Catalyst 6500 Series Software Configuration Guide, 6.3 and 6.4
Configuring Switch Access Using AAA

Table Of Contents

Configuring Switch Access Using AAA

Understanding How Authentication Works

Authentication Overview

Understanding How Login Authentication Works

Understanding How Local Authentication Works

Understanding How TACACS+ Authentication Works

Understanding How RADIUS Authentication Works

Understanding How Kerberos Authentication Works

Using Kerberized Login Procedure

Using a Non-Kerberized Login Procedure

Understanding How 802.1x Authentication Works

Traffic Control

Authentication Server

802.1x Parameters Configurable on the Switch

Configuring Authentication

Authentication Default Configuration

Authentication Configuration Guidelines

Configuring Login Authentication

Setting Authentication Login Attempts on the Switch

Setting Authentication Login Attempts for the Privileged Mode

Configuring Local Authentication

Enabling Local Authentication

Setting the Login Password

Setting the Enable Password

Disabling Local Authentication

Recovering a Lost Password

Configuring TACACS+ Authentication

Specifying TACACS+ Servers

Enabling TACACS+ Authentication

Specifying the TACACS+ Key

Specifying the TACACS+ Timeout Interval

Specifying the TACACS+ Login Attempts

Enabling TACACS+ Directed Request

Disabling TACACS+ Directed Request

Clearing TACACS+ Servers

Clearing the TACACS+ Key

Disabling TACACS+ Authentication

Configuring RADIUS Authentication

Specifying RADIUS Servers

Specifying the RADIUS Key

Enabling RADIUS Authentication

Specifying the RADIUS Timeout Interval

Specifying the RADIUS Retransmit Count

Specifying the RADIUS Deadtime

Clearing RADIUS Servers

Clearing the RADIUS Key

Disabling RADIUS Authentication

Configuring Kerberos Authentication

Configuring a Kerberos Server

Enabling Kerberos

Defining the Kerberos Local Realm

Specifying a Kerberos Server

Mapping a Kerberos Realm to a Host Name or DNS Domain

Copying SRVTAB Files

Deleting an SRVTAB Entry

Enabling Credentials Forwarding

Disabling Credentials Forwarding

Defining and Clearing a Private DES Key

Encrypting a Telnet Session

Displaying and Clearing Kerberos Configurations

Configuring 802.1x Authentication

Enabling 802.1x Globally

Disabling 802.1x Globally

Enabling and Initializing 802.1x Authentication for Individual Ports

Setting and Enabling Automatic Reauthentication of the Supplicant

Manually Reauthenticating the Supplicant

Enabling Multiple Hosts

Disabling Multiple Hosts

Setting the Quiet Period

Setting the Authenticator-to-Supplicant Retransmission Time for EAP-Request/Identity Frames

Setting the Back-End Authenticator-to-Supplicant Retransmission Time for EAP-Request Frames

Setting theBack-End Authenticator-to-Authentication-Server Retransmission Time for Transport Layer Packets

Setting the Back-End Authenticator-to-Supplicant Frame-Retransmission Number

Resetting the 802.1x Configuration Parameters to the Default Values

Using the show Commands

Authentication Example

Understanding How Authorization Works

Authorization Overview

Authorization Events

TACACS+ Primary Options and Fallback Options

TACACS+ Command Authorization

RADIUS Authorization

Configuring Authorization

TACACS+ Authorization Default Configuration

TACACS+ Authorization Configuration Guidelines

Configuring TACACS+ Authorization

Enabling TACACS+ Authorization

Disabling TACACS+ Authorization

Configuring RADIUS Authorization

Enabling RADIUS Authorization

Disabling RADIUS Authorization

Authorization Example

Understanding How Accounting Works

Accounting Overview

Accounting Events

Specifying When to Create Accounting Records

Specifying RADIUS Servers

Updating the Server

Suppressing Accounting

Configuring Accounting

Accounting Default Configuration

Accounting Configuration Guidelines

Configuring Accounting

Enabling Accounting

Disabling Accounting

Accounting Example


Configuring Switch Access Using AAA


This chapter describes how to configure authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) to monitor and control access to the command-line interface (CLI) on the Catalyst 6000 family switches.


Note For complete syntax and usage information for the commands used in this chapter, refer to the Catalyst 6000 Family Command Reference publication.


This chapter consists of these sections:

Understanding How Authentication Works

Configuring Authentication

Authentication Example

Understanding How Authorization Works

Configuring Authorization

Authorization Example

Understanding How Accounting Works

Configuring Accounting

Accounting Example

Understanding How Authentication Works

These sections describe how the different authentication methods work:

Authentication Overview

Understanding How Login Authentication Works

Understanding How Local Authentication Works

Understanding How TACACS+ Authentication Works

Understanding How RADIUS Authentication Works

Understanding How Kerberos Authentication Works

Understanding How 802.1x Authentication Works

Authentication Overview

You can configure any combination of these authentication methods to control access to the switch:

Login authentication

Local authentication

RADIUS authentication

TACACS+ authentication

Kerberos authentication

802.1x authentication


Note Kerberos authentication does not work if TACACS+ is used as the authentication method.


When you enable local authentication with one or more other authentication methods, local authentication is always attempted last. However, you can specify different authentication methods
for console and Telnet connections. For example, you might use local authentication for console connections and RADIUS authentication for Telnet connections.

Understanding How Login Authentication Works

Login authentication increases the security of the system by keeping unauthorized users from guessing the password. The user is limited to a specific number of attempts to successfully log in to the switch. If the user fails to authorize the password, the system delays accesses and captures the user ID and the IP address of the station in the syslog and in the SNMP trap.

You can enable login authentication access attempts within a range of three (the default) to ten tries. When a user reaches the set limit without successfully logging in, SNMP traps and syslog messages are generated and the lockout restriction occurs. Setting the login authentication to zero (0) disables the login limit checking.

If a user attempts to log in to privileged mode and fails, the system disables execution of the enable command for the lockout period.

The lockout time is configurable from the CLI and SNMP. The configurable range is 30 to 600 seconds. If a user is locked out at the console, the console does not allow the user to log in during that lockout time. If a user is locked out with a Telnet session, the connection closes when the limit is reached, and any subsequent accesses from that station are closed immediately (with proper notice) by the switch during the lockout time.

Understanding How Local Authentication Works

Local authentication uses locally configured login and enable passwords to authenticate login attempts. The login and enable passwords are local to each switch and are not mapped to individual user names.

By default, local authentication is enabled. You can disable local authentication only after enabling one or more of the other authentication methods. However, when local authentication is disabled, if you disable all other authentication methods, local authentication is reenabled automatically.

You can enable local authentication and one or more of the other authentication methods at the same time. The switch attempts local authentication only if the other authentication methods fail.

Understanding How TACACS+ Authentication Works

TACACS+ controls access to network devices by exchanging Network Access Server (NAS) information between a network device and a centralized database to determine the identity of a user or an entity. TACACS+ is an enhanced version of TACACS, a User Datagram Protocol (UDP)-based access-control protocol specified by RFC 1492. TACACS+ uses TCP to ensure reliable delivery and encrypt all traffic between the TACACS+ server and the TACACS+ daemon on a network device.

TACACS+ works with many authentication types, including fixed password, one-time password, and challenge-response authentication. TACACS+ authentication usually occurs in these instances:

When you first log on to a machine

When you send a service request that requires privileged access

When you request privileged or restricted services, TACACS+ encrypts your user password information using the MD5 encryption algorithm and adds a TACACS+ packet header. This header information identifies the packet type being sent (for example, an authentication packet), the packet sequence number, the encryption type used, and the total packet length. The TACACS+ protocol then forwards the packet to the TACACS+ server.

A TACACS+ server can provide authentication, authorization, and accounting functions. These services, while all part of TACACS+, are independent of one another, so a given TACACS+ configuration can use any or all of the three services.

When the TACACS+ server receives the packet, it does the following:

Authenticates the user information and notifies the client that authentication has either passed or failed.

Notifies the client that authentication will continue and that the client must provide additional information. This challenge-response process can continue through multiple iterations until authentication either passes or fails.

You can configure a TACACS+ key on the client and server. If you configure a key on the switch, it must be the same as the one configured on the TACACS+ servers. The TACACS+ clients and servers use the key to encrypt all TACACS+ packets transmitted. If you do not configure a TACACS+ key, packets are not encrypted.

You can configure the following TACACS+ parameters on the switch:

Enable or disable TACACS+ authentication to determine if a user has permission to access the switch

Enable or disable TACACS+ authentication to determine if a user has permission to enter privileged mode

Specify a key used to encrypt the protocol packets

Specify the server on which the TACACS+ server daemon resides

Set the number of login attempts allowed

Set the timeout interval for server daemon response

Enable or disable the directed-request option

TACACS+ authentication is disabled by default. You can enable TACACS+ authentication and local authentication at the same time.

When local authentication is disabled, if you disable all other authentication methods, local authentication is reenabled automatically.

Understanding How RADIUS Authentication Works

RADIUS is a client-server authentication and authorization access protocol used by the NAS to authenticate users attempting to connect to a network device. The NAS functions as a client, passing user information to one or more RADIUS servers. The NAS permits or denies network access to a user based on the response it receives from one or more RADIUS servers. RADIUS uses UDP for transport between the RADIUS client and server.

You can configure a RADIUS key on the client and server. If you configure a key on the client, it must be the same as the one configured on the RADIUS servers. The RADIUS clients and servers use the key to encrypt all RADIUS packets transmitted. If you do not configure a RADIUS key, packets are not encrypted. The key itself is never transmitted over the network.


Note For more information about how the RADIUS protocol operates, refer to RFC 2138, "Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS)."


You can configure the following RADIUS parameters on the switch:

Enable or disable RADIUS authentication to control login access

Enable or disable RADIUS authentication to control enable access

Specify the IP addresses and UDP ports of the RADIUS servers

Specify the RADIUS key used to encrypt RADIUS packets

Specify the RADIUS server timeout interval

Specify the RADIUS retransmit count

Specify the RADIUS server deadtime interval

RADIUS authentication is disabled by default. You can enable RADIUS authentication and other authentication methods at the same time. You can specify which method to use first using the primary keyword.

When local authentication is disabled, if you disable all other authentication methods, local authentication is reenabled automatically.

Understanding How Kerberos Authentication Works

Kerberos is a client-server based secret-key network authentication method that uses a trusted Kerberos server to verify secure access to both services and users. In Kerberos, this trusted server is called the key distribution center (KDC). The KDC issues tickets to validate users and services. A ticket is a temporary set of electronic credentials that verifies the identity of a client for a particular service.

These tickets have a limited life span and can be used in place of the standard user password pair authentication mechanism if a service trusts the Kerberos server that issued the ticket. If the standard user password method is used, Kerberos encrypts user passwords into the tickets, ensuring that passwords are not sent on the network in clear text. When you use Kerberos, passwords are not stored on any machine, other than the Kerberos server, for more than a few seconds. Kerberos also guards against intruders who might pick up the encrypted tickets from the network.

Table 21-1 defines the terms used in Kerberos.

Table 21-1 Kerberos Terminology 

Term
Definition

Kerberized

Applications and services that have been modified to support the Kerberos credential infrastructure.

Kerberos credential

General term referring to authentication tickets, such as ticket granting tickets (TGTs) and service credentials. Kerberos credentials verify the ticket of a user or service. If a network service decides to trust the Kerberos server that issued the ticket, the Kerberos credential can be used in place of retyping in a username and password. Credentials have a default life span of eight hours.

Kerberos identity

(See Kerberos principal.)

Kerberos principal

The Kerberos principal is who you are or what a service is according to the Kerberos server. (Also known as a Kerberos identity.)

Kerberos realm

A domain consisting of users, hosts, and network services that are registered to a Kerberos server. The Kerberos server is trusted to verify the identity of a user or network service to another user or network service. Kerberos realms must always be in uppercase characters.

Kerberos server

A daemon running on a network host. Users and network services register their identity with the Kerberos server. Network services query the Kerberos server to authenticate to other network services.

Key distribution center (KDC)

A Kerberos server and database program running on a network host that allocates the Kerberos credentials to different users or network services.

Service credential

A credential for a network service. When issued from the KDC, this credential is encrypted with the password shared by the network service and the KDC and with the user's TGT.

