In the main server settings Elektron supports remote administration so you can manage the server from other PCs, and server replication in case you want to set up a backup server.
Overall, Elektron is a solid, attractive, and user-friendly server. Though the Getting Started section in the documentation could be improved, generally it was informative and useful, and should be understandable by those less experienced with RADIUS. Elektron is a great option for small and midsize networks.
ClearBox Enterprise RADIUS Server
ClearBox Enterprise RADIUS Server from XPerience Technologies is a Windows-based RADIUS server that can serve the AAA needs of small businesses or even large networks with millions of users, according to the company. Like the Elektron RADIUS server, ClearBox is a GUI-based program. The company offers a 30-day free trial and then charges $599 for a single server license.
ClearBox can run on any Windows platform from Windows 2000 up to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It requires only a Pentium II or higher processor, 256MB or more of memory, and at least 16.6MB of free disk space for the full install.
ClearBox supports the following authentication methods: PEAP, EAP-TLS, PAP, CHAP, MS-CHAP, MS-CHAPv2, EAP-MS-CHAPv2, EAP-MD5, SIP and ARAP. ClearBox allows the use of concurrent data sources and supports: Internal database (configurable via the GUI called Users Manager), Windows accounts, Active Directory and other LDAP directories, SQL and other ODBC and OLE DB compliant data sources, and Remote RADIUS servers.
We tested using ClearBox Version 5.7, released in March, in Windows Server 2008 R2 on a VMware virtual machine. The installation was simple and took less than two minutes. It uses a typical Windows installer and only prompts you for three server-related settings: the mode (Normal or Debug), the Control Centre password and whether you want to enable wireless authentication.
After finishing the install, the ClearBox Manual is by default set to automatically appear. We found the documentation to be thorough, but quickly noticed some slight inconsistencies. For example, some button names mentioned differ from what is on the GUI and the instructions for testing the server after setup were incomplete. Nevertheless, we were able to quickly configure ClearBox for PEAP wireless authentication, including creating a server certificate via the Certificates Wizard.
We also tried out the Configuration Wizard that helps those less-experienced in RADIUS understand and set the basic settings: adding RADIUS Clients and selecting a user database. We found this wizard informative and easy-to-use.
