A group of security vendors is creating an open source 802.1x client. The goal being that customers won't have to rely on clients that depend on individual vendors.

The group, called Open Secure Edge Access (OpenSEA), plans to extend an existing 802.1x supplicant known as Xsupplicant. Xsupplicant will now support Windows XP; a GUI for configuration; and an API to enable further extensions.

802.1x is important to NAC because it can be used as a means to enforce NAC policies about the status of endpoints trying to access networks. The client 802.1x software responds to requests for identification, and based on its identity, is allowed access or not. Access is enforced by an 802.1x network device such as a switch.

When 802.1x is used in NAC, the identity check of the device trying to gain network access includes a scan of the device’s security posture. That is the pre-admission check of operating system patches, updated virus libraries and the like.

OpenSEA is important, according to the group’s founders, because the major commercially available 802.1x supplicants are owned by Cisco, Juniper and Microsoft, which makes it less likely that third-party NAC gear can enhance its functionality based on extending the supplicants. The third parties may not be able to get access to the proprietary 802.1x supplicant code to do so.

OpenSEA has six members, Extreme Networks, Identity Engines, Infoblox, Symantec, TippingPoint and Trapeze Networks. The group is soliciting more members.

The OpenSEA 802.1x supplicant is due out this fall, but expect products based on extensions of this supplicant late this summer.

Tim Greene is senior editor at Network World.