Authentication; Authentication Types - Dell Networking N4000 Series Configuration Manual

Authentication

Authentication is the process of validating a user's identity. During the
authentication process, only identity validation is done. There is no
determination made of which switch services the user is allowed to access.
This is true even when RADIUS is used for authentication; RADIUS cannot
perform separate transactions for authentication and authorization. However,
the RADIUS server can provide attributes during the authentication process
that are used in the authorization process.

Authentication Types

There are three types of authentication:
Login— Login authentication grants access to the switch if the user
•
credentials are validated. Access is granted only at privilege level one.
• Enable—Enable authentication grants access to a higher privilege level if
the user credentials are validated for the higher privilege level. When
RADIUS is used for enable authentication, the username for this request is
always $enab15$. The username used to log into the switch is not used for
RADIUS enable authentication.
Dot1x—Dot1x authentication is used to grant an 802.1X supplicant access
•
to the network. For more information about 802.1X, see "Configuring Port
and System Security" on page 503.
Table 10-2 shows the valid methods for each type of authentication:
Table 10-2. Valid Methods for Authentication Types
Method
enable
ias
line
local
none
radius
tacacs
Configuring Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting
Login
yes
no
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
Enable
yes
no
yes
no
yes
yes
yes
Dot1x
no
yes
no
no
yes
yes
no
211