Thinklogical VX640 Router Manual - Manual (Page 42)

VX640 Router Manual, Rev. F 37 November, 2013
The user must provide a table defining the partitions. This table is in the form of a comma separated
value (CSV) file located in /var/local/router/partition on the VX Router. This file contains the port
number and the partitions to which it belongs. The configuration file for the above scenario looks like
this:
All ports not listed will default to partition 1. Ports can be manually added to partition 1.
Administration Access
There are only two methods by which the administrator can access the VX Router Controller
Configurations:
1. Using the serial console directly connected to the VX Router. (It should be noted that while
no administrator password is required to use the serial console, physical access to the router is
required, therefore the router should be stored in a physically secure location to avoid
unauthorized access.)
2. Using SSH access
The router allows SSH connections to the router for management purposes. SSH sessions are
authenticated using an encrypted password file.
Password Security
For security purposes, the router defaults to using the Message-Digest Algorithm (MD5) and
shadow passwords. It is highly recommended that you do not alter these settings. If you
select the older Data Encryption Standard (DES) format, passwords will be limited to eight
alphanumeric characters (disallowing punctuation and other special characters) with a modest
56-bit level of encryption. The single most important thing you can do to protect the router is
create a strong password.
Creating Strong Passwords:
The password can contain up to 127 characters and cannot contain a space.
MAKE THE PASSWORD AT LEAST EIGHT CHARACTERS LONG. The longer the password,
the more effective it will be. If you are using an MD5 password, it should be approximately 15
characters long. With DES passwords, use the maximum eight character length.
MIX UPPER AND LOWER CASE LETTERS. Passwords are case sensitive, so mixing will
multiply the number of possible combinations.
MIX LETTERS AND NUMBERS. Intersperse numbers within the password to enhance its
strength.