5-5
TACACS+ Authentication
General Authentication Setup Procedure
Note If a complete access lockout occurs on the switch as a result of a TACACS+ 
configuration, see “Troubleshooting TACACS+ Operation” in the Trouble-
shooting chapter of the Management and Configuration Guide for your 
switch.
1. Familiarize yourself with the requirements for configuring your 
TACACS+ server application to respond to requests from the switch. 
(Refer to the documentation provided with the TACACS+ server soft-
ware.) This includes knowing whether you need to configure an encryp-
tion key. (See “Using the Encryption Key” on page 5-26.)
2. Determine the following:
3. Plan and enter the TACACS+ server configuration needed to support 
TACACS+ operation for Telnet access (login and enable) to the switch. 
This includes the username/password sets for logging in at the Operator 
(read-only) privilege level and the sets for logging in at the Manager (read/
write) privilege level. 
• The IP address(es) of the TACACS+ 
server(s) you want the switch to use 
for authentication. If you will use 
more than one server, determine 
which server is your first-choice for 
authentication services.
• The encryption key, if any, for 
allowing the switch to communicate 
with the server. You can use either 
a global key or a server-specific key, 
depending on the encryption 
configuration in the TACACS+ 
server(s).
• The number of log-in attempts you 
will allow before closing a log-in 
session. (Default: 3)
• The period you want the switch to 
wait for a reply to an authentication 
request before trying another 
server.
• The username/password pairs you 
want the TACACS+ server to use for 
controlling access to the switch.
• The privilege level you want for 
each username/password pair 
administered by the TACACS+ 
server for controlling access to the 
switch.
• The username/password pairs you 
want to use for local authentication 
(one pair each for Operator and 
Manager levels).