SRVTAB

A password that a network service shares with the KDC. The network service authenticates an encrypted service credential by using the SRVTAB (also known as a KEYTAB) to decrypt it.

Ticket granting ticket (TGT)

A credential that the KDC issues to authenticated users. When users receive a TGT, they can authenticate to network services within the Kerberos realm represented by the KDC.


In the Catalyst 6000 family switches, Telnet clients and servers through both the console and in-band management port can be Kerberized.


Note Kerberos authentication does not work if TACACS+ is used as the authentication mechanism.



Note If you are logged in to the console through a modem or a terminal server, you cannot use a Kerberized login procedure.


Using Kerberized Login Procedure

You can use a Kerberized Telnet session if you are logging in through the in-band management port. When the Telnet client and services have been Kerberized, you will follow this process when attempting to Telnet to the switch:

1. The Telnet client asks the user for the username and issues a request for a TGT to the KDC on the Kerberos server.

2. The KDC creates the TGT, which contains the user's identity, the KDC's identity, and the TGT's expiration time. The KDC then encrypts the TGT with the user's password and sends the TGT to the client.

3. When the Telnet client receives the encrypted TGT, it prompts the user for the password. If the Telnet client can decrypt the TGT with the entered password, the user is successfully authenticated to the KDC. The client then builds a service credential request and sends this to the KDC. This request contains the user's identity and a message saying that it wants to Telnet to the switch. This request is encrypted using the TGT.

4. When the KDC successfully decrypts the service credential request with the TGT that it issued to the client, it builds a service to the switch. The service credential has the client's identity and the identity of the desired Telnet server. The KDC then encrypts the credential with the password that it shares with the switch's Telnet server and encrypts the resulting packet with the Telnet client's TGT and sends this packet to the client.

5. The Telnet client decrypts the packet first with its TGT. If encryption is successful, the client then sends the resulting packet to the switch's Telnet server. At this point, the packet is still encrypted with the password that the switch's Telnet server and the KDC share.

6. If the Telnet client has been instructed to do so, it forwards the TGT to the switch. This step ensures that the user does not need to get another TGT in order to use another network service from the switch.

Figure 21-1 shows the Kerberos Telnet connection process.

Figure 21-1 Kerberized Telnet Connection

Using a Non-Kerberized Login Procedure

If you use a non-Kerberized login procedure to log in to the switch, the switch takes care of authentication to the KDC on behalf of the login client. However, the user password is now
transferred in clear text from the login client to the switch.


Note A non-Kerberized login can be performed through a modem or terminal server through the in-band management port. Telnet does not support non-Kerberized login.


If you launch a non-Kerberized login, the following process takes place:

1. The switch prompts you for a username and password.

2. The switch requests a TGT from the KDC so that you can be authenticated to the switch.

3. The KDC sends an encrypted TGT to the switch, which contains your identity, KDC's identity, and TGT's expiration time.

4. The switch tries to decrypt the TGT with the password that you entered. If the decryption is successful, you are authenticated to the switch.

5. If you want to access other network services, the KDC must be contacted directly for authentication. To obtain the TGT, you can run the program "kinit," the client software provided with the Kerberos package.

Figure 21-2 shows the non-Kerberized login process.

Figure 21-2 Non-Kerberized Telnet Connection

Understanding How 802.1x Authentication Works

IEEE 802.1x is a client-server-based access control and authentication protocol that restricts unauthorized devices from connecting to a LAN through publicly accessible
ports. 802.1x authenticates each user device connected to a switch port before making available
any services offered by the switch or the LAN. Until the device is authenticated, 802.1x access
control allows only Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPOL) traffic through the port
to which the device is connected. After authentication is successful, normal traffic can pass through
the port.

802.1x controls network access by creating two distinct virtual access points at each port. One access point is an uncontrolled port; the other is a controlled port. All traffic through the single port is available to both access points. Only EAPOL traffic is allowed to pass through the uncontrolled port, which is always open. The controlled port is open only when the device connected to the port has been authorized by 802.1x. After this authorization takes place, the controlled port opens, allowing normal traffic to pass.

Table 21-2 defines the terms used in 802.1x.

Table 21-2 802.1x Terminology 

Term
Definition

Authenticator PAE

(Referred to as the "authenticator") entity at one end of a point-to-point LAN segment that enforces supplicant authentication. The authenticator is independent of the actual authentication method and functions only as a pass-through for the authentication exchange. It communicates with the supplicant, submits the information from the supplicant to the authentication server, and authorizes the supplicant when instructed to do so by the authentication server.

Authentication server

Entity that provides the authentication service for the authenticator PAE. It checks the credentials of the supplicant PAE and then notifies its client, the authenticator PAE, whether the supplicant PAE is authorized to access the LAN/switch services.

Authorized state

Status of the port after the supplicant PAE is authorized.

Both

Bidirectional flow control, incoming and outgoing, at an unauthorized switch port.

Controlled port

Secured access point.

EAP

Extensible Authentication Protocol.

EAPOL1

Encapsulated EAP messages that can be handled directly by a LAN MAC service.

In

Flow control only on incoming frames in an unauthorized switch port.

Port

Single point of attachment to the LAN infrastructure (for example, MAC bridge ports).

PAE2

Protocol object associated with a specific system port.

PDU

Protocol data unit.

RADIUS

Remote Access Dial-In User Service.

Supplicant PAE

(Referred to as the "supplicant") entity that requests access to the LAN/switch services and responds to information requests from the authenticator.

Unauthorized state

Status of the port before the supplicant PAE is authorized.

Uncontrolled port

Unsecured access point that allows the uncontrolled exchange of PDUs.

1 EAPOL=Extensible Authorization Protocol over LAN

2 PAE=port access entity


Traffic Control

You can restrict traffic in both directions or just incoming traffic.

Authentication Server

The frames exchanged between the authenticator and the authentication server are dependent on the authentication mechanism, so they are not defined by the 802.1x standard. You can use other protocols, but we recommend RADIUS for authentication, particularly when the authentication server is located remotely, because RADIUS has extensions that support encapsulation of EAP frames built into it.

802.1x Parameters Configurable on the Switch

You can configure these 802.1x parameters on the switch:

Force-Authorized, Force-Unauthorized, or Automatic 802.1x port control

Enable or disable multiple hosts on a specific port

Enable or disable system authentication control

Specify quiet time interval

Specify the authenticator to supplicant retransmission time interval

Specify the back-end authenticator to supplicant retransmission time interval

Specify the back-end authenticator to authentication server retransmission time interval

Specify the number of frames retransmitted from the back-end authenticator to supplicant

Specify the automatic supplicant reauthentication time interval

Enable or disable automatic supplicant reauthentication

Configuring Authentication

These sections describe how to configure the different authentication methods:

Authentication Default Configuration

Authentication Configuration Guidelines

Configuring Login Authentication

Configuring Local Authentication

Configuring TACACS+ Authentication

Configuring RADIUS Authentication

Configuring Kerberos Authentication

Configuring 802.1x Authentication

Authentication Example

Authentication Default Configuration

Table 21-3 shows the default authentication configuration.

Table 21-3 Authentication Default Configuration 

Feature
Default Value

Login authentication (console and Telnet)

Enabled

Local authentication (console and Telnet)

Enabled

TACACS+ login authentication (console and Telnet)

Disabled

TACACS+ enable authentication (console and Telnet)

Disabled

TACACS+ key

None specified

TACACS+ login attempts

3

TACACS+ server timeout

5 seconds

TACACS+ directed request

Disabled

RADIUS login authentication (console and Telnet)

Disabled

RADIUS enable authentication (console and Telnet)

Disabled

RADIUS server IP address

None specified

RADIUS server UDP auth-port

Port 1812

RADIUS key

None specified

RADIUS server timeout

5 seconds

RADIUS server deadtime

0 (servers not marked dead)

RADIUS retransmit attempts

2 times

Kerberos login authentication (console and Telnet)

Disabled

Kerberos enable authentication (console and Telnet)

Disabled

Kerberos server IP address

None specified

Kerberos DES key

None specified

Kerberos server auth-port

Port 750

Kerberos local-realm name

NULL string

Kerberos credentials forwarding

Disabled

Kerberos clients mandatory

Not mandatory

Kerberos preauthentication

Disabled

802.1x port control

Force-Authorized

802.1x multiple hosts

Disabled

802.1x system authentication control

Enable

802.1x quiet period time

60 seconds

802.1x authenticator to supplicant retransmission time

30 seconds

802.1x back-end authenticator to supplicant retransmission time

30 seconds

802.1x back-end authenticator to authentication server retransmission time

30 seconds

802.1x number of frames retransmitted from back-end authenticator to supplicant

2

802.1x automatic supplicant reauthentication time

3600 seconds

802.1x automatic authenticator reauthentication of supplicant

Disabled


Authentication Configuration Guidelines

Follow these guidelines when configuring authentication on the switch:

Authentication configuration applies both to console and Telnet connection attempts unless you use the console and telnet keywords to specify the authentication methods to use for each connection type individually.

If you configure a RADIUS or TACACS+ key on the switch, make sure you configure an identical key on the RADIUS or TACACS+ server.

You must specify a RADIUS or TACACS+ server before enabling RADIUS or TACACS+ on the switch.

If you configure multiple RADIUS or TACACS+ servers, the first server configured is the primary server and authentication requests are sent to this server first. You can specify a server as primary by using the primary keyword.

RADIUS and TACACS+ support one privileged mode only (level 1).

Kerberos authentication does not work if TACACS+ is also used as an authentication mechanism.

802.1x will work with other protocols, but we recommend RADIUS, particularly with a remotely located authentication server.

You cannot enable 802.1x on a secure port until you turn off the security feature on that port. You cannot enable security on an 802.1x port.

802.1x is only supported on Ethernet ports.

You cannot enable 802.1x on a trunk port until you turn off the trunking feature on that port. You cannot enable trunking on an 802.1x port.

You cannot enable 802.1x on a dynamic port until you turn off the DVLAN feature on that port. You cannot enable DVLAN on an 802.1x port.

You cannot enable 802.1x on a channeling port until you turn off the channeling feature on that port. You cannot enable channeling on an 802.1x port.

You cannot enable 802.1x on a Multiple VLAN Access Port (MVAP) with an auxiliary VLAN ID until you turn off the auxiliary VLAN ID feature on that port. You cannot enable an auxiliary VLAN ID on an 802.1x port.

You cannot enable 802.1x on a switched port analyzer (SPAN) destination port. You cannot configure SPAN destination on an 802.1x port. However, you can configure an 802.1x port as a SPAN source port.

Configuring Login Authentication

These sections describe how to configure login authentication on the switch:

Setting Authentication Login Attempts on the Switch

Setting Authentication Login Attempts for the Privileged Mode

Setting Authentication Login Attempts on the Switch

To set up login authentication on the switch, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Enable login attempt limits on the switch. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable local authentication only for the console port or for Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication login attempt {count} [console | telnet]

Step 2 

Enable the login lockout time on the switch. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable local authentication only for the console port or for Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication login lockout {time} [console | telnet]

Step 3 

Verify the local authentication configuration.

show authentication

This example shows how to limit login attempts to five, set the lockout time for both console and Telnet connections to 50 seconds, and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set authentication login attempt 5
Login authentication attempts for console and telnet logins set to 5.
Console> (enable) set authentication login lockout 50
Login lockout time for console and telnet logins set to 50.
Console> (enable) show authentication

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session    Http Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled          disabled
radius                 disabled          disabled          disabled
kerberos               disabled          disabled          disabled
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
attempt limit          5                 5                 -
lockout timeout (sec)  50                50                -

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session    Http Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled          disabled
radius                 disabled          disabled          disabled
kerberos               disabled          disabled          disabled
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
attempt limit          3                 3                 -
lockout timeout (sec)  disabled          disabled          -
Console> (enable)

Setting Authentication Login Attempts for the Privileged Mode

To set up login authentication for privileged mode, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Enable the login attempt limits for privileged mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable local authentication only for the console port or for Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication enable attempt {count} [console | telnet]

Step 2 

Enable the login lockout time for privileged mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable local authentication only for the console port or for Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication enable lockout {time} [console | telnet]

Step 3 

Verify the local authentication configuration.

show authentication

This example shows how to limit enable mode login attempts to five, set the enable mode lockout time for both console and Telnet connections to 50 seconds, and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set authentication enable attempt 5
Enable mode authentication attempts for console and telnet logins set to 5.
Console> (enable) set authentication enable lockout 50
Enable mode lockout time for console and telnet logins set to 50.
Console> (enable) show authentication 

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session    Http Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled          disabled
radius                 disabled          disabled          disabled
kerberos               disabled          disabled          disabled
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
attempt limit          5                 5                 -
lockout timeout (sec)  50                50                -

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session    Http Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled          disabled
radius                 disabled          disabled          disabled
kerberos               disabled          disabled          disabled
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
attempt limit          5                 5                 -
lockout timeout (sec)  50                50                -
Console> (enable)

Configuring Local Authentication

These sections describe how to configure local authentication on the switch:

Enabling Local Authentication

Setting the Login Password

Setting the Enable Password

Disabling Local Authentication

Recovering a Lost Password

Enabling Local Authentication


Note Local login and enable authentication are enabled for both console and Telnet connections by default. You do not need to perform this task unless you want to modify the default configuration or you have disabled local authentication.


