Nortel Networks 43W7774 manual Accessing the Switch, User Access Levels

Alteon OS Command Reference

Accessing the Switch

To enable better switch management and user accountability, three levels or classes of user access have been implemented on the GbE Switch Module. Levels of access to CLI, Web man- agement functions, and screens increase as needed to perform various switch management tasks. Conceptually, access classes are defined as follows:

„User interaction with the switch is completely passive—nothing can be changed on the GbE Switch Module. Users may display information that has no security or privacy implica- tions, such as switch statistics and current operational state information.

„Operators can make temporary changes on the GbE Switch Module. These changes are lost when the switch is rebooted/reset. Operators have access to the switch management fea- tures used for daily switch operations. Because any changes an operator makes are undone by a reset of the switch, operators cannot severely impact switch operation.

„Administrators are the only ones that may make permanent changes to the switch configu- ration—changes that are persistent across a reboot/reset of the switch. Administrators can access switch functions to configure and troubleshoot problems on the GbE Switch Module. Because administrators can also make temporary (operator-level) changes as well, they must be aware of the interactions between temporary and permanent changes.

Access to switch functions is controlled through the use of unique surnames and passwords. Once you are connected to the switch via local Telnet, remote Telnet, or SSH, you are prompted to enter a password. The default user names/password for each access level are listed in the following table.

NOTE – It is recommended that you change default switch passwords after initial configuration and as regularly as required under your network security policies. For more information, see “Setting Passwords” on page 43.

Table 1-2	User Access Levels
User Account	Description and Tasks Performed	Password
User	The User has no direct responsibility for switch management.	user
	He or she can view all switch status information and statistics,
	but cannot make any configuration changes to the switch.
Operator	The Operator manages all functions of the switch. The	oper
	Operator can reset ports, except the management port.

26 „ The Command Line Interface 43W7774, May 2007