11-5. Switch Authentication

• Switch authentication enables you to control how people access the switch.

• By default switch authentication is controlled locally by the user password and the enable password.

• You can configure the switch to use an authentication server, such as a RADIUS or TACACS+ server, for authentication.

• After you configure RADIUS or TACACS+, it is important to have local authentication enabled to log in to the switch if the authentication server is down.

• Configuration for authentication is sometimes required for options such as Secure Shell (SSH) Telnet and 802.1X port authorization.