To enable local authentication on the switch, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Enable local login authentication on the switch. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable local authentication only for console port or Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication login local enable [all | console | http | telnet]

Step 2 

Enable local enable authentication on the switch. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable local authentication only for console port or Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication enable local enable [all | console | http | telnet]

Step 3 

Verify the local authentication configuration.

show authentication

This example shows how to enable local login, how to enable authentication for both console and Telnet connections, and how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set authentication login local enable
local login authentication set to enable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) set authentication enable local enable
local enable authentication set to enable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) show authentication

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled
radius                 disabled          disabled
kerberos               disabled          disabled
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled
radius                 disabled          disabled
kerberos               disabled          disabled
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
Console> (enable)

Setting the Login Password

The login password controls access to the user mode CLI. Passwords are case sensitive, contain up to 19 characters, and use any printable character, including a space.


Note Passwords set in releases prior to software release 5.4 remain non-case sensitive. You must reset the password after installing software release 5.4 to activate case sensitivity.


To set the login password for local authentication, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Set the login password for access. Enter your old password (press Return on a switch with no password configured), enter your new password, and reenter your new password.

set password


This example shows how to set the login password on the switch:

Console> (enable) set password
Enter old password: <old_password>
Enter new password: <new_password>
Retype new password: <new_password>
Password changed.
Console> (enable)

Setting the Enable Password

The login password controls access to the user mode CLI. Passwords are case sensitive, contain up to 19 characters, and use any printable character, including a space.


Note Passwords set in releases prior to software release 5.4 remain non-case sensitive. You must reset the password after installing software release 5.4 to activate case sensitivity.


To set the enable password for local authentication, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Set the password for privileged mode. Enter your old password (press Return on a switch with no password configured), enter your new password, and reenter your new password.

set enablepass


This example shows how to set the enable password on the switch:

Console> (enable) set enablepass
Enter old password: <old_password>
Enter new password: <new_password>
Retype new password: <new_password>
Password changed.
Console> (enable)

Disabling Local Authentication


Caution Make sure that RADIUS or TACACS+ authentication is configured and operating correctly before disabling local login or enable authentication. If you disable local authentication and RADIUS or TACACS+ is not configured correctly, or if the RADIUS or TACACS+ server is not online, you may be unable to log in to the switch.

To disable local authentication on the switch, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Disable local login authentication on the switch. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to disable local authentication only for console port or Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication login local disable [all | console | http | telnet]

Step 2 

Disable local enable authentication on the switch. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to disable local authentication only for console port or Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication enable local disable [all | console | http | telnet]

Step 3 

Verify the local authentication configuration.

show authentication


Note You must have either RADIUS or TACACS+ authentication enabled before you disable local authentication.


This example shows how to disable local login authentication, how to enable authentication for both console and Telnet connections, and how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set authentication login local disable
local login authentication set to disable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) set authentication enable local disable
local enable authentication set to disable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) show authentication

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
kerberos               disabled          disabled
local                  disabled          disabled        

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
kerberos               disabled          disabled
local                  disabled          disabled        
Console> (enable) 

Recovering a Lost Password

Use the following procedure to recover a lost local authentication password. You must complete Steps 3 through 7 within 30 seconds of a power cycle or the recovery will fail. If you lost both the login and enable passwords, repeat the process for each password.

To recover a lost password, perform the following task in privileged mode:


Step 1 Connect to the switch through the supervisor engine console port. You cannot recover the password if you are connected through a Telnet connection.

Step 2 Enter the reset system command to reboot the switch.

Step 3 At the "Enter Password" prompt, press Return. The login password is null for 30 seconds when you are connected to the console port.

Step 4 Enter privileged mode using the enable command.

Step 5 At the "Enter Password" prompt, press Return. (The enable password is null for 30 seconds when you are connected to the console port.)

Step 6 Enter the set password or set enablepass command, as appropriate.

Step 7 When prompted for your old password, press Return.

Step 8 Enter and confirm your new password.


Configuring TACACS+ Authentication

These sections describe how to configure TACACS+ authentication on the switch:

Specifying TACACS+ Servers

Enabling TACACS+ Authentication

Specifying the TACACS+ Key

Specifying the TACACS+ Timeout Interval

Specifying the TACACS+ Login Attempts

Enabling TACACS+ Directed Request

Disabling TACACS+ Directed Request

Clearing TACACS+ Servers

Clearing the TACACS+ Key

Disabling TACACS+ Authentication

Specifying TACACS+ Servers

Specify one or more TACACS+ servers before you enable TACACS+ authentication on the switch. The first server you specify is the primary server, unless you explicitly make one server the primary using the primary keyword.

To specify one or more TACACS+ servers, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the IP address of one or more TACACS+ servers.

set tacacs server ip_addr [primary]

Step 2 

Verify the TACACS+ configuration.

show tacacs

This example shows how to specify TACACS+ servers and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set tacacs server 172.20.52.3
172.20.52.3 added to TACACS server table as primary server.
Console> (enable) set tacacs server 172.20.52.2 primary
172.20.52.2 added to TACACS server table as primary server.
Console> (enable) set tacacs server 172.20.52.10
172.20.52.10 added to TACACS server table as backup server.
Console> (enable)
Console> (enable) show tacacs

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
Tacacs key: 
Tacacs login attempts: 3
Tacacs timeout: 5 seconds
Tacacs direct request: disabled
Tacacs-Server                              Status
----------------------------------------   -------
172.20.52.3                                
172.20.52.2                                primary
172.20.52.10                               
Console> (enable)

Enabling TACACS+ Authentication


Note Specify at least one TACACS+ server before enabling TACACS+ authentication on the switch. For information on specifying a TACACS+ server, see the "Specifying TACACS+ Servers" section.


You can enable TACACS+ authentication for login and enable access to the switch. If desired, you can use the console and telnet keywords to specify that TACACS+ authentication be used only on console or Telnet connections. If you are using both RADIUS and TACACS+, you can use the primary keyword to force the switch to try TACACS+ authentication first.

To enable TACACS+ authentication, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Enable TACACS+ authentication for normal login mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable TACACS+ only for console port or Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication login tacacs enable [all | console | http | telnet] [primary]

Step 2 

Enable TACACS+ authentication for enable mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable TACACS+ only for console port or Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication enable tacacs enable [all | console | http | telnet] [primary]

Step 3 

Verify the TACACS+ configuration.

show authentication

This example shows how to enable TACACS+ authentication for console and Telnet connections and how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set authentication login tacacs enable
tacacs login authentication set to enable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) set authentication enable tacacs enable
tacacs enable authentication set to enable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) show authentication

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled           enabled         

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled           enabled         
Console> (enable)

Specifying the TACACS+ Key


Note If you configure a TACACS+ key on the client, make sure you configure an identical key on the TACACS+ server.


To specify the TACACS+ key, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the key used to encrypt packets.

set tacacs key key

Step 2 

Verify the TACACS+ configuration.

show tacacs

This example shows how to specify the TACACS+ key and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set tacacs key Secret_TACACS_key
The tacacs key has been set to Secret_TACACS_key.
Console> (enable) show tacacs
Tacacs key: Secret_TACACS_key
Tacacs login attempts: 3
Tacacs timeout: 5 seconds
Tacacs direct request: disabled

Tacacs-Server                              Status
----------------------------------------   -------
172.20.52.3                                
172.20.52.2                                primary
172.20.52.10                               
Console> (enable)

Specifying the TACACS+ Timeout Interval

You can specify the timeout interval between retransmissions to the TACACS+ server. The default timeout is 5 seconds.

To specify the TACACS+ timeout interval, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the TACACS+ timeout interval.

set tacacs timeout seconds

Step 2 

Verify the TACACS+ configuration.

show tacacs

This example shows how to specify the server timeout interval and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set tacacs timeout 30 
Tacacs timeout set to 30 seconds.
Console> (enable) show tacacs
Tacacs key: Secret_TACACS_key
Tacacs login attempts: 3
Tacacs timeout: 30 seconds
Tacacs direct request: disabled

Tacacs-Server                              Status
----------------------------------------   -------
172.20.52.3                                
172.20.52.2                                primary
172.20.52.10                               
Console> (enable) 

Specifying the TACACS+ Login Attempts

You can specify the number of failed login attempts allowed.

To specify the number of login attempts allowed, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the number of allowed login attempts.

set tacacs attempts number

Step 2 

Verify the TACACS+ configuration.

show tacacs

This example shows how to specify the number of login attempts and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set tacacs attempts 5
Tacacs number of attempts set to 5.
Console> (enable) show tacacs
Tacacs key: Secret_TACACS_key
Tacacs login attempts: 5
Tacacs timeout: 30 seconds
Tacacs direct request: disabled
Tacacs-Server                              Status
----------------------------------------   -------
172.20.52.3                                
172.20.52.2                                primary
172.20.52.10                               
Console> (enable) 

Enabling TACACS+ Directed Request

When you enable TACACS+ directed request, you can optionally specify the host name of a configured TACACS+ server to direct the TACACS+ authentication request to that particular TACACS+ server. Authentication will fail if the server that the switch contacts does not have an account for the user that is attempting to log in.

To enable TACACS+ directed request, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Enable TACACS+ directed request on the switch.

set tacacs directedrequest enable

Step 2 

Verify the TACACS+ configuration.

show tacacs

This example shows how to enable TACACS+ directed request and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set tacacs directedrequest enable
Tacacs direct request has been enabled.
Console> (enable) show tacacs
Tacacs key: Secret_TACACS_key
Tacacs login attempts: 5
Tacacs timeout: 30 seconds
Tacacs direct request: enabled

Tacacs-Server                              Status
----------------------------------------   -------
172.20.52.3                                
172.20.52.2                                primary
172.20.52.10                               
Console> (enable) 

Disabling TACACS+ Directed Request

To disable TACACS+ directed request, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Disable TACACS+ directed request on the switch.

set tacacs directedrequest disable

Step 2 

Verify the TACACS+ configuration.

show tacacs

This example shows how to disable TACACS+ directed request:

Console> (enable) set tacacs directedrequest disable 
Tacacs direct request has been disabled.
Console> (enable) 

Clearing TACACS+ Servers

To clear one or more TACACS+ servers, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the IP address of the TACACS+ server to clear from the configuration. Enter the all keyword to clear all of the servers from the configuration.

clear tacacs server [ip_addr | all]

Step 2 

Verify the TACACS+ server configuration.

show tacacs

This example shows how to clear a specific TACACS+ server from the configuration:

Console> (enable) clear tacacs server 172.20.52.3
172.20.52.3 cleared from TACACS table
Console> (enable)

This example shows how to clear all TACACS+ servers from the configuration:

Console> (enable) clear tacacs server all
All TACACS servers cleared
Console> (enable)

Clearing the TACACS+ Key

To clear the TACACS+ key, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Clear the TACACS+ key.

clear tacacs key

Step 2 

Verify the TACACS+ configuration.

show tacacs

This example shows how to clear the TACACS+ key:

Console> (enable) clear tacacs key
TACACS server key cleared.
Console> (enable) 

Disabling TACACS+ Authentication

When local authentication is disabled and only TACACS+ authentication is enabled, if you disable TACACS+ authentication, local authentication is reenabled automatically.

