Local authentication process

When the switch is configured to use RADIUS, it reverts to local authentication only if one of these two conditions exists:
  • Local

    is the authentication option for the access method being used.

  • The switch has been configured to query one or more RADIUS servers for a primary authentication request, but has not received a response, and Local is the configured secondary option.

For local authentication, the switch uses the operator-level and manager-level user name/password sets previously configured locally on the switch. These are the user names and passwords you configure using the CLI password command, the WebAgent, or the menu interface which enables only local password configuration.

  • If the operator at the requesting terminal correctly enters the user name/password pair for either access level (operator or manager), access is granted on the basis of which user name/password pair was used. For example, suppose you configure Telnet primary access for RADIUS and Telnet secondary access for local. If a RADIUS access attempt fails, then you can still get access to either the operator or manager level of the switch by entering the correct user name/password pair for the level you want to enter.

  • If the user name/password pair entered at the requesting terminal does not match either local user name/password pair previously configured in the switch, access is denied. In this case, the terminal is again prompted to enter a user name/password pair. In the default configuration, the switch allows up to three attempts. If the requesting terminal exhausts the attempt limit without a successful authentication, the login session is terminated and the operator at the requesting terminal must initiate a new session before trying again.