User detection by DHCP
You can associate users with MAC addresses and hostnames detected by the built-in DHCP server.
How it works
When a client sends a DHCP request, NxFilter's built-in DHCP server captures the client's MAC address and hostname.
You can associate this information with a specific user through the admin GUI. Once associated, the user will be consistently
recognized based on their MAC address or hostname, even if their IP address changes.
This enables agentless user identification and policy enforcement in dynamic IP environments.
How to associate
First, make sure the DHCP server is running and User Authentication is enabled under System > Setup.
Then go to the user edit page and add the MAC address or hostname you want to associate with that user.
From this point on, the user will be identified by the mapped MAC address or hostname, regardless of their current IP address.
You can find detected MAC address and hostname pairs in your network in the Logging > DHCP Log menu.
Authentication precedence
NxFilter supports multiple authentication methods simultaneously, including IP association, IP range association,
and single sign-on with Active Directory.
To avoid conflicts between these methods, NxFilter applies a defined order of precedence.
When MAC or hostname association is added for a user, it takes the highest priority and is evaluated first.
This is followed by Single IP Association, then IP Session, and finally IP Range Association.
For more details, see the Authentication Precedence section.