Patent ID: 7370346

Claim:
A method for a switch to respond to a new unauthenticated client, the method comprising: detecting the new unauthenticated client at a port of the switch; temporarily assigning the port to be an untagged member of a virtual local area network (VLAN) which is configured for unauthorized clients; providing initialization services to the new unauthenticated client via the unauthorized-client VLAN; authenticating the new client by way of an authentication session using the unauthorized-client VLAN; if the new client is authenticated then dropping the untagged membership of the port in the unauthorized-client VLAN and assigning the port to be an untagged member of a specified VLAN, wherein prioritization for assigning the specified VLAN membership comprises a first priority that is a VLAN membership which has been assigned to the port by an authentication server during the authentication session, a second priority that is membership in an authorized-client VLAN specified in the port's configuration, and a third priority that is a static untagged VLAN membership specified in the port's configuration.