Chapter 8
Configuring Switch-Based Authentication
Controlling Switch Access with RADIUS
To remove the specified RADIUS server, use the no radius-server host hostname | ip-address global
configuration command.
This example shows how to configure one RADIUS server to be used for authentication and another to
be used for accounting:
Switch(config)# radius-server host 172.29.36.49 auth-port 1612 key rad1
Switch(config)# radius-server host 172.20.36.50 acct-port 1618 key rad2
This example shows how to configure host1 as the RADIUS server and to use the default ports for both
authentication and accounting:
Switch(config)# radius-server host host1
You also need to configure some settings on the RADIUS server. These settings include the IP address
Note
of the switch and the key string to be shared by both the server and the switch. For more information,
refer to the RADIUS server documentation.
Configuring RADIUS Login Authentication
To configure AAA authentication, you define a named list of authentication methods and then apply that
list to various ports. The method list defines the types of authentication to be performed and the sequence
in which they are performed; it must be applied to a specific port before any of the defined authentication
methods are performed. The only exception is the default method list (which, by coincidence, is named
default). The default method list is automatically applied to all ports except those that have a named
method list explicitly defined.
A method list describes the sequence and authentication methods to be queried to authenticate a user.
You can designate one or more security protocols to be used for authentication, thus ensuring a backup
system for authentication in case the initial method fails. The software uses the first method listed to
authenticate users; if that method fails to respond, the software selects the next authentication method in
the method list. This process continues until there is successful communication with a listed
authentication method or until all defined methods are exhausted. If authentication fails at any point in
this cycle—meaning that the security server or local username database responds by denying the user
access—the authentication process stops, and no other authentication methods are attempted.
Catalyst 3560 Switch Software Configuration Guide
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