Introduction Wired networks still carry most enterprise East/West traffic, printers, IP phones, scanners, and user PCs. Cisco TrustSec replaces sprawling IP/VLAN ACLs with Security Group Tags (SGTs) and role-based enforcement. With ISE assigning SGTs at the port during 802.1X/MAB, your Catalyst switches can tag traffic […]
Introduction Scalable Group Tags (SGTs) are the foundation of Cisco TrustSec—labels that identify “who” a packet belongs to, decoupled from IP or VLAN. The Scalable Group Tag eXchange Protocol (SXP) is the control-plane that ships IP↔SGT bindings from where they’re learned (typically access edges) to […]
![[Day 40] Cisco ISE Mastery Training: End-to-End Wired Authentication Lab Validation](https://networkjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Day-40-Cisco-ISE-Mastery-Training-End-to-End-Wired-Authentication-Lab-Validation.png)
Introduction In Cisco ISE deployments, lab validation is not just a “nice to have” — it’s the only way to confirm that your authentication policies work exactly as intended before you deploy them in production.End-to-end wired authentication lab validation means verifying every step of the […]
Introduction In modern enterprise environments, a single Ethernet port often serves two devices simultaneously: Multi-Domain Authentication (MDA) enables these two devices to authenticate independently using 802.1X or MAB, ensuring role-based access control while maintaining proper VLAN segmentation. Without MDA, your security posture weakens — either […]
![[Day 23] Cisco ISE Mastery Training: Guest VLAN & Critical VLAN Configuration](https://networkjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Day-23-Cisco-ISE-Mastery-Training-Guest-VLAN-Critical-VLAN-Configuration.png)
Introduction In enterprise networks, wired access security using 802.1X or MAB can occasionally fail due to endpoint configuration issues, missing certificates, or network downtime. When authentication fails, what happens to the user or device? Without proper handling, devices may be completely cut off from the […]
![[Day 22] Cisco ISE Mastery Training: MAB (MAC Authentication Bypass) Configuration](https://networkjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Day-22-Cisco-ISE-Mastery-Training-MAB-MAC-Authentication-Bypass-Configuration.png)
Introduction MAC Authentication Bypass (MAB) lets network devices authenticate endpoints by their MAC address when 802.1X fails or isn’t possible (non-802.1X devices such as printers, IP phones, cameras, unmanaged endpoints). In Cisco ISE deployments, MAB is commonly used as a fallback to 802.1X or as […]
Introduction In enterprise networks, controlling who gets access to the wired LAN is as important as controlling wireless access. Cisco ISE provides multiple authentication methods — 802.1X, MAC Authentication Bypass (MAB), and WebAuth — to ensure every device is authenticated, whether it supports 802.1X or […]
![[Day 16] Cisco ISE Mastery Training: Understanding 802.1X Authentication Flow](https://networkjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Day-16-–-Cisco-ISE-Mastery-Training-Understanding-802.1X-Authentication-Flow.png)
Introduction 802.1X is the foundation of secure wired and wireless network access control in enterprise networks.With Cisco ISE, 802.1X authentication ensures that only authorized devices and users can connect to the corporate network — reducing the risk of data breaches and preventing rogue devices from […]
![[Day 14] Cisco ISE Mastery Training: Setting Up a Test Switch for Authentication](https://networkjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Day-14-Cisco-ISE-Mastery-Training-Setting-Up-a-Test-Switch-for-Authentication.png)
Introduction In Cisco ISE deployments, a Test Switch is your lab’s workhorse. Before rolling NAC (802.1X/MAB) into production, you need a safe environment to test authentication policies, VLAN assignments, and posture checks.This session walks you through configuring a switch from scratch to talk to ISE, […]