To disable TACACS+ authentication, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Disable TACACS+ authentication for normal login mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to disable TACACS+ only for console port or Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication login tacacs disable [all | console | http | telnet]

Step 2 

Disable TACACS+ authentication for enable mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to disable TACACS+ only for console port or Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication enable tacacs disable [all | console | http | telnet]

Step 3 

Verify the TACACS+ configuration.

show authentication

This example shows how to disable TACACS+ authentication for console and Telnet connections and how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set authentication login tacacs disable
tacacs login authentication set to disable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) set authentication enable tacacs disable
tacacs enable authentication set to disable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) show authentication

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
Console> (enable) 

Configuring RADIUS Authentication

These sections describe how to configure RADIUS authentication on the switch:

Specifying RADIUS Servers

Specifying the RADIUS Key

Enabling RADIUS Authentication

Specifying the RADIUS Timeout Interval

Specifying the RADIUS Retransmit Count

Specifying the RADIUS Deadtime

Clearing RADIUS Servers

Clearing the RADIUS Key

Disabling RADIUS Authentication

Specifying RADIUS Servers

To specify one or more RADIUS servers, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the IP address of up to three RADIUS servers. Specify the primary server using the primary keyword. Optionally, specify the destination UDP port to use on the server.

set radius server ip_addr [auth-port port] [primary]

Step 2 

Verify the RADIUS server configuration.

show radius

This example shows how to specify a RADIUS server and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set radius server 172.20.52.3
172.20.52.3 with auth-port 1812 added to radius server table as primary server.
Console> (enable) show radius

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)

Radius Deadtime:              0 minutes
Radius Key:                   
Radius Retransmit:            2
Radius Timeout:               5 seconds

Radius-Server                 Status   Auth-port
----------------------------- -------  ------------
172.20.52.3                   primary  1812
Console> (enable)

Specifying the RADIUS Key


Note If you specify a RADIUS key on the client, make sure you specify an identical key on the RADIUS server.


The RADIUS key is used to encrypt and authenticate all communication between the RADIUS client and server. You must configure the same key on the client and the RADIUS server.

The length of the key is limited to 65 characters. It can include any printable ASCII characters except tabs.

To specify the RADIUS key, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the RADIUS key used to encrypt packets sent to the RADIUS server.

set radius key key

Step 2 

Verify the RADIUS configuration.

show radius

This example shows how to specify the RADIUS key and verify the configuration (in normal mode, the RADIUS key value is hidden):

Console> (enable) set radius key Secret_RADIUS_key       
Radius key set to Secret_RADIUS_key
Console> (enable) show radius
Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         

Radius Deadtime:              0 minutes
Radius Key:                   Secret_RADIUS_key
Radius Retransmit:            2
Radius Timeout:               5 seconds

Radius-Server                 Status   Auth-port
----------------------------- -------  ------------
172.20.52.3                   primary  1812
Console> (enable) 

Enabling RADIUS Authentication


Note Specify at least one RADIUS server before enabling RADIUS authentication on the switch. For information on specifying a RADIUS server, see the "Specifying RADIUS Servers" section.


You can enable RADIUS authentication for login and enable access to the switch. If desired, you can enter the console or telnet keyword to specify that RADIUS authentication be used only on console or Telnet connections. If you are using both RADIUS and TACACS+, you can use the primary keyword to force the switch to try RADIUS authentication first.

To set up the RADIUS username and enable RADIUS authentication, perform this task in privileged mode:

Step 1 

Enable RADIUS authentication for normal login mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable RADIUS only for console port or Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication login radius enable [all | console | http | telnet] [primary]

Step 2 

Enable RADIUS authentication for enable mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable RADIUS only for console port or Telnet connection attempts.

set authentication enable radius enable [all | console | http | telnet] [primary]

Step 3 

Create a user $enab15$ on the RADIUS server, and assign a password to that user.

See the Note below for additional information.

Step 4 

Verify the RADIUS configuration.

show authentication


Note To use RADIUS authentication for enable mode, you will need to create a user $enab15$ on the RADIUS server, and assign a password to that user. This user needs to be created in addition to your assigned username and password on the RADIUS server (example: username john, password hello.) After you log in to the Catalyst 6000 family switch with your assigned username and password (john/hello), you can enter enable mode using the password assigned to the $enab15$ user.

If your RADIUS server does not support the $enab15$ username, you can set the service-type attribute (attribute 6) to Administrative (value 6) for a RADUIS user to directly launch the user into enable mode without asking for a separate enable password.


This example shows how to enable RADIUS authentication and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set authentication login radius enable
radius login authentication set to enable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) set authentication enable radius enable
radius enable authentication set to enable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) show authentication

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         
Console> (enable)

Specifying the RADIUS Timeout Interval

You can specify the timeout interval between retransmissions to the RADIUS server. The default timeout is 5 seconds.

To specify the RADIUS timeout interval, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the RADIUS timeout interval.

set radius timeout seconds

Step 2 

Verify the RADIUS configuration.

show radius

This example shows how to specify the RADIUS timeout interval and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set radius timeout 10
Radius timeout set to 10 seconds.
Console> (enable) show radius

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         

Radius Deadtime:              0 minutes
Radius Key:                   Secret_RADIUS_key
Radius Retransmit:            2
Radius Timeout:               10 seconds

Radius-Server                 Status   Auth-port
----------------------------- -------  ------------
172.20.52.3                   primary  1812
Console> (enable) 

Specifying the RADIUS Retransmit Count

You can specify the number of times the switch will attempt to contact a RADIUS server before the next configured server is tried. By default, each RADIUS server will be tried two times.

To specify the RADIUS retransmit count, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the RADIUS server retransmit count.

set radius retransmit count

Step 2 

Verify the RADIUS configuration.

show radius

This example shows how to specify the RADIUS retransmit count and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set radius retransmit 4
Radius retransmit count set to 4.
Console> (enable) show radius

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         
Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         

Radius Deadtime:              0 minutes
Radius Key:                   Secret_RADIUS_key
Radius Retransmit:            4
Radius Timeout:               10 seconds

Radius-Server                 Status   Auth-port
----------------------------- -------  ------------
172.20.52.3                   primary  1812
Console> (enable) 

Specifying the RADIUS Deadtime

You can configure the switch so that, when a RADIUS server does not respond to an authentication request, the switch marks that server as dead for the length of time specified by the deadtime. Any authentication requests received during the deadtime interval (such as other users attempting to log in to the switch) are not sent to a RADIUS server marked dead. Configuring a deadtime speeds up the authentication process by eliminating timeouts and retransmissions to the dead RADIUS server.

If you configure only one RADIUS server, or if all of the configured servers are marked dead, the deadtime is ignored because there are no alternate servers available.

To set the RADIUS deadtime, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the RADIUS server deadtime interval.

set radius deadtime minutes

Step 2 

Verify the RADIUS configuration.

show radius

This example shows how to specify the RADIUS deadtime interval and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set radius deadtime 5
Radius deadtime set to 5 minute(s)
Console> (enable) show radius

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         

Radius Deadtime:              5 minutes
Radius Key:                   Secret_RADIUS_key
Radius Retransmit:            4
Radius Timeout:               10 seconds

Radius-Server                 Status   Auth-port
----------------------------- -------  ------------
172.20.52.3                   primary  1812
172.20.52.2                            1812
Console> (enable)

Clearing RADIUS Servers

To clear one or more RADIUS servers, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the IP address of the RADIUS server to clear from the configuration. Enter the all keyword to clear all of the servers from the configuration.

clear radius server [ip_addr | all]

Step 2 

Verify the RADIUS server configuration.

show radius

This example shows how to clear a single RADIUS server from the configuration:

Console> (enable) clear radius server 172.20.52.3
172.20.52.3 cleared from radius server table.
Console> (enable)

This example shows how to clear all RADIUS servers from the configuration:

Console> (enable) clear radius server all
All radius servers cleared from radius server table.
Console> (enable)

Clearing the RADIUS Key

To clear the RADIUS key, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Clear the RADIUS key.

clear radius key

Step 2 

Verify the RADIUS configuration.

show radius

This example shows how to clear the RADIUS key and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) clear radius key
Radius key cleared.
Console> (enable) show radius

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)

Radius Deadtime:              0 minutes
Radius Key:                   
Radius Retransmit:            2
Radius Timeout:               5 seconds

Radius-Server                 Status   Auth-port
----------------------------- -------  ------------
172.20.52.3                   primary  1812
Console> (enable)

Disabling RADIUS Authentication

When local authentication is disabled and only RADIUS authentication is enabled, if you disable RADIUS authentication, local authentication is reenabled automatically.

To disable RADIUS authentication, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Disable RADIUS authentication for login mode.

set authentication login radius disable [all | console | http | telnet]

Step 2 

Disable RADIUS authentication for enable mode.

set authentication enable radius disable [all | console | http | telnet]

Step 3 

Verify the RADIUS configuration.

show authentication

This example shows how to disable RADIUS authentication:

Console> (enable) set authentication login radius disable
radius login authentication set to disable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) set authentication enable radius disable
radius enable authentication set to disable for console and telnet session.
Console> (enable) show authentication

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
Console> (enable) 

Configuring Kerberos Authentication

These sections describe how to configure Kerberos authentication on the switch.

Configuring a Kerberos Server

Enabling Kerberos

Defining the Kerberos Local Realm

Specifying a Kerberos Server

Mapping a Kerberos Realm to a Host Name or DNS Domain

Copying SRVTAB Files

Deleting an SRVTAB Entry

Enabling Credentials Forwarding

Disabling Credentials Forwarding

Defining and Clearing a Private DES Key

Encrypting a Telnet Session

Displaying and Clearing Kerberos Configurations

Configuring a Kerberos Server

Before you can use Kerberos as an authentication method on the switch, you need to configure the Kerberos server. You will need to create a database for the KDC and add the switch to the database.


Note Kerberos authentication requires that NTP is enabled. Additionally, we recommend that you enable DNS.


To configure the Kerberos server, perform this procedure:


Step 1 Before you can enter the switch in the Kerberos server's key table, you must create the database the KDC will use. In the following example, a database called CISCO.EDU is created:

/usr/local/sbin/kdb5_util create -r CISCO.EDU -s 

Step 2 Add the switch to the database. The following example adds a switch called Cat6509 to the CISCO.EDU database:

ank host/Cat6509.cisco.edu@CISCO.EDU

Step 3 Add the username as follows:

ank user1@CISCO.EDU

Step 4 Add the administrative principals as follows:

ank user1/admin@CISCO.EDU 

Step 5 Using the admin.local ktadd command, create the database entry for the switch as follows:

ktadd host/Cat6509.cisco.edu@CISCO.EDU 

Step 6 Move the keytab file to a place where the switch can reach it.

Step 7 Start the KDC server as follows:

/usr/local/sbin/krb5kdc
	/usr/local/sbin/kadmind


Enabling Kerberos

To enable Kerberos authentication, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify Kerberos as the authentication method.

set authentication login kerberos enable [all | console | http | telnet] [primary]

Step 2 

Verify the configuration.

show authentication

This example shows how to enable Kerberos as the login authentication method for Telnet and verify the configuration:

kerberos> (enable) set authentication login kerberos enable telnet 
kerberos login authentication set to enable for telnet session.
kerberos> (enable) show authentication 

Login Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
kerberos               disabled          enabled(primary)
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled         

Enable Authentication:Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
kerberos               disabled          enabled(primary)
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled         
kerberos> (enable)

This example shows how to enable Kerberos as the login authentication method for the console and verify the configuration:

kerberos> (enable) set authentication login kerberos enable console 
kerberos login authentication set to enable for console session.
kerberos> (enable) show authentication 

Login Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
kerberos               enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         

Enable Authentication:Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
kerberos               enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)
local                  enabled           enabled         
kerberos> (enable) 

Defining the Kerberos Local Realm

The Kerberos realm is a domain consisting of users, hosts, and network services that are registered to a Kerberos server. To authenticate a user defined in the Kerberos database, the switch must know the host name or IP address of the host running the KDC and the name of the Kerberos realm.

To configure the switch to authenticate to the KDC in a specified Kerberos realm, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Define the default realm for the switch.

set kerberos local-realm kerberos_realm



Note Make sure the realm is entered in uppercase letters. Kerberos will not authenticate users if the realm is entered in lowercase letters.


