Network Working Group
Request for Comments: 2618
Category: Standards Track
B. Aboba
G. Zorn
Microsoft
June 1999

RADIUS Authentication Client MIB

Status of this Memo

This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

Copyright © The Internet Society (1999). All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

This memo defines a set of extensions which instrument RADIUS authentication client functions. These extensions represent a portion of the Management Information Base (MIB) for use with network management protocols in the Internet community. Using these extensions IP-based management stations can manage RADIUS authentication clients.

1. Introduction

This memo defines a portion of the Management Information Base (MIB) for use with network management protocols in the Internet community. In particular, it describes managed objects used for managing RADIUS authentication clients.

Today a wide range of network devices, including routers and NASes, act as RADIUS authentication clients in order to provide authentication and authorization services. As a result, the effective management of RADIUS authentication clients is of considerable importance.

2. The SNMP Management Framework

The SNMP Management Framework presently consists of five major components:

    o   An overall architecture, described in RFC 2571 [1].
    
    o   Mechanisms for describing and naming objects and events for the
        purpose of management. The first version of this Structure of
        Management Information (SMI) is called SMIv1 and described in
        STD 16, RFC 1155 [2], STD 16, RFC 1212 [3] and RFC 1215 [4].
        The second version, called SMIv2, is described in STD 58, RFC
        2578 [5], RFC 2579 [6] and RFC 2580 [7].
    
    o   Message protocols for transferring management information. The
        first version of the SNMP message protocol is called SNMPv1 and
        described in STD 15, RFC 1157 [8]. A second version of the
        SNMP message protocol, which is not an Internet standards
        track protocol, is called SNMPv2c and described in RFC 1901
        [9] and RFC 1906 [10].  The third version of the message
        protocol is called SNMPv3 and described in RFC 1906 [10], RFC
        2572 [11] and RFC 2574 [12].
    
    o   Protocol operations for accessing management information. The
        first set of protocol operations and associated PDU formats is
        described in STD 15, RFC 1157 [8]. A second set of protocol
        operations and associated PDU formats is described in RFC 1905
        [13].
    
    o   A set of fundamental applications described in RFC 2573 [14] and
        the view-based access control mechanism described in RFC 2575
        [15].

Managed objects are accessed via a virtual information store, termed the Management Information Base or MIB. Objects in the MIB are defined using the mechanisms defined in the SMI.

This memo specifies a MIB module that is compliant to the SMIv2. A MIB conforming to the SMIv1 can be produced through the appropriate translations. The resulting translated MIB must be semantically equivalent, except where objects or events are omitted because no translation is possible (use of Counter64). Some machine readable information in SMIv2 will be converted into textual descriptions in SMIv1 during the translation process. However, this loss of machine readable information is not considered to change the semantics of the MIB.

3. Overview

The RADIUS authentication protocol, described in [16], distinguishes between the client function and the server function. In RADIUS authentication, clients send Access-Requests, and servers reply with Access-Accepts, Access-Rejects, and Access-Challenges. Typically NAS devices implement the client function, and thus would be expected to implement the RADIUS authentication client MIB, while RADIUS authentication servers implement the server function, and thus would be expected to implement the RADIUS authentication server MIB.

However, it is possible for a RADIUS authentication entity to perform both client and server functions. For example, a RADIUS proxy may act as a server to one or more RADIUS authentication clients, while simultaneously acting as an authentication client to one or more authentication servers. In such situations, it is expected that RADIUS entities combining client and server functionality will support both the client and server MIBs.

3.1. Selected objects

This MIB module contains two scalars as well as a single table:

(1) the RADIUS Authentication Server Table contains one row for

each RADIUS authentication server that the client shares a secret with.

Each entry in the RADIUS Authentication Server Table includes fifteen columns presenting a view of the activity of the RADIUS authentication client.

4. Definitions

RADIUS-AUTH-CLIENT-MIB DEFINITIONS ::= BEGIN

IMPORTS

       MODULE-IDENTITY, OBJECT-TYPE, OBJECT-IDENTITY,
       Counter32, Integer32, Gauge32,
       IpAddress, TimeTicks, mib-2      FROM SNMPv2-SMI
       SnmpAdminString                  FROM SNMP-FRAMEWORK-MIB
       MODULE-COMPLIANCE, OBJECT-GROUP  FROM SNMPv2-CONF;

radiusAuthClientMIB MODULE-IDENTITY

       LAST-UPDATED "9906110000Z" -- 11 Jun 1999
       ORGANIZATION "IETF RADIUS Working Group."
       CONTACT-INFO
              " Bernard Aboba
                Microsoft
                One Microsoft Way
                Redmond, WA  98052
                US
       
