FreeRADIUS is the first RADIUS server to implement the functionality of virtual server / virtual hosts. Because of it being an open-source solution, it has been one of the leading RADIUS servers. FreeRADIUS has been a critical part of IT networks because of its ability to be configured independently for each of the server IP address, client IP address, home server pool, and inner TLS tunnels.
However, the problems associated with configuring and managing FreeRADIUS tries to undermine its usability and popularity in the field of security.
FreeRADIUS has a number of benefits and advantages that make it stand out from other types of RADIUS servers.
The modular design of FreeRADIUS makes it easier to understand and easier to add or remove modules. You can simply remove a module if you do not require the feature. Removing or adding modules does not affect the server performance or security. This modularity makes it suitable for use in large enterprise solutions as well as smaller systems.
FreeRADIUS is scalable and allows the extension from handling a few requests to thousands of requests by configuring a few important settings. Hence, FreeRADIUS offers better scalability and performance without having to buy extra product licenses.
FreeRADIUS allows IT admins to require users to sign into Wi-Fi® networks with their own unique set of credentials. IT admins can also place users in separate virtual local area networks VLANs with ease, thus improving security considerably.
Setting up and configuring the default parameters of FreeRADIUS has increasingly proven to be a difficult deal. There have been many complaints about complexities associated with getting minimal features to work, and issues with adding or removing modules in the absence of IT professionals. In other words, in the absence of an IT professional with adequate skills, the usage, and configuration of FreeRADIUS can prove to be a cumbersome tool.
Locking down the Wi-Fi® network to make users access it using their own set of credentials is a huge benefit of FreeRADIUS which comes at a cost. Integrating Wi-Fi® access points with FreeRADIUS and integrating it in turn with an identity provider has proven to be a cumbersome deal that IT professionals have consistently been dealing with.
Laptops and end devices that are used to authenticate with FreeRADIUS need to have the correct RADIUS protocols in place in order to be usable. They need to be configured properly to ensure that the entire setup works well. Additionally, if the configuration goes wrong, there is an added risk of failure and potential downtime.
Integrating the usage of the FreeRADIUS with third-parity solutions and applications like Office365 and Google, and enabling SSO throughout the entire system stack has also proven to be a headache for IT administrators.
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