TACACS+ vs RADIUS in AAA

TACACS+ vs RADIUS

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What is a difference between TACACS+ and RADIUS in AAA?

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Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

A

TACACS+ and RADIUS are both protocols used in AAA (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) for network devices. Although they both serve the same purpose, there are some differences between TACACS+ and RADIUS.

A. Only TACACS+ allows for separate authentication:

One key difference between TACACS+ and RADIUS is that only TACACS+ allows for separate authentication. In TACACS+, authentication and authorization are separated, which means that the device sends a separate authentication request and a separate authorization request to the TACACS+ server. This provides greater flexibility in terms of controlling access to network resources. In contrast, RADIUS combines authentication and authorization in a single packet.

B. Only RADIUS encrypts the entire access-request packet:

Another difference between TACACS+ and RADIUS is that only RADIUS encrypts the entire access-request packet. In RADIUS, the entire packet, including the authentication credentials, is encrypted before being sent to the RADIUS server. This provides greater security compared to TACACS+, where only the authentication credentials are encrypted.

C. Only RADIUS uses TCP:

One more difference between TACACS+ and RADIUS is that only RADIUS uses TCP. TCP is a connection-oriented protocol that provides reliable data delivery. In contrast, TACACS+ uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol), which is a connectionless protocol that does not provide reliable data delivery.

D. Only TACACS+ couples authentication and authorization:

Finally, only TACACS+ couples authentication and authorization. This means that TACACS+ combines authentication and authorization into a single packet. This can be useful in some situations, but it also means that TACACS+ lacks the flexibility of separate authentication and authorization requests provided by RADIUS.

In summary, TACACS+ and RADIUS are both protocols used in AAA, but they differ in several ways. Only TACACS+ allows for separate authentication, only RADIUS encrypts the entire access-request packet, only RADIUS uses TCP, and only TACACS+ couples authentication and authorization.