Users Guide

310 Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting

Public Key SSH Authentication Example

The following is an example of a public key configuration for SSH login.

Using a tool such as putty and a private/public key infrastructure, one can

enable secure login to the Dell EMC Networking N-Series switch without a

password. Instead, a public key is used with a private key kept locally on the

administrator's computer. The public key can be placed on multiple devices,

allowing the administrator secure access without needing to remember

multiple passwords. It is strongly recommended that the private key be

protected with a password.

This configuration requires entering a public key, which can be generated by a

tool such as PuTTYgen. Be sure to generate the correct type of key. In this

case, we use an RSA key with the SSH-2 version of the protocol.

Switch Configuration

Create a switch administrator:

console#config

console(config)#username “admin” password

f4d77eb781360c5711ecf3700a7af623 privilege 15 encrypted

Set the login and enable methods for line to NOAUTH.

console(config)#aaa authentication login “NOAUTH” line

console(config)#aaa authentication enable “NOAUTH” line

Generate an internal RSA key. This step is not required if an internal RSA

key has been generated before on this switch:

console(config)#crypto key generate rsa

Set SSH to use a public key for the specified administrator login. The user

console(config)#crypto key pubkey-chain ssh user-key “admin”

rsa

NOTE: Dell EMC Networking TACACS supports setting the maximum user privilege

level in the authorization response. Configure the TACACS server to send priv-lvl=

X, where X is either 1 (Non-privileged mode), or 15 (Privileged mode).