37-31
Cisco ASA 5500 Series Configuration Guide using the CLI
Chapter37 Configuring Management Access
Configuring AAA for System Administrators
Recovering from a Lockout
In some circumstances, when you turn on command authorization or CLI authentication, you can be
locked out of the ASA CLI. You can usually recover access by restarting the ASA. However, if you
already saved your configuration, you might be locked out. Table37-2 lists the common lockout
conditions and how you might recover from them.
Current privilege level Levels range from 0 to 15. Unless you configure local command authorization
and assign commands to intermediate privilege levels, levels 0 and 15 are the
only levels that are used.
Current Mode/s The available access modes are the following:
P_UNPR—User EXEC mode (levels 0 and 1)
P_PRIV—Privileged EXEC mode (levels 2 to 15)
P_CONF—Configuration mode
Table37-1 show curpriv Command Output Description (continued)
Field Description
Table37-2 CLI Authentication and Command Authorization Lockout Scenarios
Feature Lockout Condition Description Workaround: Single Mode Workaround: Multiple Mode
Local CLI
authentication
No users in the
local database
If you have no users in
the local database, you
cannot log in, and you
cannot add any users.
Log in and reset the
passwords and aaa
commands.
Session into the ASA from
the switch. From the system
execution space, you can
change to the context and
add a user.
TACAC S+
command
authorization
TACACS+ CLI
authentication
RADIUS CLI
authentication
Server down or
unreachable and
you do not have
the fallback
method
configured
If the server is
unreachable, then you
cannot log in or enter
any commands.
1. Log in and reset the
passwords and AAA
commands.
2. Configure the local
database as a fallback
method so you do not
get locked out when the
server is down.
1. If the server is
unreachable because the
network configuration
is incorrect on the ASA,
session into the ASA
from the switch. From
the system execution
space, you can change
to the context and
reconfigure your
network settings.
2. Configure the local
database as a fallback
method so you do not
get locked out when the
server is down.