                Phone: +1 425 936 6605
                EMail: bernarda@microsoft.com"
       DESCRIPTION
             "The MIB module for entities implementing the client
              side of the Remote Access Dialin User Service (RADIUS)
              authentication protocol."
       REVISION "9906110000Z"    -- 11 Jun 1999
       DESCRIPTION "Initial version as published in RFC 2618"
       ::= { radiusAuthentication 2 }

radiusMIB OBJECT-IDENTITY

       STATUS  current
       DESCRIPTION
             "The OID assigned to RADIUS MIB work by the IANA."
        ::= { mib-2 67 }

radiusAuthentication OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= {radiusMIB 1}

radiusAuthClientMIBObjects OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::=

{ radiusAuthClientMIB 1 }

radiusAuthClient OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { radiusAuthClientMIBObjects 1 }

radiusAuthClientInvalidServerAddresses OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX Counter32
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The number of RADIUS Access-Response packets
             received from unknown addresses."
      ::= { radiusAuthClient 1 }

radiusAuthClientIdentifier OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX SnmpAdminString
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
             "The NAS-Identifier of the RADIUS authentication client.
              This is not necessarily the same as sysName in MIB II."
      ::= { radiusAuthClient 2 }

radiusAuthServerTable OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX     SEQUENCE OF RadiusAuthServerEntry
      MAX-ACCESS not-accessible
      
      STATUS     current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The (conceptual) table listing the RADIUS authentication
             servers with which the client shares a secret."
      ::= { radiusAuthClient 3 }

radiusAuthServerEntry OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX     RadiusAuthServerEntry
      MAX-ACCESS not-accessible
      STATUS     current
      DESCRIPTION
            "An entry (conceptual row) representing a RADIUS
             authentication server with which the client shares
             a secret."
      INDEX      { radiusAuthServerIndex }
      ::= { radiusAuthServerTable 1 }

RadiusAuthServerEntry ::= SEQUENCE {
      radiusAuthServerIndex                           Integer32,
      radiusAuthServerAddress                         IpAddress,
      radiusAuthClientServerPortNumber                Integer32,
      radiusAuthClientRoundTripTime                   TimeTicks,
      radiusAuthClientAccessRequests                  Counter32,
      radiusAuthClientAccessRetransmissions           Counter32,
      radiusAuthClientAccessAccepts                   Counter32,
      radiusAuthClientAccessRejects                   Counter32,
      radiusAuthClientAccessChallenges                Counter32,
      radiusAuthClientMalformedAccessResponses        Counter32,
      radiusAuthClientBadAuthenticators               Counter32,
      radiusAuthClientPendingRequests                   Gauge32,
      radiusAuthClientTimeouts                        Counter32,
      radiusAuthClientUnknownTypes                    Counter32,
      radiusAuthClientPacketsDropped                  Counter32
}

radiusAuthServerIndex OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX     Integer32 (1..2147483647)
      MAX-ACCESS not-accessible
      STATUS     current
      DESCRIPTION
             "A number uniquely identifying each RADIUS
             Authentication server with which this client
             communicates."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 1 }

radiusAuthServerAddress OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX     IpAddress
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS     current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The IP address of the RADIUS authentication server
             referred to in this table entry."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 2 }

radiusAuthClientServerPortNumber  OBJECT-TYPE
      SYNTAX Integer32 (0..65535)
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The UDP port the client is using to send requests to
             this server."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 3 }

radiusAuthClientRoundTripTime  OBJECT-TYPE
      SYNTAX TimeTicks
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The time interval (in hundredths of a second) between
             the most recent Access-Reply/Access-Challenge and the
             Access-Request that matched it from this RADIUS
             authentication server."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 4 }

-- Request/Response statistics
--
-- TotalIncomingPackets = Accepts + Rejects + Challenges + UnknownTypes
--
-- TotalIncomingPackets - MalformedResponses - BadAuthenticators -
-- UnknownTypes - PacketsDropped = Successfully received
--
-- AccessRequests + PendingRequests + ClientTimeouts =
-- Successfully Received
--
--

radiusAuthClientAccessRequests OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX Counter32
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The number of RADIUS Access-Request packets sent
             to this server. This does not include retransmissions."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 5 }

radiusAuthClientAccessRetransmissions OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX Counter32
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The number of RADIUS Access-Request packets
             retransmitted to this RADIUS authentication server."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 6 }

radiusAuthClientAccessAccepts OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX Counter32
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The number of RADIUS Access-Accept packets
             (valid or invalid) received from this server."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 7 }

radiusAuthClientAccessRejects OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX Counter32
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The number of RADIUS Access-Reject packets
             (valid or invalid) received from this server."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry  8 }

radiusAuthClientAccessChallenges OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX Counter32
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The number of RADIUS Access-Challenge packets
             (valid or invalid) received from this server."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 9 }

