ClearPass Policy Manager (CPPM) requires network device entries for the devices that communicate with it using RADIUS or TACACS+ protocols. In this scenario, the gateways are the devices that act as RADIUS clients and send authentication requests to CPPM for the WLAN users. Therefore, CPPM needs to have network device entries for the gateways’ actual IP addresses and the shared secrets that match the ones configured on the gateways.

Additionally, CPPM also requires network device entries for the gateways’ dynamic authorization VRRP addresses, which are used for sending CoA messages to the gateways. CoA messages are used to change the attributes or status of a user session on the gateways without requiring re-authentication. For example, CPPM can use CoA to apply policies, roles, or bandwidth limits based on various conditions. To enable VRRP IP addresses for dynamic authorization, you need to set up gateway clusters manually and assign a VRRP VLAN and a VRRP IP address to each cluster. This way, CPPM can use the VRRP IP address as the NAS IP address for RADIUS communications and CoA messages. The VRRP IP address will remain the same even if the active gateway in the cluster changes due to a failover event, ensuring seamless operations.