Adding and managing Auth Providers for Network Devices

This guide explains how to create a new Authentication Provider in the Fabric Manager and assign it to your network devices.

Adding a New Auth Provider

Follow these steps to configure a new Auth Provider:

1. Navigate to Fabric Manager > Network devices > Auth Providers.
2. Click on Add Auth Provider.
3. In the General tab, fill in the following details:
   • Site: Select the appropriate site.
   • Name: Enter a unique name for the provider.
   • Label: Provide a descriptive label.
   • Kind: Select the type of authentication provider.
   • Status: Select the current status (Enabled, Maintenance, or Disabled).
4. Click Next.
5. In the Network Settings tab, provide the server details:
   • IP Address: The IP address of the authentication server.
   • Port: The port of the authentication server.
6. Click Next.
7. In the Security tab, enter the credentials:
   • Username: The username to authenticate with the provider.
   • Password: The password for the provider.
   • Shared Secret: The shared secret key used to encrypt communications with the provider.
8. Click Add.

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Assigning Auth Providers to Network Devices

Once the Auth Provider has been created, you can assign it to your network devices. This can be done during the initial setup or updated later.

During Setup

Follow the standard network device setup wizard and select your Auth Provider when prompted.

Post-Setup Configuration

To assign an Auth Provider to an existing device:

1. Go to Fabric Manager and click on Network Devices.
2. Select the desired Network device.
3. Click on Settings and navigate to Authentication Options.
4. From this menu, you can:
   • Enable fallback authentication methods.
   • Click Add Authentication Option to link the provider you created previously.

Fallback Authentication

When using a fallback authentication method, you can select local if you have a local account configured on the switches.

Note: In this configuration, MetalSoft will use the Management Username and password defined in the Management Settings of the Network device.

Note: If the management interface is configured in a management VRF, MetalSoft automatically detects this and applies the VRF binding to the authentication server entries — no manual configuration is required