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E_Port authentication between Fabric OS and M-EOS switches 14
TABLE 62 Switch authentication policy-M-EOS switch with the incorrect peer secret for Fabric OS switch

If the same secret is used on both the Fabric OS switch and the M-EOS switch, it will be treated as

an incorrect secret.

Dumb switch authentication

A dumb switch refers to a switch that does not know anything about authentication. An M-EOS

switch becomes a dumb switch when it does not have the authentication feature keys enabled

(specifically the SANtegrity 1 and SANtegrity 2 feature keys). A Fabric OS switch becomes a dumb

switch when the authentication is configured to Off (See previous section for a description of Fabric

OS switch authentication Off conditions). How authentication is affected when the M-EOS switch

does not have the feature keys enabled is discussed in this section.

Table 63 on page 316 shows how authentication is affected when a Fabric OS switch is connected

to a dumb M-EOS switch.

Fabric OS Passive Active On Off
M-EOS
On No
E_Port does not
connect
(Authentication
Rejected). When the
Fabric OS switch
generates the reject, it
disables the Fabric OS
port. When the M-EOS
switch generates the
reject, it goes to an
invalid attachment
state.
No
E_Port does not
connect
(Authentication
Rejected). When the
Fabric OS switch
generates the reject,
it disables the Fabric
OS port. When the
M-EOS switch
generates the reject,
it goes to an invalid
attachment state.
No
E_Port does not
connect
(Authentication
Rejected). When the
Fabric OS switch
generates the reject,
it disables the Fabric
OS port. When the
M-EOS switch
generates the reject,
it goes to an invalid
attachment state.
No
E_Port does not
connect
(Authentication
Rejected). When
the Fabric OS
switch generates
the reject, it
disables the
Fabric OS port.
When the M-EOS
switch generates
the reject, it
goes to an
invalid
attachment
state.
Off Yes
Connected without any
authentication (Fabric
builds normally).
Yes*
Connected with
one-way
authentication; only
one of connected
switches performs
Authentication (Fabric
builds normally).
Yes*
Connected with
one-way
authentication; only
one of connected
switches performs
Authentication (Fabric
builds normally).
Yes
Connected
without any
authentication
(Fabric builds
normally).