Patent ID: 8156551

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a network interface; a packet filter coupled to the network interface; an authentication module coupled to the packet filter; a timer module coupled to the authentication module; logic coupled to the authentication module which when executed causes: determining whether an authentication protocol is enabled on a particular port of the network interface; in response to determining that the authentication protocol is enabled on the particular port: the timer module starting a timer having a specified expiration time; wherein the specified expiration time is greater than or equal to a boot delay of the apparatus; receiving a packet on the particular port of the network interface; determining whether the timer has reached the specified expiration time; determining whether the packet is associated with the authentication protocol; in response to determining that the timer has not reached the specified expiration time and that the packet is not associated with the authentication protocol, the packet filter suppressing the packet without shutting down the particular port; in response to determining that the timer has not reached the specified expiration time and that the packet is associated with the authentication protocol, the timer module disabling the timer, transmitting one or more other packets of the authentication protocol until successfully authenticating the apparatus, and then the packet filter permitting transmission of all packets via the particular port; and in response to determining that the authentication protocol is not enabled on the particular port, the packet filter permitting transmission of all packets via the particular port.