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This chapter includes the following sections:
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a method of restricting or authorizing system access for users based on user roles and locales. A role defines the privileges of a user in the system and the locale defines the organizations (domains) that a user is allowed access. Because users are not directly assigned privileges, management of individual user privileges is simply a matter of assigning the appropriate roles and locales.
A user is granted write access to desired system resources only if the assigned role grants the access privileges and the assigned locale allows access. For example, a user with the Server Administrator role in the Engineering organization could update server configurations in the Engineering organization but could not update server configurations in the Finance organization unless the locales assigned to the user include the Finance organization.
User accounts are used to access the system. Up to 48 user accounts can be configured in each Cisco UCS instance. Each user account must have a unique username and password.
A user account can be set with a SSH public key. The public key can be set in either of the two formats: OpenSSH and SECSH.
Each Cisco UCS instance has a default user account, admin, which cannot be modified or deleted. This account is the system administrator or superuser account and has full privileges. There is no default password assigned to the admin account; you must choose the password during the initial system setup.
The admin account is always active and does not expire. You cannot configure the admin account as inactive.
Local user accounts are authenticated directly through the fabric interconnect and can be enabled or disabled by anyone with admin or aaa privileges. Once a local user account is disabled, the user cannot log in. Configuration details for disabled local user accounts are not deleted by the database. If you re-enable a disabled local user account, the account becomes active again with the existing configuration, including username and password.
A remotely authenticated user account is any user account that is authenticated through LDAP, RADIUS, or TACACS+.
If a user maintains a local user account and a remote user account simultaneously, the roles defined in the local user account override those maintained in the remote user account.
User accounts can be configured to expire at a predefined time. When the expiration time is reached, the user account is disabled.
By default, user accounts do not expire.
Note |
After you configure a user account with an expiration date, you cannot reconfigure the account to not expire. You can, however, configure the account with the latest date available. |
The username is also used as the login ID for Cisco UCS Manager. When you assign usernames to Cisco UCS Manager user accounts, consider the following guidelines and restrictions:
After you create a user account, you cannot change the username. You must delete the user account and create a new one.
The following words cannot be used when creating a local user account in Cisco UCS Manager.
A password is required for each locally authenticated user account. A user with admin or aaa privileges can configure Cisco UCS Manager to perform a password strength check on user passwords. If the password strength check is enabled, each user must have a strong password.
Cisco recommends that each user have a strong password. If you enable the password strength check for locally authenticated users, Cisco UCS Manager rejects any password that does not meet the following requirements:
Web session limits are used by Cisco UCS Manager to restrict the number of web sessions (both GUI and XML) a given user account is permitted to access at any one time.
By default, the number of concurrent web sessions allowed by Cisco UCS Manager is set to 32; although this value can be configured up to the system maximum of 256.
User roles contain one or more privileges that define the operations allowed for the user who is assigned the role. A user can be assigned one or more roles. A user assigned multiple roles has the combined privileges of all assigned roles. For example, if Role1 has storage related privileges, and Role2 has server related privileges, users who are assigned to both Role1 and Role2 have storage and server related privileges.
A Cisco UCS instance can contain up to 48 user roles, including the default user roles.
All roles include read access to all configuration settings in the Cisco UCS instance. The difference between the read-only role and other roles is that a user who is only assigned the read-only role cannot modify the system state. A user assigned another role can modify the system state in that user's assigned area or areas.
Roles can be created, modified to add new or remove existing privileges, or deleted. When a role is modified, the new privileges are applied to all users assigned to that role. Privilege assignment is not restricted to the privileges defined for the default roles. That is, you can use a custom set of privileges to create a unique role. For example, the default Server Administrator and Storage Administrator roles have different set of privileges, but a new Server and Storage Administrator role can be created that combines the privileges of both roles.
If a role is deleted after it has been assigned to users, it is also deleted from those user accounts.
User profiles on AAA servers (RADIUS or TACACS+) should be modified to add the roles corresponding to the privileges granted to that user. The attribute is used to store the role information. The AAA servers return this attribute with the request and parse it to get the roles. LDAP servers return the roles in the user profile attributes.
Note |
If a local user account and a remote user account have the same username, any roles assigned to the remote user are overridden by those assigned to the local user. |
The system contains the following default user roles:
Read-and-write access to users, roles, and AAA configuration. Read access to the rest of the system.
