command:

transfer download datatype webauthbundle

Step 4

Specify the IP address of the TFTP server by entering this command:

transfer download serverip tftp-server-ip-address.

Note 

Some TFTP servers require only a forward slash (/) as the TFTP server IP address, and the TFTP server automatically determines the path to the correct directory.

Step 5

Specify the download path by entering this command:

transfer download path absolute-tftp-server-path-to-file

Step 6

Specify the file to be downloaded by entering this command:

transfer download filename filename.tar

Step 7

View your updated settings and answer y to the prompt to confirm the current download settings and start the download by entering this command:

transfer download start

Step 8

Specify the web authentication type by entering this command:

config custom-web webauth_type customized

Step 9

Enter the save config command to save your settings.

Example: Customized Web Authentication Login Page

Figure 5. Customized Web Authentication Login Page Example. This figure shows an example of a customized web authentication login page.

Verifying the Web Authentication Login Page Settings (CLI)

Verify your changes to the web authentication login page by entering this command:

show custom-web

Assigning Login, Login Failure, and Logout Pages per WLAN

Assigning Login, Login Failure, and Logout Pages per WLAN

You can display different web authentication login, login failure, and logout pages to users per WLAN. This feature enables user-specific web authentication pages to be displayed for a variety of network users, such as guest users or employees within different departments of an organization.

Different login pages are available for all web authentication types (internal, external, and customized). However, different login failure and logout pages can be specified only when you choose customized as the web authentication type.

This section contains the following subsections:

Assigning Login, Login Failure, and Logout Pages per WLAN (GUI)

Procedure

Step 1

Choose WLANs to open the WLANs page.

Step 2

Click the ID number of the WLAN to which you want to assign a web login, login failure, or logout page.
Step 3

Choose Security > Layer 3.

Step 4

Make sure that Web Policy and Authentication are selected.

Step 5

To override the global authentication configuration web authentication pages, select the Override Global Config check box.

Step 6

When the Web Auth Type drop-down list appears, choose one of the following options to define the web authentication pages for wireless guest users:

  • Internal—Displays the default web login page for the controller. This is the default value.

  • Customized—Displays custom web login, login failure, and logout pages. If you choose this option, three separate drop-down lists appear for login, login failure, and logout page selection. You do not need to define a customized page for all three options. Choose None from the appropriate drop-down list if you do not want to display a customized page for that option.

    Note 

    These optional login, login failure, and logout pages are downloaded to the controller as webauth.tar files.

  • External—Redirects users to an external server for authentication. If you choose this option, you must also enter the URL of the external server in the URL text box.

    You can choose specific RADIUS or LDAP servers to provide external authentication on the WLANs > Edit (Security > AAA Servers) page. Additionally, you can define the priority in which the servers provide authentication.

Step 7

If you chose External as the web authentication type in Step 6, choose AAA Servers and choose up to three RADIUS and LDAP servers using the drop-down lists.

Note 

The RADIUS and LDAP external servers must already be configured in order to be selectable options on the WLANs > Edit (Security > AAA Servers) page. You can configure these servers on the RADIUS Authentication Servers page and LDAP Servers page.

Step 8

Establish the priority in which the servers are contacted to perform web authentication as follows:

Note 

The default order is local, RADIUS, LDAP.

  1. Highlight the server type (local, RADIUS, or LDAP) that you want to be contacted first in the box next to the Up and Down buttons.

  2. Click Up and Down until the desired server type is at the top of the box.

  3. Click the < arrow to move the server type to the priority box on the left.

  4. Repeat these steps to assign priority to the other servers.
Step 9

Click Apply to commit your changes.

Step 10

Click Save Configuration to save your changes.

Assigning Login, Login Failure, and Logout Pages per WLAN (CLI)

Procedure

Step 1

Determine the ID number of the WLAN to which you want to assign a web login, login failure, or logout page by entering this command:

show wlan summary

Step 2

If you want wireless guest users to log into a customized web login, login failure, or logout page, enter these commands to specify the filename of the web authentication page and the WLAN for which it should display:

  • config wlan custom-web login-page page_name wlan_id—Defines a customized login page for a given WLAN.

  • config wlan custom-web loginfailure-page page_name wlan_id—Defines a customized login failure page for a given WLAN.

    Note 

    To use the controller’s default login failure page, enter the config wlan custom-web loginfailure-page none wlan_id command.

  • config wlan custom-web logout-page page_name wlan_id—Defines a customized logout page for a given WLAN.

    Note 

    To use the controller’s default logout page, enter the config wlan custom-web logout-page none wlan_id command.

Step 3

Redirect wireless guess users to an external server before accessing the web login page by entering this command to specify the URL of the external server:

config wlan custom-web ext-webauth-url ext_web_url wlan_id

Step 4

Define the order in which web authentication servers are contacted by entering this command:

config wlan security web-auth server-precedence wlan_id {local | ldap | radius} {local | ldap | radius} {local | ldap | radius}

The default order of server web authentication is local, RADIUS and LDAP.

Note 

All external servers must be preconfigured on the controller. You can configure them on the RADIUS Authentication Servers page and the LDAP Servers page.

Step 5

Define which web authentication page displays for a wireless guest user by entering this command:

config wlan custom-web webauth-type {internal | customized | external} wlan_id

where

  • internal displays the default web login page for the controller. This is the default value.

