1.3. OpenNAC Components

OpenNAC Enterprise solution is the next step in the evolution of data Network Access Control Solutions. OpenNAC is a simple but feature-rich and flexible solution to build and control enterprise Network Access, that combines existing OpenSource technologies with advanced features.

The first step to building a reliable, useful, and successful OpenNAC is to define a clear design. This design needs to be aligned with the expected NAC use cases, and it needs to describe which data center components are going to be part of the OpenNAC Infrastructure. This comprises:

  • All the infrastructure components such as Core, Sensor, Analytics, Agent, VPN Terminator, CMI, Third parties and Network devices

  • Planned sizing of PpenNAC (characteristics of the workload, numbers of users, types of authentication and so on)

  • Provisioning workflow, i.e., how end users are going to be isolated and using the NAC Solution.

To get the most out of an OpenNAC infrastructure, we recommend that you create a plan with the features, number of users, types of authentication, scalability, and high availability characteristics you want in your deployment. This Chapter provides information to plan an OpenNAC. With this information, you will be able to easily architect and size your deployment, as well as understand the technologies involved in the management and their relationship.

An example of a standard architecture with all the components:

../../_images/standard_architecture.png


Each use case requires a standard architecture that can scale depending on their needs. This means you might not need every component in your architecture.

Components by module / use case:

../../_images/components_by_usecase.png


Note

  • “✓” Mandatory

  • “•” Optional

  • “X” It is not part of the module