Configuring Secure Shell (SSH)

Configuring the Switch for SSH Operation

Syntax: aaa authentication ssh login < local tacacs radius >[< local none >]

Configures a password method for the primary and secondary login (Operator) access. If you do not specify a secondary method, it defaults to none.

If the primary method is local, the secondary method is always none, which may or may not be specified.

aaa authentication ssh enable < local tacacs radius>[< local none >]

Configures a password method for the primary and secondary enable (Manager) access. If you do not specify a secondary method, it defaults to none.

If the primary method is local, the secondary method is always none, which may or may not be specified.

Option B: Configuring the Switch for Client Public-Key SSH

Authentication. When configured with this option, the switch uses its public key to authenticate itself to a client, but the client must also provide a client public-key for the switch to authenticate. This option requires the additional step of copying a client public-key file from a TFTP server into the switch.

This means that before you can use this option, you must:

1.Create a key pair on an SSH client.

2.Copy the client’s public key into a public-key file (which can contain up to ten client public-keys).

3.Copy the public-key file into a TFTP server accessible to the switch and download the file to the switch.

(For more on these topics, refer to “Further Information on SSH Client Public- Key Authentication” on page 6-21.)

With steps 1 - 3, above, completed and SSH properly configured on the switch, if an SSH client contacts the switch, login authentication automatically occurs using the switch and client public-keys. Then, after the client gains login access, the switch controls client access to the manager level by requiring the passwords configured earlier by the aaa authentication ssh enable command.

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