Patent ID: 7657744

Claim:
A method comprising: monitoring a plurality of link authentication protocol exchanges initiated between a first network device and a second network device, wherein the first network device is an authenticator in a first one of the link authentication protocol exchanges and a supplicant in a second one of the link authentication protocol exchanges, wherein the first one of the link authentication protocol exchanges cannot complete unless the first network device has connectivity to an authentication server, wherein the link authentication protocol exchanges are extensible authentication protocol (EAP) exchanges, and wherein whether the first network device should be the authenticator or the supplicant is indeterminate, prior to initiation of the link authentication protocol exchanges; detecting whether the first network device has connectivity with the authentication server; and terminating one of the link authentication protocol exchanges prior to completion of the one of the link authentication protocol exchanges, wherein the terminating is performed in response to the detecting and wherein the monitoring, the detecting, and the terminating are performed by the first network device.