This example shows how to define a local realm and how to verify the configuration:

kerberos> (enable) set kerberos local-realm CISCO.COM 
Kerberos local realm for this switch set to CISCO.COM.
kerberos> (enable) show kerberos 
Kerberos Local Realm:CISCO.COM 
Kerberos server entries:
Realm:CISCO.COM,  Server:187.0.2.1,  Port:750

Kerberos Domain<->Realm entries:
Domain:cisco.com,  Realm:CISCO.COM 

Kerberos Clients NOT Mandatory
Kerberos Credentials Forwarding Enabled
Kerberos Pre Authentication Method set to None
Kerberos config key:
Kerberos SRVTAB Entries 
Srvtab Entry 1:host/niners.cisco.com@CISCO.COM 0 932423923 1 1 8 01;;8>00>50;0=0=0
kerberos> (enable)

Specifying a Kerberos Server

You can specify to the switch which KDC to use in a specific Kerberos realm. Optionally, you can also specify the port number which the KDC is monitoring. The Kerberos server information you enter is maintained in a table with one entry for each Kerberos realm. The maximum number of entries in the table is 100.

To specify the Kerberos server, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify which KDC to use in a given Kerberos realm. Optionally, enter the port number the KDC is monitoring. (The default port number is 750.)

set kerberos server kerberos_realm {hostname | ip_address} [port]

Step 2 

Clear the Kerberos server entry.

clear kerberos server kerberos_realm {hostname | ip_address} [port]

This example shows how to specify which Kerberos server will serve as the KDC for the specified Kerberos realm and how to clear the entry:

kerberos> (enable) set kerberos server CISCO.COM 187.0.2.1 750 
Kerberos Realm-Server-Port entry set to:CISCO.COM - 187.0.2.1 - 750
kerberos> (enable) 

Console> (enable) clear kerberos server CISCO.COM 187.0.2.1 750
Kerberos Realm-Server-Port entry CISCO.COM-187.0.2.1-750  deleted
Console> (enable) 

Mapping a Kerberos Realm to a Host Name or DNS Domain

Optionally, you can map a host name or domain name system (DNS) domain to a Kerberos realm.

To map a Kerberos realm to either a host name or DNS domain, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

(Optional) Map a host name or DNS domain to a Kerberos realm.

set kerberos realm {dns_domain | host} kerberos_realm

Step 2 

Clear the Kerberos realm domain or host mapping entry.

clear kerberos realm {dns_domain | host} kerberos_realm

This example shows how to map a Kerberos realm to a DNS domain and how to clear the entry:

Console> (enable) set kerberos realm CISCO CISCO.COM
Kerberos DnsDomain-Realm entry set to CISCO - CISCO.COM
Console> (enable)

Console> (enable) clear kerberos realm CISCO CISCO.COM
Kerberos DnsDomain-Realm entry CISCO - CISCO.COM deleted
Console> (enable) 

Copying SRVTAB Files

To make it possible for remote users to authenticate to the switch using Kerberos credentials, the switch must share a key with the KDC. To allow this configuration, you must give the switch a copy of the file stored in the KDC that contains the key. These files are called SRVTAB files on the switch and KEYTAB files on the servers.

The most secure method to copy SRVTAB files to the hosts in your Kerberos realm is to copy them onto physical media and go to each host in turn and manually copy the files onto the system. To copy SRVTAB files to a switch that does not have a physical media drive, you must transfer them through the network by using the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP).

When you copy the SRVTAB file from the switch to the KDC, the switch parses the information in this file and stores it in the running configuration in the Kerberos SRVTAB entry format. If you enter the SRVTAB directly into the switch, create an entry for each Kerberos principal (service) on the switch. The entries are maintained in the SRVTAB table. The maximum size of the table is 20 entries.

To remotely copy SRVTAB files to the switch from the KDC, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Retrieve a specified SRVTAB file from the KDC.

set kerberos srvtab remote {hostname | ip_address} filename

Step 2 

(Optional) Enter the SRVTAB directly into the switch.

set kerberos srvtab entry kerberos_principal principal_type timestamp key_version number key_type key_length encrypted_keytab

This example shows how to retrieve an SRVTAB file from the KDC, enter an SRVTAB directly into the switch, and verify the configuration:

kerberos> (enable) set kerberos srvtab remote 187.20.32.10 /users/jdoe/krb5/ninerskeytab 
kerberos> (enable)

kerberos> (enable) set kerberos srvtab entry host/niners.cisco.com@CISCO.COM 0 932423923 1 
1 8 03;;5>00>50;0=0=0
Kerberos SRVTAB entry set to 
Principal:host/niners.cisco.com@CISCO.COM
Principal Type:0
Timestamp:932423923
Key version number:1
Key type:1
Key length:8
Encrypted key tab:03;;5>00>50;0=0=0

kerberos> (enable) show kerberos 
Kerberos Local Realm:CISCO.COM 
Kerberos server entries:
Realm:CISCO.COM,  Server:187.0.2.1,  Port:750
Realm:CISCO.COM,  Server:187.20.2.1,  Port:750

Kerberos Domain<->Realm entries:
Domain:cisco.com,  Realm:CISCO.COM 

Kerberos Clients NOT Mandatory
Kerberos Credentials Forwarding Enabled
Kerberos Pre Authentication Method set to None
Kerberos config key:
Kerberos SRVTAB Entries 
Srvtab Entry 1:host/niners.cisco.com@CISCO.COM 0 932423923 1 1 8 03;;5>00>50;0=0=0
Srvtab Entry 2:host/niners.cisco.edu@CISCO.EDU 0 933974942 1 1 8 00?58:127:223=:;9
Console> (enable) 

Deleting an SRVTAB Entry

To delete an SRVTAB entry, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Delete the SRVTAB entry for a particular Kerberos principal.

clear kerberos srvtab entry kerberos_principal principal_type


This example shows how to delete an SRVTAB entry:

kerberos> (enable) clear kerberos srvtab entry host/niners.cisco.com@CISCO.COM 0
kerberos> (enable) 

Enabling Credentials Forwarding

A user authenticated to a Kerberized switch has a TGT and can use it to authenticate to a host on the network. However, if forwarding is not enabled and a user tries to list credentials after authenticating to a host, the output will show no Kerberos credentials present.

To enable credentials forwarding, configure the switch to forward user TGTs when they authenticate from the switch to Kerberized remote hosts on the network using Kerberized Telnet.

As an additional layer of security, you can configure the switch so that after users authenticate to it, these users can authenticate only to other services on the network with Kerberized clients. If you do not make Kerberos authentication mandatory and Kerberos authentication fails, the application attempts to authenticate users using the default method of authentication for that network service. For example, Telnet prompts for a password.

To configure clients to forward user credentials as they connect to other hosts in the Kerberos realm, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Set all clients to forward user credentials upon successful Kerberos authentication.

set kerberos credentials forward

Step 2 

(Optional) Configure Telnet to fail if clients cannot authenticate to the remote server.

set kerberos clients mandatory

This example shows how to configure clients to forward user credentials and verify the configuration:

kerberos> (enable) set kerberos credentials forward 
Kerberos credentials forwarding enabled
kerberos> (enable) show kerberos
Kerberos Local Realm:CISCO.COM 
Kerberos server entries:
Realm:CISCO.COM,  Server:187.0.2.1,  Port:750
Realm:CISCO.COM,  Server:187.20.2.1, Port:750

Kerberos Domain<->Realm entries:
Domain:cisco.com,  Realm:CISCO.COM 

Kerberos Clients NOT Mandatory
Kerberos Credentials Forwarding Enabled
Kerberos Pre Authentication Method set to None
Kerberos config key:
Kerberos SRVTAB Entries 
Srvtab Entry 1:host/aspen-niners.cisco.edu@CISCO.EDU 0 933974942 1 1 8 00?91:107:423=:;9
kerberos> (enable)

This example shows how to configure the switch so that Kerberos clients are mandatory for users to authenticate to other network services:

Console> (enable) set kerberos clients mandatory 
Kerberos clients set to mandatory
Console> (enable)

Disabling Credentials Forwarding

To clear the credentials forwarding configuration, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Clear the credentials forwarding configuration.

clear kerberos credentials forward


This example shows how to clear the credentials forwarding configuration and verify the change:

Console> (enable) clear kerberos credentials forward 
Kerberos credentials forwarding disabled
Console> (enable) show kerberos 
Kerberos Local Realm not configured
Kerberos server entries:

Kerberos Domain<->Realm entries:

Kerberos Clients NOT Mandatory
Kerberos Credentials Forwarding Disabled
Kerberos Pre Authentication Method set to None
Kerberos config key:
Kerberos SRVTAB Entries 
Console> (enable) 

To clear the Kerberos clients mandatory configuration, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Clear the Kerberos clients mandatory configuration.

clear kerberos clients mandatory


This example shows how to clear the clients mandatory configuration and verify the change:

Console> (enable) clear kerberos clients mandatory 
Kerberos clients mandatory cleared
Console> (enable) show kerberos
Kerberos Local Realm not configured
Kerberos server entries:

Kerberos Domain<->Realm entries:

Kerberos Clients NOT Mandatory
Kerberos Credentials Forwarding Disabled
Kerberos Pre Authentication Method set to None
Kerberos config key:
Kerberos SRVTAB Entries 
Console> (enable) 
Kerberos server entries:

Kerberos Domain<->Realm entries:

Kerberos Clients Mandatory
Kerberos Credentials Forwarding Disabled
Kerberos Pre Authentication Method set to Encrypted Unix Time Stamp
Kerberos config key:
Kerberos SRVTAB Entries 
Console> (enable)

Defining and Clearing a Private DES Key

You can define a private DES key for the switch. The private DES key can be used to encrypt the secret key that the switch shares with the KDC so that when the show kerberos command is executed, the secret key is not displayed in clear text. The key length should be eight characters or less.

To define a DES key, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Define a DES key for the switch.

set key config-key string


This example shows how to define a DES key and verify the configuration:

kerberos> (enable) set key config-key abcd 
Kerberos config key set to abcd
kerberos> (enable) show kerberos
Kerberos Local Realm:CISCO.COM 
Kerberos server entries:
Realm:CISCO.COM,  Server:170.20.2.1,  Port:750
Realm:CISCO.COM,  Server:172.20.2.1,  Port:750

Kerberos Domain<->Realm entries:
Domain:cisco.com,  Realm:CISCO.COM 

Kerberos Clients Mandatory
Kerberos Credentials Forwarding Disabled
Kerberos Pre Authentication Method set to Encrypted Unix Time Stamp
Kerberos config key:abcd
Kerberos SRVTAB Entries 
Srvtab Entry 1:host/aspen-niners.cisco.edu@CISCO.EDU 0 933974942 1 1 8 12151><88?=>>3>11
kerberos> (enable)

To clear the DES key, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Clear a DES key from the switch.

clear key config-key string


This example shows how to clear the DES key:

Console> (enable) clear key config-key
Kerberos config key cleared 
Console> (enable)

Encrypting a Telnet Session

After a user authenticates to the switch using Kerberos and wants to Telnet to another switch or host, whether or not this will be a Kerberized Telnet depends on the authentication method that the Telnet server uses. If the Telnet server uses Kerberos for authentication, you can choose to have all the application data packets encrypted for the duration of the Telnet session. To encrypt the Telnet session, select the encrypt kerberos option in the telnet command.

