Security
7450 ESS System Mangement Guide Page 27
TACACS+ Authentication
Terminal Access Controller Access Control System, commonly referred to as TACACS is an 
authentication protocol that allows a remote access server to forward a user's logon password to an 
authentication server to determine whether access can be allowed to a given system. TACACS is 
an encryption protocol and therefore less secure than the later Terminal Access Controller Access 
Control System Plus (TACACS+) and RADIUS protocols. 
TACACS+ and RADIUS have largely replaced earlier protocols in the newer or recently updated 
networks. TACACS+ uses Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and RADIUS uses the User 
Datagram Protocol (UDP). TACACS+ is popular as TCP is thought to be a more reliable protocol. 
RADIUS combines authentication and authorization. TACACS+ separates these operations.