3Com 5500-EI PWR Reference Manual page 7

Description
Use the super authentication-mode command to specify the authentication mode used
for low-to-high user level switching.
Use the undo super authentication-mode command to restore the default.
By default, super password authentication is adopted for low-to-high user level switching.
Note that, the two authentication modes, super password authentication and HWTACACS
authentication, are available at the same time to provide authentication redundancy. When
both the two authentication modes are specified, the order to perform the two types of
authentication is determined by the order in which they are specified, as described below.
If the super authentication-mode super-password scheme command is executed to
specify the authentication mode for user level switching, the super password
authentication is preferred and the HWTACACS authentication mode is the backup.
If the super authentication-mode scheme super-password command is executed to
specify the authentication mode for low-to-high user level switching, the HWTACACS
authentication is preferred and the super password authentication mode is the backup.
When both the super password authentication and the HWTACACS authentication are
specified, the device adopts the preferred authentication mode first. If the preferred
authentication mode cannot be implemented (for example, the super password is not
configured or the HWTACACS authentication server is unreachable), the backup
authentication mode is adopted.
Examples
# Specify HWTACACS authentication as the preferred authentication mode when a VTY 0
user switches from the current level to a higher level, with the super password
authentication as the backup authentication mode.
<Sysname> system-view
System View: return to User View with Ctrl+Z.
[Sysname] user-interface vty 0
[Sysname-ui-vty0] super authentication-mode scheme super-password
super password
Syntax
super password [ level level ] { cipher | simple } password
undo super password [ level level ]
View
System view
Parameters
level level: User level, in the range of 1 to 3. It is 3 by default.
cipher: Stores the password in the configuration file in ciphered text.
simple: Stores the password in the configuration file in plain text.
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