  • customized displays the custom web login page that was configured in Step 2.

    Note 

    You do not need to define the web authentication type in Step 5 for the login failure and logout pages as they are always customized.

  • external redirects users to the URL that was configured in Step 3.

Step 6

Use a WLAN-specific custom web configuration rather than a global custom web configuration by entering this command:

config wlan custom-web global disable wlan_id

Note 

If you enter the config wlan custom-web global enable wlan_id command, the custom web authentication configuration at the global level is used.

Step 7

Save your changes by entering this command:

save config

Configuring Authentication for Sleeping Clients

Authentication of Sleeping Clients

Clients with guest access that have had successful web authentication are allowed to sleep and wake up without having to go through another authentication process through the login page. You can configure the duration for which the sleeping clients are to be remembered for before reauthentication becomes necessary. The valid range is 10 minutes to 43200 minutes, with the default being 720 minutes. You can configure the duration on a WLAN and on a user group policy that is mapped to the WLAN. The sleeping timer becomes effective after the idle timeout. If the client timeout is lesser than the time configured on the sleeping timer of the WLAN, then the lifetime of the client is used as the sleeping time.


Note
The sleeping timer expires every 5 minutes.

This feature is supported in the following FlexConnect scenario: local switching and central authentication.


Caution

If the MAC address of a client that goes to sleep mode is spoofed, the fake device such as a laptop can be authenticated.

Following are some guidelines in a mobility scenario:

  • L2 roaming in the same subnet is supported.

  • Anchor sleeping timer is applicable.

  • The sleeping client information is shared between multiple autoanchors when a sleeping client moves from one anchor to another.

Supported Mobility Scenarios

A sleeping client does not require reauthentication in the following scenarios:

  • Suppose there are two controllers in a mobility group. A client that is associated with one controller goes to sleep and then wakes up and gets associated with the other controller.

  • Suppose there are three controllers in a mobility group. A client that is associated with the second controller that is anchored to the first controller goes to sleep, wakes up, and gets associated with the third controller.

  • A client sleeps, wakes up and gets associated with the same or different export foreign controller that is anchored to the export anchor.

This section contains the following subsections:

Restrictions for Authenticating Sleeping Clients

  • The sleep client feature works only for WLAN configured with WebAuth security. Web passthrough is supported on Release 8.0 and later.

  • You can configure the sleeping clients only on a per-WLAN basis.

  • The authentication of sleeping clients feature is not supported with Layer 2 security and web authentication enabled.

  • The authentication of sleeping clients feature is supported only on WLANs that have Layer 3 security enabled.

  • With Layer 3 security, the Authentication, Passthrough, and On MAC Filter failure web policies are supported. The Conditional Web Redirect and Splash Page Web Redirect web policies are not supported.

  • The central web authentication of sleeping clients is not supported.

  • The authentication of sleeping clients feature is not supported on guest LANs and remote LANs.

  • A guest access sleeping client that has a local user policy is not supported. In this case, the WLAN-specific timer is applied.

  • In a High Availability scenario, the client entry is synchronized between active and standby, but the sleeping timer is not synchronized. If the active controller fails, the client has to get reauthenticated when it associates with the standby controller.

  • The number of sleeping clients that are supported depends on the controller platform:

    • Cisco 2504 Wireless Controller—500

    • Cisco 5508 Wireless Controller—1000

    • Cisco 5520 Wireless Controller—25000

    • Cisco Flex 7510 Wireless Controller—25000 with Release 7.6 and later; 9000 in earlier releases

    • Cisco 8510 Wireless Controller—25000 with Release 7.6 and later; 9000 in earlier releases

    • Cisco 8540 Wireless Controller—64000

    • Cisco WiSM2—1000

    • Cisco Virtual Wireless LAN Controller—500

    • Cisco Wireless Controller on Cisco Services-Ready Engine (SRE)—500

  • New mobility is not supported.

Configuring Authentication for Sleeping Clients (GUI)

Procedure

Step 1

Choose WLANs.

Step 2

Click the corresponding WLAN ID.

The WLANs > Edit page is displayed.

Step 3

Click the Security tab and then click the Layer 3 tab.

Step 4

Select the Sleeping Client check box to enable authentication for sleeping clients.

Step 5

Enter the Sleeping Client Timeout, which is the duration for which the sleeping clients are to be remembered before reauthentication becomes necessary.

The default timeout is 12 hours.
Step 6

Click Apply.

Step 7

Click Save Configuration.

Configuring Authentication for Sleeping Clients (CLI)

Procedure

  • Enable or disable authentication for sleeping clients on a WLAN by entering this command:

    config wlan custom-web sleep-client {enable | disable} wlan-id

  • Configure the sleeping client timeout on a WLAN by entering this command:

    config wlan custom-web sleep-client timeout wlan-id duration

  • View the sleeping client configuration on a WLAN by entering this command:

    show wlan wlan-id

  • Delete any unwanted sleeping client entries by entering this command:

    config custom-web sleep-client delete client-mac-addr

  • View a summary of all the sleeping client entries by entering this command:

    show custom-web sleep-client summary

  • View the details of a sleeping client entry based on the MAC address of the client by entering this command:

    show custom-web sleep-client detail client-mac-addr