Im working on a project at my school district to implement RADIUS authentication. I have two Mac powerpc servers for use, which could run either OSX or some linux variant. We are planning on using a mysql backend. Our network has around 6k machines throughout the district, a few hundred on the wifi at any given time. so my questions are: 1. since mysql in OSX isn't kernel based from what i understand, would it make a big difference to use a linux based os (debian/unofficial powerpc port of ubuntu is my initial thought)? 2. Are both servers needed, and if so would it make sense to use mysql replication and just have two of the same? 3. Would it make sense to just point some Ap's at one RADIUS server and some at the other, or is there a better/easier way to load balance? thanks, Paul -- "If you are savvy and smart about the choices you make in life, The sky is not the limit!" Mark Shuttleworth Random quote of the week/month/whenever i get to updating it: " hate compasses i like can't use them. they don't stay straight, and i end up looking like an emo by the time i'm done, it stabs me so much" - Jasmine Lee
Paul Bartell wrote:
Im working on a project at my school district to implement RADIUS authentication. I have two Mac powerpc servers for use, which could run either OSX or some linux variant. We are planning on using a mysql backend. Our network has around 6k machines throughout the district, a few hundred on the wifi at any given time. so my questions are:
That is a very small number of systems. A 386 would probably be sufficient to handle the RADIUS traffic.
1. since mysql in OSX isn't kernel based from what i understand, would it make a big difference to use a linux based os (debian/unofficial powerpc port of ubuntu is my initial thought)?
Why does that matter?
2. Are both servers needed, and if so would it make sense to use mysql replication and just have two of the same?
Both servers would be needed only for fail-over, in case one died for some reason. If you just look at the RADIUS traffic, you could run one server, with MySQL on the same machine, and the machine would be 99% idle.
3. Would it make sense to just point some Ap's at one RADIUS server and some at the other, or is there a better/easier way to load balance?
If you use two machines, yes, that can be a good way to load balance. Alan DeKok.
just by the way. Im wondering what a big implementation would be. If 6000 machines is not a lot, then what is really? On Nov 24, 2007 11:41 PM, Alan DeKok <aland@deployingradius.com> wrote:
Paul Bartell wrote:
Im working on a project at my school district to implement RADIUS authentication. I have two Mac powerpc servers for use, which could run either OSX or some linux variant. We are planning on using a mysql backend. Our network has around 6k machines throughout the district, a few hundred on the wifi at any given time. so my questions are:
That is a very small number of systems. A 386 would probably be sufficient to handle the RADIUS traffic.
1. since mysql in OSX isn't kernel based from what i understand, would it make a big difference to use a linux based os (debian/unofficial powerpc port of ubuntu is my initial thought)?
Why does that matter?
2. Are both servers needed, and if so would it make sense to use mysql replication and just have two of the same?
Both servers would be needed only for fail-over, in case one died for some reason. If you just look at the RADIUS traffic, you could run one server, with MySQL on the same machine, and the machine would be 99% idle.
3. Would it make sense to just point some Ap's at one RADIUS server and some at the other, or is there a better/easier way to load balance?
If you use two machines, yes, that can be a good way to load balance.
Alan DeKok. - List info/subscribe/unsubscribe? See http://www.freeradius.org/list/users.html
-- "If you are savvy and smart about the choices you make in life, The sky is not the limit!" Mark Shuttleworth Random quote of the week/month/whenever i get to updating it: " hate compasses i like can't use them. they don't stay straight, and i end up looking like an emo by the time i'm done, it stabs me so much" - Jasmine Lee
Paul Bartell wrote:
just by the way. Im wondering what a big implementation would be. If 6000 machines is not a lot, then what is really?
It's a lot to manage from an IT perspective. From the point of view of a RADIUS server, 6000 accounts is a medium to small system. A big system is 15 million users. There are a number of sites that big using FreeRADIUS. Alan DeKok.
On 2007-11-25 08:41, Alan DeKok wrote:
Paul Bartell wrote:
Im working on a project at my school district to implement RADIUS authentication. I have two Mac powerpc servers for use, which could run either OSX or some linux variant. We are planning on using a mysql backend. Our network has around 6k machines throughout the district, a few hundred on the wifi at any given time. so my questions are:
That is a very small number of systems. A 386 would probably be sufficient to handle the RADIUS traffic.
As long those machines do not start at the same time and switches do not process periodically reauthentication (for example every 60s). ~100 req/s for a 386 may be too much. Best regards, Krzysztof Olędzki
participants (3)
-
Alan DeKok -
Krzysztof Olędzki -
Paul Bartell