-- "Access-Response" includes an Access-Accept, Access-Challenge

-- or Access-Reject

radiusAuthClientMalformedAccessResponses OBJECT-TYPE

SYNTAX Counter32
MAX-ACCESS read-only
STATUS current
DESCRIPTION

"The number of malformed RADIUS Access-Response

packets received from this server.
Malformed packets include packets with
an invalid length. Bad authenticators or Signature attributes or unknown types are not

             included as malformed access responses."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 10 }

radiusAuthClientBadAuthenticators OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX Counter32
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The number of RADIUS Access-Response packets
             containing invalid authenticators or Signature
             attributes received from this server."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 11 }

radiusAuthClientPendingRequests OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX Gauge32
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The number of RADIUS Access-Request packets
             destined for this server that have not yet timed out
             or received a response. This variable is incremented
             when an Access-Request is sent and decremented due to
             receipt of an Acess-Accept, Access-Reject or
             Access-Challenge, a timeout or retransmission."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry 12 }

radiusAuthClientTimeouts OBJECT-TYPE

SYNTAX Counter32
MAX-ACCESS read-only
STATUS current
DESCRIPTION

            "The number of authentication timeouts to this server.
             After a timeout the client may retry to the same
             server, send to a different server, or
             give up. A retry to the same server is counted as a
             retransmit as well as a timeout. A send to a different
             server is counted as a Request as well as a timeout."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry  13 }

radiusAuthClientUnknownTypes OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX Counter32
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The number of RADIUS packets of unknown type which
             were received from this server on the authentication port."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry  14 }

radiusAuthClientPacketsDropped OBJECT-TYPE

      SYNTAX Counter32
      MAX-ACCESS read-only
      STATUS current
      DESCRIPTION
            "The number of RADIUS packets of which were
             received from this server on the authentication port
             and dropped for some other reason."
      ::= { radiusAuthServerEntry  15 }

-- conformance information

radiusAuthClientMIBConformance
             OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { radiusAuthClientMIB 2 }
radiusAuthClientMIBCompliances
             OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { radiusAuthClientMIBConformance 1 }
radiusAuthClientMIBGroups
             OBJECT IDENTIFIER ::= { radiusAuthClientMIBConformance 2 }

-- compliance statements

radiusAuthClientMIBCompliance MODULE-COMPLIANCE

     STATUS  current
     DESCRIPTION
           "The compliance statement for authentication clients
            implementing the RADIUS Authentication Client MIB."
     MODULE  -- this module
            MANDATORY-GROUPS { radiusAuthClientMIBGroup }
     
     ::= { radiusAuthClientMIBCompliances 1 }

-- units of conformance

radiusAuthClientMIBGroup OBJECT-GROUP

OBJECTS { radiusAuthClientIdentifier,

               radiusAuthClientInvalidServerAddresses,
               radiusAuthServerAddress,
               radiusAuthClientServerPortNumber,
               radiusAuthClientRoundTripTime,
               radiusAuthClientAccessRequests,
               radiusAuthClientAccessRetransmissions,
               radiusAuthClientAccessAccepts,
               radiusAuthClientAccessRejects,
               radiusAuthClientAccessChallenges,
               radiusAuthClientMalformedAccessResponses,
               radiusAuthClientBadAuthenticators,
               radiusAuthClientPendingRequests,
               radiusAuthClientTimeouts,
               radiusAuthClientUnknownTypes,
               radiusAuthClientPacketsDropped
            }
     STATUS  current
     DESCRIPTION
           "The basic collection of objects providing management of
            RADIUS Authentication Clients."
     ::= { radiusAuthClientMIBGroups 1 }

END

5. References

   [1]  Harrington, D., Presuhn, R., and B. Wijnen, "An Architecture for
        Describing SNMP Management Frameworks", RFC 2571, April 1999.
   
   [2]  Rose, M., and K. McCloghrie, "Structure and Identification of
        Management Information for TCP/IP-based Internets", STD 16, RFC
        1155, May 1990.
   