To encrypt a Telnet session, perform this task:

Task
Command

Encrypt a Telnet session.

telnet encrypt kerberos host


This example shows how to configure a Telnet session for Kerberos authentication and encryption:

Console> (enable) telnet encrypt kerberos

Displaying and Clearing Kerberos Configurations

These commands can be used to display and clear Kerberos configurations on the switch:

show kerberos

show kerberos creds

clear kerberos creds

To display the Kerberos configuration, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Display the Kerberos configuration.

show kerberos


This example shows how to display the Kerberos configuration:

kerberos> (enable) show kerberos 
Kerberos Local Realm:CISCO.COM 
Kerberos server entries:
Realm:CISCO.COM,  Server:187.0.2.1,  Port:750
Realm:CISCO.COM,  Server:187.20.2.1,  Port:750

Kerberos Domain<->Realm entries:
Domain:cisco.com,  Realm:CISCO.COM 
Kerberos Clients NOT Mandatory
Kerberos Credentials Forwarding Enabled
Kerberos Pre Authentication Method set to None
Kerberos config key:
Kerberos SRVTAB Entries 
Srvtab Entry 1:host/niners.cisco.com@CISCO.COM 0 932423923 1 1 8 03;;5>00>50;0=0=0
Srvtab Entry 2:host/niners.cisco.edu@CISCO.EDU 0 933974942 1 1 8 00?58:127:223=:;9
kerberos> (enable) 

To display the Kerberos credentials, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Display the Kerberos credentials.

show kerberos creds


This example shows how to display the Kerberos credentials:

Console> (enable) show kerberos creds
No Kerberos credentials.
Console> (enable) 

To clear all Kerberos credentials, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Clear all credentials.

clear kerberos creds


This example shows how to clear all Kerberos credentials from the switch:

Console> (enable) clear kerberos creds
Console> (enable)

Configuring 802.1x Authentication

These sections describe how to configure 802.1x authentication on the switch:

Enabling 802.1x Globally

Disabling 802.1x Globally

Enabling and Initializing 802.1x Authentication for Individual Ports

Setting and Enabling Automatic Reauthentication of the Supplicant

Manually Reauthenticating the Supplicant

Enabling Multiple Hosts

Disabling Multiple Hosts

Setting the Quiet Period

Setting the Authenticator-to-Supplicant Retransmission Time for EAP-Request/Identity Frames

Setting the Back-End Authenticator-to-Supplicant Retransmission Time for EAP-Request Frames

Setting theBack-End Authenticator-to-Authentication-Server Retransmission Time for Transport Layer Packets

Setting the Back-End Authenticator-to-Supplicant Frame-Retransmission Number

Resetting the 802.1x Configuration Parameters to the Default Values

Using the show Commands

Enabling 802.1x Globally

You must enable 802.1x authentication for the entire system before configuring it for individual ports. After you globally enable 802.1x authentication, you can configure individual ports for 802.1x authentication if they meet the specific requirements required by 802.1x. To enable 802.1x authentication for individual ports, see the "Enabling and Initializing 802.1x Authentication for Individual Ports" section.

To globally enable 802.1x authentication, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Globally enable 802.1x.

set dot1x system-auth-control enable


This example shows how to globally enable 802.1x authentication:

Console> (enable) set dot1x system-auth-control enable
dot1x system-auth-control enabled.

Disabling 802.1x Globally

When 802.1x authentication is enabled for the entire system, you can disable it globally. When 802.1x authentication is disabled globally, it is no longer available at any port, even ports that were previously configured for it.

To globally disable 802.1x authentication, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Globally disable 802.1x.

set dot1x system-auth-control disable


This example shows how to globally disable 802.1x authentication:

Console> (enable) set dot1x system-auth-control disable
dot1x system-auth-control disabled.

Enabling and Initializing 802.1x Authentication for Individual Ports

After 802.1x authentication is globally enabled, you must enable and initialize 802.1x authentication from the console for individual ports. To globally enable 802.1x authentication, see the "Enabling 802.1x Globally" section.


Note You must specify at least one RADIUS server before you can enable 802.1x authentication on the switch. For information on specifying a RADIUS server, see the "Specifying RADIUS Servers" section.


To enable and initialize 802.1x authentication for access to the switch, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Enable 802.1x control on a specific port.

set port dot1x mod/port port-control auto

Step 2 

Initialize 802.1x on the same port.

set port dot1x mod/port initialize

Step 3 

Verify the 802.1x configuration.

show port dot1x mod/port

This example shows how to enable 802.1x authentication on port 1 in module 4, initialize 802.1x authentication on the same port, and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set port dot1x 4/1 port-control auto
Port 4/1 dot1x port-control is set to auto.
Trunking disabled for port 4/1 due to Dot1x feature.
Spantree port fast start option enabled for port 4/1.
Console> (enable) set port dot1x 4/1 initialize
Port 4/1 initializing...
Port 4/1 dot1x initialization complete.
Console> (enable) show port dot1x 4/1
Port  Auth-State          BEnd-State Port-Control        Port-Status
----- ------------------- ---------- ------------------- -------------
 4/1  connecting          finished   auto                unauthorized
Port  Multiple-Host Re-authentication
----- ------------- -----------------
 4/1  disabled      disabled

Setting and Enabling Automatic Reauthentication of the Supplicant

You can specify how often 802.1x authentication reauthenticates the supplicant if you do so before you enable automatic 802.1x supplicant reauthentication. If you do not specify a time period before you enable supplicant reauthentication, 802.1x defaults to 3,600 seconds (valid values are from 1 to 65,535 seconds).

Automatic 802.1x supplicant reauthentication can be enabled for supplicants connected to a specific port. To manually reauthenticate the supplicant connected to a specific port, see the "Manually Reauthenticating the Supplicant" section.

To set how often 802.1x authentication reauthenticates the supplicant and enable automatic 802.1x reauthentication, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Set the time constant for reauthenticating the supplicant.

set dot1x re-authperiod seconds

Step 2 

Enable reauthentication.

set port dot1x re-authentication enable

Step 3 

Verify the 802.1x configuration.

show port dot1x mod/port

This example shows how to set automatic reauthentication to 7200 seconds, enable 802.1x reauthentication, and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set dot1x re-authperiod 7200
dot1x re-authperiod set to 7200 seconds
Console> (enable) set port dot1x re-authentication enable
Port 4/1 re-authentication enabled.
Console> (enable) show port dot1x 4/1
Port  Auth-State          BEnd-State Port-Control        Port-Status   
----- ------------------- ---------- ------------------- -------------
 4/1  connecting          finished   auto                unauthorized  
Port  Multiple-Host Re-authentication
----- ------------- -----------------
 4/1  disabled      enabled

Manually Reauthenticating the Supplicant

You can manually reauthenticate the supplicant connected to a specific port at any time. When you want to configure automatic 802.1x supplicant reauthentication, see the "Setting and Enabling Automatic Reauthentication of the Supplicant" section.

To manually reauthenticate a supplicant connected to a specific port, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Manually reauthenticate the supplicant connected to a specific port.

set port dot1x mod/port re-authenticate


This example shows how to manually reauthenticate the supplicant connected to port 1 on module 4:

Console> (enable) set port dot1x 4/1 re-authenticate
Port 4/1 re-authenticating...
dot1x re-authentication successful...
dot1x port 4/1 authorized.

Enabling Multiple Hosts

You can enable a specific port to allow multiple-user access. When a port is enabled for multiple users, and a supplicant connected to that port is authorized successfully, any host (with any MAC address) is allowed to send and receive traffic on that port. If you then connect multiple supplicants to that port through a hub, you can reduce the security level on that port.

To enable multiple-user access on a specific port, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Enable multiple hosts on a specific port.

set port dot1x mod/port multiple-host enable


This example shows how to enable access for multiple hosts on port 1 on module 4:

Console> (enable) set port dot1x 4/1 multiple-host enable
Port 4/1 multiple hosts allowed.

Disabling Multiple Hosts

You can disable multiple-user access on any port where it is enabled.

To disable multiple-user access on a specific port, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Disable multiple hosts on a specific port.

set port dot1x mod/port multiple-host disable


This example shows how to disable access for multiple hosts on port 1 on module 4:

Console> (enable) set port dot1x 4/1 multiple-host disable
Port 4/1 multiple hosts not allowed.

Setting the Quiet Period

When the authenticator cannot authenticate the supplicant, it remains idle for set a period of time, and then tries again. The idle time is determined by the quiet-period value. (The default is 60 seconds.) You may set the value from 0 to 65535 seconds.

To set the value for the quiet period, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Set the quiet-period value.

set dot1x quiet-period seconds


This example shows how to set the quiet period to 45 seconds:

Console> (enable) set dot1x quiet-period 45
dot1x quiet-period set to 45 seconds.

Setting the Authenticator-to-Supplicant Retransmission Time for EAP-Request/Identity Frames

The supplicant notifies the authenticator that it received the EAP-request/identity frame. When the authenticator does not receive this notification, the authenticator waits a set period of time, and then retransmits the frame. You may set the amount of time that the authenticator waits for notification from 1 to 65535 seconds. (The default is 30 seconds.)

To set the authenticator-to-supplicant retransmission time for the EAP-request/identity frames, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Set the authenticator-to-supplicant retransmission time for EAP-request/identity frames.

set dot1x tx-period seconds


This example shows how to set the authenticator-to-supplicant retransmission time for the EAP-request/identity frame to 15 seconds:

Console> (enable) set dot1x tx-period 15
dot1x tx-period set to 15 seconds.

Setting the Back-End Authenticator-to-Supplicant Retransmission Time for EAP-Request Frames

The supplicant notifies the back-end authenticator that it received the EAP-request frame. When the back-end authenticator does not receive this notification, the back-end authenticator waits a set period of time, and then retransmits the frame. You may set the amount of time that the back-end authenticator waits for notification from 1 to 65535 seconds. (The default is 30 seconds.)

To set the back-end authenticator-to-supplicant retransmission time for the EAP-request frames, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Set the back-end authenticator-to-supplicant retransmission time for the EAP-request frame.

set dot1x supp-timeout seconds


This example shows how to set the back-end authenticator-to-supplicant retransmission time for the EAP-request frame to 15 seconds:

Console> (enable) set dot1x supp-timeout 15
dot1x supp-timeout set to 15 seconds.

Setting theBack-End Authenticator-to-Authentication-Server Retransmission Time for Transport Layer Packets

The authentication server notifies the back-end authenticator each time it receives a transport layer packet. When the back-end authenticator does not receive a notification after sending a packet, the back-end authenticator waits a set period of time, and then retransmits the packet. You may set the amount of time that the back-end authenticator waits for notification from 1 to 65535 seconds. (The default is 30 seconds.)

To set the value for the retransmission of transport layer packets from the back-end authenticator to the authentication server, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Set the back-end authenticator-to-authentication-server retransmission time for transport layer packets.

set dot1x server-timeout seconds


This example shows how to set the value for the retransmission time for transport layer packets sent from the back-end authenticator to the authentication server to 15 seconds:

Console> (enable) set dot1x server-timeout 15
dot1x server-timeout set to 15 seconds.

Setting the Back-End Authenticator-to-Supplicant Frame-Retransmission Number

The authentication server notifies the back-end authenticator each time it receives a specific number of frames. When the back-end authenticator does not receive this notification after sending the frames, the back-end authenticator waits a set period of time, and then retransmits the frames. You may set the number of frames that the back-end authenticator retransmits from 1 to 10 (the default is 2).

To set the number of frames retransmitted from the back-end authenticator to the supplicant, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task
Command

Set the back-end authenticator-to-supplicant frame retransmission number.

set dot1x max-req count


This example shows how to set the number of retransmitted frames sent from the back-end authenticator to the supplicant to 4:

Console> (enable) set dot1x max-req 4
dot1x max-req set to 4.

Resetting the 802.1x Configuration Parameters to the Default Values

You can reset the 802.1x configuration parameters to the default values with a single command, which also globally disables 802.1x.

