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User Guide for Cisco Secure ACS for Windows Server
78-14696-01, Version 3.1
Chapter 2 Deploying Cisco Secure ACS
Basic Deployment Factors for Cisco Secure ACS
Basic Deployment Factors for Cisco Secure ACS
Generally, the ease in deploying Cisco Secure ACS is directly related to the
complexity of the implementation planned and the degree to which you have
defined your policies and requirements. This section presents some basic factors
you should consider before you begin implementing Cisco Secure ACS.
This section includes the following topics:
•
Network Topology, page 2-5
•
Remote Access Policy, page 2-13
•
Security Policy, page 2-14
•
Administrative Access Policy, page 2-14
•
Database, page 2-17
•
Network Latency and Reliability, page 2-18
Network Topology
How your enterprise network is configured is likely to be the most important
factor in deploying Cisco Secure ACS. While an exhaustive treatment of this
topic is beyond the scope of this guide, this section details how the growth of
network topology options has made Cisco Secure ACS deployment decisions
more complex.
When AAA was created, network access was restricted to either devices directly
connected to the LAN or remote devices gaining access via modem. Today,
enterprise networks can be complex and, thanks to tunneling technologies, can be
widely geographically dispersed.
Dial-Up Topology
In the traditional model of dial-up access (a PPP connection), a user employing a
modem or ISDN connection is granted access to an intranet via a network access
server (NAS) functioning as a AAA client. Users may be able to connect via only
a single AAA client as in a small business, or have the option of numerous
geographically dispersed AAA clients.
