| 11.1 |  | AAA |
| 11.1.5 |  | Cisco secure ACS and the PIX Security Appliance |

| This section reviews the Cisco Secure ACS and examines how the PIX Security Appliance interoperates with it. Cisco secure ACS overview The Cisco Secure ACS is a network security software application that helps the administrator control the following:

- Access to the campus
- Access to dial-in users
- Access to the Internet
- Authorization and accounting of users accessing the network

The Windows NT and 2000 platforms support Cisco Secure ACS, as well as UNIX-based platforms. For the purpose of this section, when Cisco Secure ACS is discussed, it will refer to the Windows-based implementation of Cisco Secure ACS.

Cisco Secure ACS provides AAA services to network devices that function as AAA clients. An AAA client is any device that provides AAA client functionality and uses one of the AAA protocols supported by Cisco Secure ACS. This includes all of the following:

- Network access servers
- Wireless access points
- Switches
- PIX Security Appliances
- VPN 3000 Concentrators
- Routers

Cisco Secure ACS also supports third-party devices that can be configured with TACACS+ or RADIUS protocols.

The Cisco Secure ACS treats all such devices as AAA clients. For a complete list of features supported by the Cisco Secure ACS, please review module 4. The Cisco Secure ACS has been designed to fully integrate with the PIX Security Appliance to provide AAA services to a network.