To reset the 802.1x configuration parameters to the default values, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Reset the 802.1x configuration parameters to the default values and globally disable 802.1x.

clear dot1x config

Step 2 

Verify the 802.1x configuration.

show dot1x

This example shows how to reset the 802.1x configuration parameters to the default values and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) clear dot1x config
This command will disable dot1x on all ports and take dot1x parameter values back to 
factory defaults.
Do you want to continue (y/n) [n]?
Console> (enable) show dot1x
PAE Capability             Authenticator Only
Protocol Version           1
system-auth-control        enabled
max-req                    2
quiet-period               60 seconds
re-authperiod              3600 seconds
server-timeout             30 seconds
supp-timeout               30 seconds
tx-period                  30 seconds

Using the show Commands

You can use these show commands to access information about 802.1x authentication and its configuration:

show port dot1x help

show port dot1x

show port dot1x statistics

show dot1x

To display the usage options for the show port dot1x command, perform this task in normal mode:

Task
Command

Display the usage options for the show port dot1x command.

show port dot1x help


This example shows how to display the usage options for the show port dot1x command:


Console> (enable) show port dot1x help
Usage: show port dot1x [<mod[/port]>]
       show port dot1x statistics [<mod[/port]>]

To display the values for all the parameters associated with the authenticator PAE and back-end authenticator on a specific port on a specific module, perform this task in normal mode:

Task
Command

Display the values for all configurable and current state parameters associated with the authenticator PAE and back-end authenticator on a specific port on a specific module.

show port dot1x mod/port


This example shows how to display the values for all the parameters associated with the authenticator PAE and back-end authenticator on port 1 on module 4:

Console> (enable) show port dot1x 4/1
Port  Auth-State          BEnd-State Port-Control        Port-Status   
----- ------------------- ---------- ------------------- -------------
 4/1  connecting          finished   auto                unauthorized  
Port  Multiple-Host Re-authentication
----- ------------- -----------------
 4/1  disabled      enabled

To display the statistics for the different types of EAP frames transmitted and received by the authenticator on a specific port on a specific module, perform this task in normal mode:

Task
Command

Display the statistics for the different types of EAP frames transmitted and received by the authenticator on a specific port on a specific module.

show port dot1x statistics mod/port


This example shows how to display the statistics for the different types of EAP frames transmitted and received by the authenticator on port 1 on module 4:

Console> (enable) show port dot1x statistics 4/1
Port   Tx_Req/Id Tx_Req Tx_Total Rx_Start Rx_Logoff Rx_Resp/Id Rx_Resp
-----  --------- ------ -------- -------- --------- ---------- -------
 4/1   97        0      97       0        0         0          0
Port   Rx_Invalid Rx_Len_Err Rx_Total Last_Rx_Frm_Ver Last_Rx_Frm_Src_Mac
-----  ---------- ---------- -------- --------------- -------------------
 4/1   0          0          0        0               00-00-00-00-00-00

To display the global 802.1x parameters, perform this task in normal mode:

Task
Command

Display the PAE capabilities, protocol version, system-auth-control, and other global dot1x parameters.

show dot1x


This example shows how to display the global 802.1x parameters:

Console> (enable) show dot1x
PAE Capability             Authenticator Only
Protocol Version           1
system-auth-control        enabled
max-req                    2
quiet-period               60 seconds
re-authperiod              3600 seconds
server-timeout             30 seconds
supp-timeout               30 seconds
tx-period                  30 seconds

Authentication Example

Figure 21-3 shows a simple network topology using TACACS+.

In this example, TACACS+ authentication is enabled and local authentication is disabled for both login and enable access to the switch for all Telnet connections. When Workstation A attempts to connect to the switch, the user is challenged for a TACACS+ username and password.

However, only local authentication is enabled for both login and enable access on the console port. Any user with access to the directly connected terminal can access the switch using the login and enable passwords.

Figure 21-3 TACACS+ Example Network Topology

This example shows how to configure the switch so that TACACS+ authentication is enabled for Telnet connections, local authentication is enabled for console connections, and a TACACS+ encryption key is specified:

Console> (enable) show tacacs
Tacacs key: 
Tacacs login attempts: 3
Tacacs timeout: 5 seconds
Tacacs direct request: disabled

Tacacs-Server                              Status
----------------------------------------   -------
Console> (enable) set tacacs server 172.20.52.10
172.20.52.10 added to TACACS server table as primary server.
Console> (enable) set tacacs key tintin_et_milou 
The tacacs key has been set to tintin_et_milou.
Console> (enable) set authentication login tacacs enable telnet
tacacs login authentication set to enable for telnet session.
Console> (enable) set authentication enable tacacs enable telnet
tacacs enable authentication set to enable for telnet session.
Console> (enable) set authentication login local disable telnet 
local login authentication set to disable for telnet session.
Console> (enable) set authentication enable local disable telnet
local enable authentication set to disable for telnet session.
Console> (enable) show tacacs
Tacacs key: tintin_et_milou
Tacacs login attempts: 3
Tacacs timeout: 5 seconds
Tacacs direct request: disabled

Tacacs-Server                              Status
----------------------------------------   -------
172.20.52.10                               primary
Console> (enable)

Understanding How Authorization Works

These sections describe how authorization works:

Authorization Overview

Authorization Events

TACACS+ Primary Options and Fallback Options

TACACS+ Command Authorization

RADIUS Authorization

Authorization Overview

Catalyst 6000 family switches support TACACS+ and RADIUS authorization. Authorization limits access to specified users using a dynamically applied access list (or user profile) based on the username and password pair. The access list resides on the host running the TACACS+ or RADIUS server. The server responds to the user password information with an access list number that causes the specific list to be applied.

Authorization Events

You can enable authorization for the following:

Commands—When you enable the authorization feature for commands, the user must supply a valid username and password pair to execute certain commands. You can require authorization for all commands or for configuration (enable mode) commands only. When a user issues a command, the authorization server receives the command and user information and compares it against an access list. If the user is authorized to issue that command, the command is executed; otherwise, the command is not executed.

EXEC mode (normal login)—When the authorization feature is enabled for EXEC mode, the user must supply a valid username and password pair to gain access to EXEC mode. Authorization is required only if you have enabled the authorization feature.

Enable mode (privileged login)—When the authorization feature is enabled for enable mode, the user must supply a valid username and password pair to gain access to enable mode. Authorization is required only if you have enabled the authorization feature for enable mode.

TACACS+ Primary Options and Fallback Options

You can specify the primary option and fallback option used in the authorization process. Available options and fallback options include the following:

tacacs+If you have been authenticated, and there is no response from the TACACS+ server, then authorization will succeed immediately.

deny—Deny is strictly a fallback option. Authorization will fail if the TACACS+ server fails to respond. This is the default behavior.

if-authenticated—If you have been authenticated, and there is no response from the TACACS+ server, then authorization will succeed immediately.

none—Authorization will succeed if the TACACS+ server does not respond.

TACACS+ Command Authorization

You can require authorization for all commands or for configuration (enable mode) commands only. Configuration commands include the following:

copy

clear

commit

configure

delete

download

format

reload

rollback

session

set

squeeze

switch

undelete

The following TACACS+ authorization process occurs for every command that you enter:

If you have disabled the command authorization feature, the TACACS+ server will allow you to execute any command on the switch.

If you have enabled authorization for configuration commands only, the switch will verify that the argument string matches one of the commands listed above. If there is no match, the switch completes the command. If there is a match, the switch forwards the command to the NAS for authorization.

If you have enabled authorization for all commands, the switch forwards the command to the NAS for authorization.

RADIUS Authorization

RADUIS has limited authorization. There is one attribute, Service-Type, in the authentication protocol that provides authorization information. This attribute is part of the user-profile.

When you log in using RADIUS authentication and you do not have Administrative/Shell (6) Service-Type access, the network access server (NAS) authenticates you, and then logs you in to the EXEC mode. If you have Administrative/Shell (6) Service-Type access, the NAS authenticates you, and then logs you in to the privileged mode.

Configuring Authorization

These sections describe how to configure authorization:

TACACS+ Authorization Default Configuration

TACACS+ Authorization Configuration Guidelines

Configuring TACACS+ Authorization

Configuring RADIUS Authorization

TACACS+ Authorization Default Configuration

Table 21-4 shows the TACACS+ default authorization configuration.

Table 21-4 Default Authorization Configuration 

Feature
Default Value

TACACS+ login authorization (console and Telnet)

Disabled

TACACS+ EXEC authorization (console and Telnet)

Disabled

TACACS+ enable authorization (console and Telnet)

Disabled

TACACS+ commands authorization (console and Telnet)

Disabled


TACACS+ Authorization Configuration Guidelines

Follow these guidelines when configuring TACACS+ authorization on the switch:

TACACS+ authorization is disabled by default.

Authorization configuration applies to console connections, Telnet connections, or both types of connections.

You must specify the mode, option, fallback option, and connection type when enabling authorization.

Configure RADIUS and TACACS+ servers before enabling authorization. See the "Specifying TACACS+ Servers" section or the "Specifying RADIUS Servers" section for more information on server setup.

Configure RADIUS and TACACS+ keys to encrypt protocol packets before enabling authorization. See the "Specifying the TACACS+ Key" section or the "Specifying the RADIUS Key" section for more information on the key setup.

Configuring TACACS+ Authorization

These sections describe how to configure TACACS+ authorization on the switch.

Enabling TACACS+ Authorization

Disabling TACACS+ Authorization

Enabling TACACS+ Authorization

To enable TACACS+ authorization on the switch, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Enable authorization for normal mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable authorization only for console port or Telnet connection attempts. Enter the both keyword to enable authorization for both console port and Telnet connection attempts.

set authorization exec enable {option}{fallbackoption} [console | telnet | both]

Step 2 

Enable authorization for enable mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable authorization only for console port or Telnet connection attempts. Enter the both keyword to enable authorization for both console port and Telnet connection attempts.

set authorization enable enable {option} {fallbackoption} [console | telnet | both]

Step 3 

Enable authorization of configuration commands. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to enable authorization only for console port or Telnet connection attempts. Enter the both keyword to enable authorization for both console port and Telnet connection attempts.

set authorization commands enable {config | all} {option}{fallbackoption} [console | telnet | both]

Step 4 

Verify the TACACS+ authorization configuration.

show authorization

This example shows how to enable TACACS+ EXEC mode authorization for both console and Telnet connections. Authorization is configured with the tacacs+ option. The fallback option is deny:

Console> (enable) set authorization exec enable tacacs+ deny both
Successfully enabled enable authorization.
Console>

This example shows how to enable TACACS+ enable mode authorization for console and Telnet connections. Authorization is configured with the tacacs+ option. The fallback option is deny:

Console> (enable) set authorization enable enable tacacs+ deny both
Successfully enabled enable authorization.
Console>

This example shows how to enable TACACS+ command authorization for both console and Telnet connections. Authorization is configured with the tacacs+ option. The fallback option is deny:

Console> (enable) set authorization commands enable config tacacs+ deny both
Successfully enabled commands authorization.
Console> (enable) 

This example shows how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) show authorization
Telnet:
-------
            Primary   Fallback
            -------   --------
exec:       tacacs+    deny
enable:     tacacs+    deny
commands:   
 config:    tacacs+    deny
 all:       -         -

Console:
--------
            Primary   Fallback
            -------   --------
exec:       tacacs+    deny
enable:     tacacs+    deny
commands:   
 config:    tacacs+    deny
 all:       -         -
Console> (enable) 

Disabling TACACS+ Authorization

To disable TACACS+ authorization on the switch, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Disable authorization for normal mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to disable authorization only for console port or Telnet connection attempts. Enter the both keyword to disable authorization for both console port and Telnet connection attempts.

set authorization exec disable [console | telnet | both]

Step 2 

Disable authorization for enable mode. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to disable authorization only for console port or Telnet connection attempts. Enter the both keyword to disable authorization for both console port and Telnet connection attempts.

set authorization enable disable [console | telnet | both]

Step 3 

Disable authorization of configuration commands. Enter the console or telnet keyword if you want to disable authorization only for console port or Telnet connection attempts. Enter the both keyword to disable authorization for both console port and Telnet connection attempts.

set authorization commands disable [console | telnet | both]

Step 4 

Verify the TACACS+ authorization configuration.

show authorization

This example shows how to disable TACACS+ EXEC mode authorization for both console and Telnet connections and how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set authorization exec disable both
Successfully disabled enable authorization.
Console> (enable) 

This example shows how to disable TACACS+ enable mode authorization for both console and Telnet connections and how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set authorization enable disable both
Successfully disabled enable authorization.
Console> (enable) 

This example shows how to disable TACACS+ command authorization for both console and Telnet connections and how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set authorization commands disable both
Successfully disabled commands authorization.
Console> (enable) 

This example shows how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) show authorization

Telnet:
-------
            Primary   Fallback
            -------   --------
exec:       tacacs+    deny
enable:     tacacs+    deny
commands:   
 config:    tacacs+    deny
 all:       -         -

Console:
--------
            Primary   Fallback
            -------   --------
exec:       tacacs+    deny
enable:     tacacs+    deny
commands:   
 config:    tacacs+    deny
 all:       -         -
Console> (enable) 

Configuring RADIUS Authorization

These sections describe how to configure RADIUS authorization on the switch:

Enabling RADIUS Authorization

Disabling RADIUS Authorization

Enabling RADIUS Authorization

To enable RADIUS authorization and authentication on the switch, perform this task in privileged mode:


Step 1 Enter the set authentication login radius enable command in privileged mode. This command enables both RADIUS authentication and authorization.

Step 2 Set the Service-Type (RADIUS attribute 6) for the user to Admistrative (that is, a value of 6) in the RADIUS server to launch the user into enable mode in the RADIUS server. If the service-type is set for anything other than 6-administrative (for example, 1-login, 7-shell, or 2-framed), you will be at the switch EXEC prompt, not the enable prompt.


Disabling RADIUS Authorization

Enter the set authentication login radius disable command in privileged mode to disable RADIUS 
authorization.

