Configuring the switch 121
Switch TACACS+ Configuration
To display the following form, select System > Tacacs+.
TACACS+ (Terminal Access Controller Access Control System) is an authentication protocol that allows a remote
access server to forward a user's logon password to an authentication server to determine whether access can be
allowed to a given system. TACACS+ and Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) protocols are
more secure than the TACACS encryption protocol. TACACS+ is described in RFC 1492.
TACACS+ protocol is more reliable than RADIUS, as TACACS+ uses the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
whereas RADIUS uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Also, RADIUS combines authentication and
authorization in a user profile, whereas TACACS+ separates the two operations.
TACACS+ offers the following advantages over RADIUS as the authentication device:
• TACACS+ is TCP-based, so it facilitates connection-oriented traffic.
• It supports full-packet encryption, as opposed to password-only in authentication requests.
• It supports decoupled authentication, authorization, and accounting.