Complete read-and-write access to the entire system. The default admin account is assigned this role by default and it cannot be changed.
Read-and-write access to power management operations through the power-mgmt privilege. Read access to the rest of the system.
Read-and-write access to fabric interconnect infrastructure and network security operations. Read access to the rest of the system.
Read-and-write access to systems logs, including the syslog servers, and faults. Read access to the rest of the system.
Read-only access to system configuration with no privileges to modify the system state.
Read-and-write access to physical server related operations. Read access to the rest of the system.
Read-and-write access to logical server related operations. Read access to the rest of the system.
Read-and-write access to server security related operations. Read access to the rest of the system.
Read-and-write access to storage operations. Read access to the rest of the system.
The following words cannot be used when creating custom roles in Cisco UCS Manager.
Privileges give users assigned to user roles access to specific system resources and permission to perform specific tasks. The following table lists each privilege and the user role given that privilege by default.
Privilege |
Description |
Default Role Assignment |
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aaa |
System security and AAA |
AAA Administrator |
admin |
System administration |
Administrator |
ext-lan-config |
External LAN configuration |
Network Administrator |
ext-lan-policy |
External LAN policy |
Network Administrator |
ext-lan-qos |
External LAN QoS |
Network Administrator |
ext-lan-security |
External LAN security |
Network Administrator |
ext-san-config |
External SAN configuration |
Storage Administrator |
ext-san-policy |
External SAN policy |
Storage Administrator |
ext-san-qos |
External SAN QoS |
Storage Administrator |
ext-san-security |
External SAN security |
Storage Administrator |
fault |
Alarms and alarm policies |
Operations |
operations |
Logs and Smart Call Home |
Operations |
pod-config |
Pod configuration |
Network Administrator |
pod-policy |
Pod policy |
Network Administrator |
pod-qos |
Pod QoS |
Network Administrator |
pod-security |
Pod security |
Network Administrator |
power-mgmt |
Read-and-write access to power management operations |
Facility Manager |
read-only |
Read-only access Read-only cannot be selected as a privilege; it is assigned to every user role. |
Read-Only |
server-equipment |
Server hardware management |
Server Equipment Administrator |
server-maintenance |
Server maintenance |
Server Equipment Administrator |
server-policy |
Server policy |
Server Equipment Administrator |
server-security |
Server security |
Server Security Administrator |
service-profile-config |
Service profile configuration |
Server Profile Administrator |
service-profile-config-policy |
Service profile configuration policy |
Server Profile Administrator |
service-profile-ext-access |
Service profile end point access |
Server Profile Administrator |
service-profile-network |
Service profile network |
Network Administrator |
service-profile-network-policy |
Service profile network policy |
Network Administrator |
service-profile-qos |
Service profile QoS |
Network Administrator |
service-profile-qos-policy |
Service profile QoS policy |
Network Administrator |
service-profile-security |
Service profile security |
Server Security Administrator |
service-profile-security-policy |
Service profile security policy |
Server Security Administrator |
service-profile-server |
Service profile server management |
Server Profile Administrator |
service-profile-server-oper |
Service profile consumer |
Server Profile Administrator |
service-profile-server-policy |
Service profile pool policy |
Server Security Administrator |
service-profile-storage |
Service profile storage |
Storage Administrator |
service-profile-storage-policy |
Service profile storage policy |
Storage Administrator |
A user can be assigned one or more locales. Each locale defines one or more organizations (domains) the user is allowed access, and access would be limited to the organizations specified in the locale. One exception to this rule is a locale without any organizations, which gives unrestricted access to system resources in all organizations.
A Cisco UCS instance can contain up to 48 user locales.
Users with AAA privileges (AAA Administrator role) can assign organizations to the locale of other users. The assignment of organizations is restricted to only those in the locale of the user assigning the organizations. For example, if a locale contains only the Engineering organization then a user assigned that locale can only assign the Engineering organization to other users.
Note |
You cannot assign a locale to users with one or more of the following privileges: |
You can hierarchically manage organizations. A user that is assigned at a top level organization has automatic access to all organizations under it. For example, an Engineering organization can contain a Software Engineering organization and a Hardware Engineering organization. A locale containing only the Software Engineering organization has access to system resources only within that organization; however, a locale that contains the Engineering organization has access to the resources for both the Software Engineering and Hardware Engineering organizations.
