CHAPTER
7-1
Catalyst 2950 Desktop Switch Software Configuration Guide
78-14982-01
7

Administering the Switch

This cha pter descri bes how to perform one-t ime ope rations to administ er your switc h. This ch apter
consists of these sections:
•Preventing Unauthorized Access to Your Switch, page 7-1
•Protectin g A cce ss to Pr ivileged EXEC Co mm an ds, page 7 -2
•Controlling Sw itch Access with TACACS+, page 7-10
•Controlling Switch Access with RADIUS, page 7-18
•Configuring the Switch for Local Authentication and Authorization, page 7-32
•Configuring the Switch for Secure Shell, page 7-33
•Managin g the System Time and Da te, pa ge 7-3 4
•Configuring a System Na me a nd Pro mpt, pa ge 7-4 8
•Creatin g a Banner, page 7-51
•Managin g the MAC Address Table, page 7-54
•Managin g the ARP Table, p age 7- 61
•Switch Software Releases, page 7-61

Preventing Unauthori zed Ac cess to You r Switch

You can prevent una uthor ized use rs from re co nfiguring y our swi tch and viewing c on figuration
information. Typically , you want network administrators to have access to your switch while you restrict
access to use rs who dia l fro m ou ts ide the ne twork t hrough an as ync hronou s por t, c on nect from out side
the networ k through a ser ial por t, or conne ct thro ugh a term inal or wor kstation from wit hin the l ocal
network.
To prevent unaut horiz ed a cce ss in to y our swi tch , you sho ul d configur e one o r more of the se sec urit y
features:
•At a minimum, you should configure passwords and privileges at each switch port. These passwords
are locally stored on the switch. When users atte mpt to access the switch through a port or line, they
must enter the password specified for the port or line before they can access the switch. Fo r more
information, see the “Protect ing Acces s to Privileged EXEC Commands” s ection on page 7-2.