Dell Brocade G620 Brocade 8.0.1 Fabric OS Administratiors Guide - Page 227

Authentication policy for fabric elements, By default

Page 227 highlights

Configuring Security Policies Authentication policy for fabric elements By default, Fabric OS v6.2.0 and later use Diffie Hellman - Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol) (DH-CHAP) or Fibre Channel Authentication Protocol (FCAP) for authentication. These protocols use shared secrets and digital certificates, based on switch WWN and public key infrastructure (PKI) technology, to authenticate switches. Authentication automatically defaults to FCAP if both switches are configured to accept FCAP protocol in authentication, unless ports are configured for in-flight encryption, in which case authentication defaults to DH-CHAP if both switches are configured to accept the DH-CHAP protocol in authentication. To use FCAP on both switches, PKI certificates have to be installed. The DH-CHAP and FCAP authentication protocols used by Brocade switches are FC-SP2 standard compliant. NOTE The fabric authentication feature is available in base Fabric OS. No license is required. FCAP requires the exchange of certificates between two or more switches to authenticate to each other before they form or join a fabric. Beginning with Fabric OS v7.0.0, these certificates are no longer issued by Brocade, but by a third-party which is now the root CA for all of the issued certificates. You can use Brocade and third-party certificates between switches that are Fabric OS v6.4.0, but only Brocade-issued certificates (where Brocade is the root CA) for Fabric OS versions earlier than v6.4.0. The certificates must be in PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) encoded format for both root and peer certificates. The switch certificates issued from the third-party vendors can be directly issued from the root CA or from an intermediate CA authority. When you configure DH-CHAP authentication, you also must define a pair of shared secrets known to both switches as a secret key pair . Figure 13 illustrates how the secrets are configured. A secret key pair consists of a local secret and a peer secret. The local secret uniquely identifies the local switch. The peer secret uniquely identifies the entity to which the local switch authenticates. Every switch can share a secret key pair with any other switch or host in a fabric. To use DH-CHAP authentication, a secret key pair has to be configured on both switches. For more information on setting up secret key pairs, refer to Setting a secret key pair on page 233. When configured, the secret key pair is used for authentication. Authentication occurs whenever there is a state change for the switch or port. The state change can be due to a switch reboot, a switch or port disable and enable, or the activation of a policy. FIGURE 13 DH-CHAP authentication Brocade Fabric OS Administration Guide, 8.0.1 53-1004111-02 227

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Authentication policy for fabric elements
By default, Fabric OS v6.2.0 and later use Diffie Hellman - Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol) (DH-CHAP) or Fibre Channel
Authentication Protocol (FCAP) for authentication.
These protocols use shared secrets and digital certificates, based on switch WWN and public key infrastructure (PKI) technology, to
authenticate switches. Authentication automatically defaults to FCAP if both switches are configured to accept FCAP protocol in
authentication, unless ports are configured for in-flight encryption, in which case authentication defaults to DH-CHAP if both switches
are configured to accept the DH-CHAP protocol in authentication. To use FCAP on both switches, PKI certificates have to be installed.
The DH-CHAP and FCAP authentication protocols used by Brocade switches are FC-SP2 standard compliant.
NOTE
The fabric authentication feature is available in base Fabric OS. No license is required.
FCAP requires the exchange of certificates between two or more switches to authenticate to each other before they form or join a fabric.
Beginning with Fabric OS v7.0.0, these certificates are no longer issued by Brocade, but by a third-party which is now the root CA for all
of the issued certificates. You can use Brocade and third-party certificates between switches that are Fabric OS v6.4.0, but only
Brocade-issued certificates (where Brocade is the root CA) for Fabric OS versions earlier than v6.4.0. The certificates must be in PEM
(Privacy Enhanced Mail) encoded format for both root and peer certificates. The switch certificates issued from the third-party vendors
can be directly issued from the root CA or from an intermediate CA authority.
When you configure DH-CHAP authentication, you also must define a
pair of shared secrets
known to both switches as a
secret key
pair
.
Figure 13
illustrates how the secrets are configured. A
secret key pair
consists of a local secret and a peer secret. The local secret
uniquely identifies the local switch. The peer secret uniquely identifies the entity to which the local switch authenticates. Every switch can
share a
secret key pair
with any other switch or host in a fabric.
To use DH-CHAP authentication, a
secret key pair
has to be configured on both switches. For more information on setting up secret key
pairs, refer to
Setting a secret key pair
on page 233.
When configured, the
secret key pair
is used for authentication. Authentication occurs whenever there is a state change for the switch or
port. The state change can be due to a switch reboot, a switch or port disable and enable, or the activation of a policy.
FIGURE 13
DH-CHAP authentication
Configuring Security Policies
Brocade Fabric OS Administration Guide, 8.0.1
53-1004111-02
227