connect

This clause defines the connection parameters for the RADIUS backend server, specifying how Radiator establishes a connection to a server that is specified with specific parameters. These parameters include the transport protocol, either the IP address or the hostname, and the port number. This clause is not mandatory. It is used when RADIUS messages need to be forwarded to another RADIUS server. This is common in roaming scenarios, where authentication requests from local users are handled locally, while requests from roaming partners are forwarded to a remote RADIUS server.

Example configuration of a connect clause:

connect {
    # transport protocol: udp/tcp/tls
    protocol udp;

    # server's IP address
    ip 203.0.113.111;

    # alternatively server's hostname
    #hostname radius1.example.org;

    # destination UDP port
    port 1812;

    # Optional source address and port
    #local-ip 192.0.2.10;
    #local-port 38120;

    # Optional: receive and send buffer size in bytes
    #buffer 1048576;

    # Optional deadlines for hostname resolution and TCP establishment
    #dns-timeout 5s;
    #connection-timeout 5s;

    # Optional TCP keepalive settings for TCP and TLS connections
    #keepalive {
    #    idle 60s;
    #    interval 10s;
    #    count 3;
    #}
} # connect

local-ip selects the source IP address. It must use the same address family as the selected destination.

local-port selects a fixed source port. A server with local-port must set connections { max 1; }. Without these parameters, the operating system selects the source address and port.

buffer sets the requested receive and send socket buffer size in bytes. Radiator requests 1048576 bytes (one MiB) for each buffer by default. The operating system can cap the effective size.

dns-timeout limits hostname resolution. connection-timeout limits TCP connection establishment. Each defaults to 5s. For RADIUS/TLS, configure the separate handshake-timeout inside the tls block.

keepalive configures operating system TCP keepalive probes for outbound TCP and TLS connections. Radiator applies the settings after the TCP connection is established and before a TLS handshake starts. UDP connections reject this block.