Authorization Example

Figure 21-4 shows a simple network topology using TACACS+.

When Workstation A initiates a command on the switch, the switch registers a request with the TACACS+ daemon. The TACACS+ daemon determines if the user is authorized to use the feature and sends a response either executing the command or denying access.

Figure 21-4 TACACS+ Example Network Topology

In this example, TACACS+ authorization is enabled for enable mode access to the switch for both Telnet and console connections, authorizing configuration commands:

Console> (enable) set authorization enable enable tacacs+ deny both
Successfully enabled enable authorization.
Console> (enable) set authorization commands enable config tacacs+ deny both
Successfully enabled commands authorization.
Console> (enable) show authorization
Telnet:
-------
            Primary   Fallback
            -------   --------
exec:       tacacs+    deny
enable:     tacacs+    deny
commands:   
 config:    tacacs+    deny
 all:       -         -

Console:
--------
            Primary   Fallback
            -------   --------
exec:       tacacs+    deny
enable:     tacacs+    deny
commands:   
 config:    tacacs+    deny
 all:       -         -
Console> (enable) 

Understanding How Accounting Works

These sections describe how the different accounting methods work:

Accounting Overview

Accounting Events

Specifying When to Create Accounting Records

Specifying RADIUS Servers

Updating the Server

Suppressing Accounting

Accounting Overview

You can configure these accounting methods to monitor access to the switch:

TACACS+ accounting

RADIUS accounting

Accounting allows you to track user activity to a specified host, suspicious connection attempts in the network, and unauthorized changes to the NAS configuration itself. The accounting information is sent to the accounting server where it is saved in the form of a record. Accounting information typically consists of the user's action and the duration for which the action lasted. You can use the accounting feature for security, billing, and resource allocation purposes.

The accounting protocol operates in a client-server model, using TCP for transport. The NAS acts as the client and the accounting server acts as the daemon. The NAS sends accounting information to the server. The server, after successfully processing the information, sends a response to the NAS, acknowledging the request. All transactions between the NAS and server are authenticated using a key.

Once accounting has been enabled and an accountable event occurs on the system, the accounting information is gathered dynamically in memory. When the event ends, an accounting record is created and sent to the NAS, and then the system deletes the record from memory. The amount of memory used by the NAS for accounting varies depending on the number of concurrent accountable events.

Accounting Events

You can configure accounting for the following types of events:

EXEC mode accounting—Provides information about user EXEC sessions (normal login sessions) on the NAS (includes the duration of the EXEC session but does not include traffic statistics).

Connect accounting—Provides information about all outbound connections from the NAS (such as Telnet, rlogin).


Note If you get a connection immediately upon login and then your connection terminates, the EXEC and connect events overlap and have almost identical start and stop times.


System accounting—Provides information on system events not related to users (includes system reset, system boot, and user configuration of accounting).

Command accounting—Sends a record for each command issued by the user. This permits audit trail information to be gathered.

Specifying When to Create Accounting Records

You configure the switch to gather accounting information to create records. When you configure accounting (using the set accounting commands), the switch can generate two types of records:

Start records—Include partial information of the event (when the event started, type of service, and traffic statistics).

Stop records—Include complete information of the event (when the event started, its duration, type of service, and traffic statistics).

Accounting records are created and sent to the server at two events:

Start-stop—Records are sent at both the start and stop of an action if the action has duration. If the NAS fails to send the accounting record at the start of the action, it still allows you to proceed with the action.

Stop-only—Records are sent only at the termination of the event. Commands are assumed to have zero duration, so only stop records are generated for command accounting. No users are associated with system events; therefore, the start-stop option in the set accounting system command is ignored for system events.


Note Stop records include complete information of the event (when the event started, its duration, and traffic statistics). However, you might want redundancy and, therefore, may monitor both start and stop records of events occurring on the NAS.


Specifying RADIUS Servers

To specify one or more RADIUS servers, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Specify the IP address of up to three RADIUS servers. Specify the primary server using the primary keyword. Optionally, specify the destination UDP port to use on the server.

set radius server ip_addr [acct-port port] [primary]

Step 2 

Verify the RADIUS server configuration.

show radius

This example shows how to specify a RADIUS server and verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) set radius server 172.20.52.3
172.20.52.3 with auth-port 1812 added to radius server table as primary server.
Console> (enable) show radius

Login Authentication:  Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------  ----------------  ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)

Enable Authentication: Console Session   Telnet Session
---------------------- ----------------- ----------------
tacacs                 disabled          disabled        
radius                 disabled          disabled        
local                  enabled(primary)  enabled(primary)

Radius Deadtime:              0 minutes
Radius Key:                   
Radius Retransmit:            2
Radius Timeout:               5 seconds

Radius-Server                 Status   Auth-port
----------------------------- -------  ------------
172.20.52.3                   primary  1812
Console> (enable)

Updating the Server

You can configure the switch to send accounting information to the TACACS+ server. There are two options:

Newinfo—Sends accounting information to the server only when new accounting information becomes available.

Periodic—Sends accounting update records at regular intervals. This option could be used to keep up-to-date connection and session information even if the NAS restarts and loses the initial start time. You must set a time lapse between periodic updates. Valid intervals are from 1 to 71,582 minutes.

Suppressing Accounting

You can configure the system to suppress accounting when an unknown user with no username accesses the switch by using the set accounting suppress null-username enable command.


Note RADIUS and TACACS+ accounting are the same, except that RADIUS does not do command accounting, periodic updates, or allow null-username suppression.


Configuring Accounting

These sections describe how to configure accounting for both TACACS+ and RADIUS:

Accounting Default Configuration

Accounting Configuration Guidelines

Configuring Accounting

Accounting Default Configuration

Table 21-5 shows the accounting default configuration.

Table 21-5 Accounting Default Configuration 

Feature
Default Value

Accounting

Disabled

Accounting events (exec, system, commands, and connect)

Disabled

Accounting records

Stop-only


Accounting Configuration Guidelines

Follow these guidelines when configuring accounting on the switch:

Configure RADIUS and TACACS+ servers before enabling accounting. See the "Specifying TACACS+ Servers" section or the "Specifying RADIUS Servers" section for more information on server setup.

Configure RADIUS and TACACS+ keys to encrypt protocol packets before enabling accounting. See the "Specifying the TACACS+ Key" section or the "Specifying the RADIUS Key" section for more information on the key setup.


Note The amount of DRAM allocated for one accounting event is approximately 500 bytes. The total amount of DRAM used by accounting depends on the number of concurrent accountable events in the system.


Configuring Accounting

These sections describe how to configure RADIUS and TACACS+ accounting on the switch:

Enabling Accounting

Disabling Accounting

Enabling Accounting

To enable accounting on the switch, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Enable accounting for connection events.

set accounting connect enable {start-stop | stop-only} {tacacs+ | radius}

Step 2 

Enable accounting for EXEC mode.

set accounting exec enable {start-stop | stop-only} {tacacs+ | radius}

Step 3 

Enable accounting for system events.

set accounting system enable {start-stop | stop-only} {tacacs+ | radius}

Step 4 

Enable accounting of configuration commands.

set accounting commands enable {config | all} {stop-only} tacacs+

Step 5 

Enable suppression of information for unknown users.

set accounting suppress null-username enable

Step 6 

Configure accounting to be updated as new information is available.

set accounting update {new-info | {periodic [interval]}}

Step 7 

Verify the accounting configuration.

show accounting

This example shows how to enable stop-only TACACS+ accounting events:

Console> (enable) set accounting connect enable stop-only tacacs+
Accounting set to enable for connect events in stop-only mode.
Console> (enable) 

Console> (enable) set accounting exec enable stop-only tacacs+   
Accounting set to enable for exec events in stop-only mode.
Console> (enable) 

Console> (enable) set accounting system enable stop-only tacacs+
Accounting set to enable for system events in stop-only mode.
Console> (enable) 

Console> (enable) set accounting commands enable all stop-only tacacs+
Accounting set to enable for commands-all events in stop-only mode.
Console> (enable) 

This example shows how to suppress accounting of unknown users:

Console> (enable) set accounting suppress null-username enable        
Accounting will be suppressed for user with no username.
Console> (enable) 

This example shows how to periodically update the server:

Console> (enable) set accounting update periodic 120          
Accounting updates will be periodic at 120 minute intervals.
Console> (enable) 

This example shows how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) show accounting
Event     Method  Mode       
-----     ------- ----       
exec:     tacacs+ stop-only  
connect:  tacacs+ stop-only  
system:   tacacs+ stop-only  
commands:
config:   -       -          
all:      tacacs+ stop-only  
TACACS+ Suppress for no username: enabled
Update Frequency: periodic, Interval = 120

Accounting information:
-----------------------
Active Accounted actions on tty0, User (null) Priv 0
Active Accounted actions on tty288091924, User (null) Priv 0
Overall Accounting Traffic:
          Starts   Stops  Active
          -----    -----  ------
Exec           0       0       0
Connect        0       0       0
Command        0       0       0
System         1       0       0
Console> (enable) 

Disabling Accounting

To disable RADIUS accounting on the switch, perform this task in privileged mode:

 
Task
Command

Step 1 

Disable accounting for connection events.

set accounting connect disable

Step 2 

Disable accounting for EXEC mode.

set accounting exec disable

Step 3 

Disable accounting for system events.

set accounting system disable

Step 4 

Disable accounting of configuration commands.

set accounting commands disable

Step 5 

Disable suppression of information for unknown users.

set accounting suppress null-username disable

Step 6 

Verify the accounting configuration.

show accounting

This example shows how to disable stop-only accounting:

Console> (enable) set accounting connect disable     
Accounting set to disable for connect events.
Console> (enable)

Console> (enable) set accounting exec disable
Accounting set to disable for exec events.
Console> (enable)

Console> (enable) set accounting system disable
Accounting set to disable for system events.
Console> (enable)

Console> (enable) set accounting commands disable
Accounting set to disable for commands-all events.
Console> (enable)

This example shows how to disable suppression of unknown users:

Console> (enable) set accounting suppress null-username disable
Accounting will be not be suppressed for user with no username.
Console> (enable)

This example shows how to verify the configuration:

Console> (enable) show accounting
Event     Method  Mode       
-----     ------- ----       
exec:     -       -          
connect:  -       -          
system:   -       -          
commands:
config:   -       -          
all:      -       -          

TACACS+ Suppress for no username: disabled
Update Frequency: new-info

Accounting information:
-----------------------
Active Accounted actions on tty0, User (null) Priv 0
Active Accounted actions on tty288091924, User (null) Priv 0
Overall Accounting Traffic:
          Starts   Stops  Active
          -----    -----  ------
Exec           0       0       0
Connect        0       0       0
Command        0       0       0
System         1       2       0
Console> (enable) 

Accounting Example

Figure 21-5 shows a simple network topology using TACACS+.

When Workstation A initiates an accountable event on the switch, the switch gathers event information and forwards the information to the server at the conclusion of the event. Accounting information is gathered at the conclusion of the event. Accounting is suspended for unknown users and the system is updated every 120 minutes.

Figure 21-5 TACACS+ Example Network Topology

In this example, TACACS+ accounting is enabled for connection, exec, system, and all command accounting:

Console> (enable) set accounting connect enable stop-only tacacs+
Accounting set to enable for connect events in stop-only mode.
Console> (enable) set accounting exec enable stop-only tacacs+   
Accounting set to enable for exec events in stop-only mode.
Console> (enable) set accounting commands enable all stop-only tacacs+
Accounting set to enable for commands-all events in stop-only mode.
Console> (enable) set accounting update periodic 120          
Accounting updates will be periodic at 120 minute intervals.
Console> (enable) show accounting
Event     Method  Mode       
-----     ------- ----       
exec:     tacacs+ stop-only  
connect:  tacacs+ stop-only  
system:   tacacs+ stop-only  
commands:
config:   -       -          
all:      tacacs+ stop-only  

TACACS+ Suppress for no username: enabled
Update Frequency: periodic, Interval = 120

Accounting information:
-----------------------
Active Accounted actions on tty0, User (null) Priv 0
Active Accounted actions on tty288091924, User (null) Priv 0
Overall Accounting Traffic:
          Starts   Stops  Active
          -----    -----  ------
Exec           0       0       0
Connect        0       0       0
Command        0       0       0
System         1       0       0
Console> (enable)