Summary
This chapter discussed Cisco IOS XR security aspects. In this chapter we explored the AAA feature and its configuration aspects that are used in managing access to a router running the IOS XR operating system. Although the concepts of AAA are independent of platform and operating system, IOS XR exhibits key characteristics of a large-scale operating system that has unique requirements, such as elaborate access policies. This chapter introduced the IOS XR concepts of predefined users such as root-system, root-lr, netadmin, and cisco-support—each of which has well-defined roles and privileges.
IOS XR’s AAA model contains the notion of task permissions for any control, configure, or monitor operation. Tasks are represented as task IDs. A task ID defines the permission to execute an operation for a given user. If the user is associated with a task ID through a user group, that user can execute any of the operations associated with that task ID. All IOS XR CLI are associated with one or more task IDs. Task IDs always imply granted permission and not denied ones. Furthermore, task IDs are always associated with one of the task classes: READ, WRITE, EXECUTE, or DEBUG.
AAA provides transparent use of local, on-the-box authentication as well as remote authentication done with an external TACACS+ or RADIUS server.
This chapter also briefly introduced Secure Shell (SSH), access lists, and uRPF features. This chapter elucidated the concepts behind Local Packet Transport Service (LPTS) in providing an integral firewall for the IOS XR running router.