Configuring User Roles
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Expand the Roles node. |
Step 4 | Choose the role to which you want to add privileges. |
Step 5 | In the General tab, check the boxes for the privileges you want to add to the role. |
Step 6 | Click Save Changes. |
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Expand the Roles node. |
Step 4 | Choose the role from which you want to remove privileges. |
Step 5 | In the General tab, uncheck the boxes for the privileges you want to remove from the role. |
Step 6 | Click Save Changes. |
When you delete a user role, Cisco UCS Manager removes that role from all user accounts to which the role has been assigned.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Expand the Roles node. |
Step 4 | Right-click the role you want to delete and choose Delete. |
Step 5 | In the Delete dialog box, click Yes. |
Configuring Locales
One or more organizations must exist before you create a locale.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Right-click Locales and choose Create a Locale. |
Step 4 |
In the Create Locale page, do the following:
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Step 5 |
In the Assign Organizations dialog box, do the following:
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Step 6 | Click Finish. |
Add the locale to one or more user accounts. For more information, see Changing the Locales Assigned to a Locally Authenticated User Account.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Expand the Locales node and click the locale to which you want to add an organization. |
Step 4 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. |
Step 5 | In the Organizations area, click + on the table icon bar. |
Step 6 |
In the Assign Organizations dialog box, do the following:
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Step 7 | Click OK. |
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Expand the Locales node and click the locale from which you want to delete an organization. |
Step 4 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. |
Step 5 | In the Organizations area, right-click the organization that you want to delete from the locale and choose Delete. |
Step 6 | Click Save Changes. |
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Expand the Locales node. |
Step 4 | Right-click the locale you want to delete and choose Delete. |
Step 5 | If Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays a confirmation dialog box, click Yes. |
Configuring User Accounts
At a minimum, we recommend that you create the following users:
Perform the following tasks, if the system includes any of the following:
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Step 3 |
Right-click User Services and choose Create User to open the User Properties dialog box. You can also right-click Locally Authenticated Users to access that option. |
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Step 4 |
Complete the following fields with the required information about the user:
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Step 5 |
In the Roles area, check one or more boxes to assign roles and privileges to the user account.
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Step 6 | (Optional)If the system includes organizations, check one or more check boxes in the Locales area to assign the user to the appropriate locales. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Step 7 |
In the SSH area, complete the following fields:
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Step 8 | Click OK. |
You must be a user with admin or aaa privileges to enable the password strength check. If the password strength check is enabled, Cisco UCS Manager does not permit a user to choose a password that does not meet the guidelines for a strong password.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Click the Locally Authenticated Users node. |
Step 4 | In the Work pane, check the Password Strength Check check box in the Properties area. |
Step 5 | Click Save Changes. |
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. | ||||||
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . | ||||||
Step 3 | Click the Communication Services tab. | ||||||
Step 4 |
In the Web Session Limits area, complete the following fields:
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Step 5 | Click Save Changes. |
Note |
Do not assign locales to users with an admin or aaa role. |
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Click the user account that you want to modify. |
Step 4 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. |
Step 5 | In the Locales area, do the following: |
Step 6 | Click Save Changes. |
Changes in user roles and privileges do not take effect until the next time the user logs in. If a user is logged in when you assign a new role to or remove an existing role from a user account, the active session continues with the previous roles and privileges.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Click the user account that you want to modify. |
Step 4 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. |
Step 5 | In the Roles area, do the following: |
Step 6 | Click Save Changes. |
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Click the user that you want to enable. |
Step 4 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. |
Step 5 | In the Account Status field, click the active radio button. |
Step 6 | Click Save Changes. |
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Click the user that you want to disable. |
Step 4 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. |
Step 5 |
In the Account Status field, click the inactive radio button. The admin user account is always set to active. It cannot be modified. |
Step 6 | Click Save Changes. |
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. |
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Expand the Locally Authenticated Users node. |
Step 4 | Right-click the user account you want to delete and choose Delete. |
Step 5 | In the Delete dialog box, click Yes. |
You can monitor Cisco UCS Manager sessions for both locally authenticated users and remotely authenticated users, whether they logged in through the CLI or the GUI.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 2 | In the Admin tab, expand . | ||||||||||||||||
Step 3 | Click the User Services node. | ||||||||||||||||
Step 4 |
In the Work pane, click the Sessions tab. The tab displays the following details of user sessions:
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