Describes the workflow, key components, and process stages for configuring IKEv2 and OTNSec encryption on NCS1004 using CA-based and PSK-based authentication.
Configuring OTNSec on NCS1004 ensures secure data transmission by establishing IKEv2 and OTNSec encryption using either certificate authority (CA) or pre-shared key (PSK) authentication. The process involves preparing prerequisites, choosing an authentication method, and completing a series of configuration steps.
Summary
The key components involved in the process are:
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NCS1004 device: The platform where OTNSec encryption is configured.
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Authentication methods: Supports both certificate authority (CA) and pre-shared keys (PSK), providing flexibility for different security needs.
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Required software and hardware preparation: The
k9sec.rpmpackage must be installed and the line card configured in muxponder slice mode.
Workflow
The process involves the following stages:
- Complete prerequisites:
- Install the required k9sec.rpm package
- Configure the line card in slice mode. See .
- Configuring IKE:
- Configure IKEv2 proposals for secure negotiation: (Optional) Configure an IKEv2 proposal manually;otherwise, the default IKEv2 proposal is used in the default IKEv2 policy. The default IKEv2 proposal requires no configuration and is a collection of commonly used transforms types, which are as follows:
encryption cbc-aes-256 integrity sha512, sha384 prf sha512, sha384 dh 19, 20, 21 - Configure a keyring: Configure a keyring as the local or remote authentication method is a preshared key.
- Configure an IKEv2 policy: (Optional) Configure an IKEv2 policy manually;otherwise, the default proposal associated with the default policy is used for negotiation. An IKEv2 policy with no proposal is considered incomplete.
- Configure an IKEv2 profile: Configure an IKEv2 profile. The IKEv2 profile must be attached to the OTNSec profile on both the IKEv2 initiator and the responder. The DPD interval is 10 seconds. If there is no response from the peer node, it retries every two seconds with a maximum of five attempts. After five retries, the IKE session is brought down. NCS 1004 supports headless mode. Therefore, even though the control plane is down, traffic is not impacted because the encryption and decryption keys are still active on the line cards. The data path functions in a locally secure mode and the OTNSEC-LOCALLY-SECURED alarm is raised.
- Configure IKEv2 proposals for secure negotiation: (Optional) Configure an IKEv2 proposal manually;otherwise, the default IKEv2 proposal is used in the default IKEv2 policy. The default IKEv2 proposal requires no configuration and is a collection of commonly used transforms types, which are as follows:
- Configure OTNSec:
- Configure an OTNSec policy: (Optional) Configure the OTNSec policy.
- Configure the GCC interface: Configure the GCC2 interface.
- Configure OTNSec on ODU4 controllers: Configure the ODU4 controller that is mapped to the HundredGigE controller for 1.2T and 1.2TL cards.
- Configure OTNSec on ODUC4 controllers for the OTN-XP card: Configure the ODUC4 controller in the OTN-XP card. The ODUC4 controller is mapped to the 400GE client for the TXP datapath, and 4x100GE clients for the MXP datapath.
- Verify the IKE and OTNSec encryption configuration: Commands for verifying IKEv2 and OTNSec configuration on Cisco NCS 1004
Result
Successfully configuring OTNSec and IKEv2 encryption on the NCS1004 device ensures secure transmission of data across optical networks. The process enables flexible authentication with either certificate authority (CA) or pre-shared key (PSK) methods, maintains robust protection even in headless mode, and raises relevant alarms for locally secured data paths, thereby safeguarding sensitive traffic against unauthorized access and disruption.