Setting Up a RADIUS Server on Linux

When logging into a router's setup page, you might notice the option for configuring a RADIUS server. If you’ve been curious about it but never tried, now’s the time!

Step 1: Update APT Cache

Open your terminal and run the following commands:

sudo bash
apt-get update

Then, install FreeRADIUS:

apt-get install freeradius -y

Step 2: Configure FreeRADIUS Clients

Edit the clients.conf file by executing:

sudo nano /etc/freeradius/clients.conf

Add a New Client

Insert the following configuration to accept clients from all IPs:

client  0.0.0.0/0 {
  secret          = {RADIUS shared key}
  shortname       = any
}

Info: This configuration allows clients from any IP.

Step 3: Configure Users

Edit the users file:

sudo nano /etc/freeradius/users

Add a New User to the File

Add the following line:

testuser Cleartext-password :="password"

Step 4: Restart the Service

Restart the FreeRADIUS service to apply the changes:

service freeradius restart

Additional Information

For more details, refer to FreeRADIUS Getting Started Guide.

That’s it! Now you'll need to configure the RADIUS server on your router. If you use it regularly, consider allocating a static IP to the device running the RADIUS server. Remember, the FreeRADIUS server runs on port 1812.

With these steps, you can now connect to your router using the username and password you've set.