   [3]  Rose, M., and K. McCloghrie, "Concise MIB Definitions", STD 16,
        RFC 1212, March 1991.
   
   [4]  Rose, M., "A Convention for Defining Traps for use with the
        SNMP", RFC 1215, Performance Systems International, March 1991.
   
   [5]  McCloghrie, K., Perkins, D., Schoenwaelder, J., Case, J., Rose,
        M. and S. Waldbusser, "Structure of Management Information
        Version 2 (SMIv2)", STD 58, RFC 2578, April 1999.
   
   [6]  McCloghrie, K., Perkins, D., Schoenwaelder, J., Case, J., Rose,
        M. and S. Waldbusser, "Textual Conventions for SMIv2", STD 58,
        RFC 2579, April 1999.
   
   [7]  McCloghrie, K., Perkins, D., Schoenwaelder, J., Case, J., Rose,
        M. and S. Waldbusser, "Conformance Statements for SMIv2", STD
        58, RFC 2580, April 1999.
   
   [8]  Case, J., Fedor, M., Schoffstall, M., and J. Davin, "Simple
        Network Management Protocol", STD 15, RFC 1157, May 1990.
   
   [9]  Case, J., McCloghrie, K., Rose, M., and S. Waldbusser,
        "Introduction to Community-based SNMPv2", RFC 1901, January
        1996.
   
   [10] Case, J., McCloghrie, K., Rose, M., and S. Waldbusser,
        "Transport Mappings for Version 2 of the Simple Network
        Management Protocol (SNMPv2)", RFC 1906, January 1996.
   
   [11] Case, J., Harrington D., Presuhn R., and B. Wijnen, "Message
        Processing and Dispatching for the Simple Network Management
        Protocol (SNMP)", RFC 2572, April 1999.
   
   [12] Blumenthal, U., and B. Wijnen, "User-based Security Model for
        Version 3 of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMPv3)",
        RFC 2574, April 1999.
   
   [13] Case, J., McCloghrie, K., Rose, M., and S. Waldbusser, "Protocol
        Operations for Version 2 of the Simple Network Management
        Protocol (SNMPv2)", RFC 1905, January 1996.
   
   [14] Levi, D., Meyer, P., and B. Stewart, "SNMP Applications", RFC
        2573, April 1999.
   
   [15] Wijnen, B., Presuhn, R., and K. McCloghrie, "View-based Access
        Control Model for the Simple Network Management Protocol
        (SNMP)", RFC 2575, April 1999.
   
   [16] Rigney, C., Rubens, A., Simpson W. and S. Willens, "Remote
        Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS)", RFC 2138, April
        1997.

6. Security Considerations

There are no management objects defined in this MIB that have a MAX- ACCESS clause of read-write and/or read-create. So, if this MIB is implemented correctly, then there is no risk that an intruder can alter or create any management objects of this MIB via direct SNMP SET operations.

There are a number of managed objects in this MIB that may contain sensitive information. These are:

radiusAuthServerAddress

This can be used to determine the address of the RADIUS authentication server with which the client is communicating. This information could be useful in mounting an attack on the authentication server.

radiusAuthClientServerPortNumber This can be used to determine the

port number on which the RADIUS authentication client is sending. This information could be useful in impersonating the client in order to send data to the authentication server.

It is thus important to control even GET access to these objects and possibly to even encrypt the values of these object when sending them over the network via SNMP. Not all versions of SNMP provide features for such a secure environment.

SNMPv1 by itself is not a secure environment. Even if the network itself is secure (for example by using IPSec), there is no control as to who on the secure network is allowed to access and GET/SET (read/change/create/delete) the objects in this MIB.

It is recommended that the implementers consider the security features as provided by the SNMPv3 framework. Specifically, the use of the User-based Security Model RFC 2574 [12] and the View-based Access Control Model RFC 2575 [15] is recommended. Using these security features, customer/users can give access to the objects only to those principals (users) that have legitimate rights to GET or SET (change/create/delete) them.

7. Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the contributions of the RADIUS Working Group in the development of this MIB. Thanks to Narendra Gidwani of Microsoft, Allan C. Rubens of MERIT, Carl Rigney of Livingston and Peter Heitman of American Internet Corporation for useful discussions of this problem space.

8. Authors' Addresses

Bernard Aboba
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Wy
Redmond, WA 98052

   Phone: 425-936-6605
   EMail: bernarda@microsoft.com

Glen Zorn
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052

   Phone: 425-703-1559
   EMail: glennz@microsoft.com

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