What are the roles of 802.1X authenticators and authentication servers?

In the 802.1X network access control model, the roles of the authenticator and the authentication

server are distinct yet complementary. The authenticator acts as a RADIUS client, which is a network

device, like a switch or wireless access point, that directly interfaces with the client machine

(supplicant). The authentication server, typically a RADIUS server, is responsible for verifying the

credentials provided by the supplicant through the authenticator. This setup helps in separating the

duties where the authenticator enforces authentication but does not decide on the validity of the

credentials, which is the role of the authentication server.

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IEEE 802.1X standard for network access control.