AAA Configuration

show aaa

[Command] show aaa

[Purpose] View the authentication, authorization and billing settings configured in the network node

[View] System view

[Use Cases]

sonic# show aaa
AAA accounting debug False
AAA accounting command local (default)
AAA authentication debug False
AAA authentication login tacacs+,local
AAA authentication failthrough True
AAA authentication fallback True
AAA authorization debug False
AAA authorization auth_cmd False
AAA authorization command tacacs+,local
AAA authorization auth_service True

aaa accounting command {tacacs+|radius|local|default}

[Command] aaa accounting command {tacacs+|radius|local|default}

[Purpose] Configure AAA Audit Method

[Parameter]

Parameter	Description
tacacs+	Command Auditing Using TACACS+
radius	Command Auditing Using RADIUS
local	Local Audit
default	Reset to default values, local auditing

[View] System configuration view

[Notes] After enabling TACACS+ or RADIUS auditing, commands executed by users at the command line will be logged on the TACACS+ server or RADIUS server.

Caution

[Important Notes] TACACS+ and local authentication can be used independently or in combination. RADIUS and local authentication can be used independently or in combination. TACACS+ and RADIUS cannot be used in combination.

Configure the billing mode to match the authentication mode, meaning either both use local auditing, or both use TACACS+, or both use RADIUS.

[Use Cases]

sonic(config)# aaa accounting command local tacacs+

aaa authentication debug enable

[Command] aaa authentication debug enable no aaa authentication debug enable

[Purpose] Enable user authentication debug information

[View] System configuration view

[Notes] When users enable authentication debug information, corresponding authentication details for each user will be logged to the /var/log/syslog file during the authentication process.

[Use Cases]

sonic(config)# aaa authentication debug enable

aaa authentication failthrough {enable|default}

[Command] aaa authentication failthrough {enable|default} no aaa authentication failthrough enable

[Purpose] Enable fail-through

[View] System configuration view

[Notes] Configure this command when multiple TACACS+ servers are set up and TACACS+ authentication is enabled. This configuration allows authentication requests to proceed to the next server if the first server fails, continuing until a server responds or all configured servers have been polled. If this option is disabled and authentication fails on the first server, the authentication process stops and login to the device is denied. Configure this command when both TACACS+ authentication and local authentication are enabled. After TACACS+ server authentication fails, the device will then attempt authentication with the local server.

[Use Cases]

sonic(config)# aaa authentication failthrough enable

aaa authentication fallback {enable|default}

[Command] aaa authentication fallback {enable|default} no aaa authentication fallback enable

[Purpose] Enable fallback

[View] System configuration view

[Notes] Configure this command when multiple TACACS+ servers are set up and TACACS+ authentication is enabled. This enables sequential authentication attempts when certain TACACS+ servers become inaccessible. Without this feature enabled, authentication occurs only on the highest-priority TACACS+ server; if authentication fails, the device login process will not proceed normally.

[Use Cases]

sonic(config)# aaa authentication fallback enable

aaa authentication login {tacacs+|radius|local|default}

[Command] aaa authentication login {tacacs+|radius|local|default}

[Purpose] Configure aaa login authentication method

[Parameter]

Parameter	Description
tacacs+	Remote authentication based on tacacs +
radius	Authentication based on a RADIUS server
local	Using Local Authentication
default	Reset back to the default value to enable local authentication only

[View] System configuration view

[Notes] In enterprise networks, to protect network security, user identities must be verified to ensure only authorized users can access network resources. This command allows administrators to select the authentication method for user logins based on specific scenarios, thereby enhancing network security and management efficiency.

hint{type=“warning”} [Important Notes] TACACS+,RADIUS, and local are optional parameters that can be configured individually or in combination, but TACACS+ and RADIUS cannot be configured simultaneously.

[Use Cases]

sonic(config)# aaa authentication login tacacs+ local
sonic(config)# aaa authentication login radius local

aaa authorization debug enable

[Command] aaa authentication debug enable

[Purpose] Enable user authentication debug information

[View] System configuration view

[Notes] After enabling user authentication debug information, the user’s permission details will be printed in the device’s /var/log/syslog log upon successful authentication and login.

[Use Cases]

sonic(config)# aaa authorization debug enable

aaa authorization command {tacacs+|radius|local|default}

[Command] aaa authentication command {tacacs+|radius|local|default}

[Purpose] Configure AAA Command-Line Authentication Method

[Parameter]

Parameter	Description
tacacs+	Using tacacs + for command authentication
radius	Authentication via RADIUS server
local	Command Local Authentication
default	Reset back to default values, local forensics

[View] System configuration view

[Notes] TACACS+, RADIUS, and Local are optional parameters that can be configured individually or in combination, but TACACS+ and RADIUS cannot be configured simultaneously.

After enabling TACACS+ or RADIUS authentication, the system will authenticate based on the user level configured for that user in TACACS or RADIUS. The system currently supports four distinct permission types:

• 0: Non-login user
• 1: Read-only user, only supports viewing with show commands
• 2-14: Regular user, possesses execution permissions for all commands except system commands (reboot/image-update/delete startup-config/)
• 15: System user, capable of executing all commands including system commands

[Use Cases]

sonic(config)# aaa authentication command tacacs+,local

aaa authorization mode {service|cmd} enable

[Command] aaa authorization mode {service|cmd} enable no aaa authorization mode {service|cmd} enable

[Purpose] Configure the AAA command authentication method

[Parameter]

Parameter	Description
service	Grant permissions to the command line based on different service functions.
cmd	Authorize the command line based on the regular expression match results of the command line.

[View] System configuration view

[Notes] When users employ TACACS+ or RADIUS authentication and require more granular authentication methods beyond user levels, server/cmd authentication can be configured:

• server: Authenticates based on the service associated with functional features. For example, a Level 2 user can only access the interface view for related operations but cannot configure other functions.
• cmd: Classifies based on command-line keywords. For example, authentication succeeds when commands containing show or ping are executed, while other commands fail authentication and are not permitted.

When multiple authentication methods coexist, they are matched sequentially in the order: user level -> service authentication -> command-line authentication. If authentication fails at any higher level, the process immediately terminates. If a user lacks sufficient permissions, authentication at lower levels is not attempted.

[Important Notes]

For the mapping between functional features and services, please consult technical support personnel.

It is not recommended to enable both service-level authentication and command-line authentication simultaneously.

During cmd authentication, regardless of whether the device is configured with service authentication, the authentication sequence on the server side remains: user level > service authentication > command-line authentication.

[Use Cases]

sonic(config)# aaa authorization mode service enable