Security Type Descriptions

The following occurs:

Stage Description

1The access server uses the realm name to determine the security method to use when authenticating the login.

2If the realm name is for a RADIUS server, the access server sends the login information to a RADIUS authentication host.

3Upon completing authentication successfully, the RADIUS authentication host sends a list of authorization parameters to the access server after authentication completes successfully. These parameters are the intended settings for the user’s session.

Since the set of attributes that the RADIUS authentication host sends to the access server can be incomplete, you can set default realm authorization parameters that provide missing values to complete the authorization set. If a parameter is missing from both the RADIUS authorization parameters and from the realm’s default parameters, and the parameter is defined within the port configuration information, the port supplies the value for the parameter. This resulting set of parameters is the “authorization” information used for this session.

SecurID

SecurID is a system of authentication from Security Dynamics Technologies, Inc. There is no authorization information at the SecurID authentication host. Like Kerberos, the SecurID realm provides values for realm-defined parameters.

Once the password has been accepted, its processing is analogous to the Kerberos method. However, the resulting “authorization” parameters with SecurID, are the combination of the realm parameters and the port configuration parameters.

User Accounts

User accounts provide a method of defining user name and password pairs, and associated authorization parameters. User account information resides on the access server. This is convenient method for supporting multiple administrative roles that are fully self-contained on the access server.

Managing Access Server Security 22-3