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AAA Last modified: Thursday, February 19, 2004

Short for authentication, authorization and accounting, a system in IP-based networking to control what computer resources users have access to and to keep track of the activity of users over a network. Authentication is the process of identifying an individual, usually based on a username and password. Authentication is based on the idea that each individual user will have unique information that sets him or her apart from other users. Authorization is the process of granting or denying a user access to network resources once the user has been authenticated through the username and password. The amount of information and the amount of services the user has access to depend on the user's authorization level. Accounting is the process of keeping track of a user's activity while accessing the network resources, including the amount of time spent in the network, the services accessed while there and the amount of data transferred during the session. Accounting data is used for trend analysis, capacity planning, billing, auditing and cost allocation. AAA services often require a server that is dedicated to providing the three services. RADIUS is an example of an AAA service.

eSecurity Planet  A resource for daily information on e-security targeted to IT managers. The site provides users with information from a variety of sources, including experts at security product and services firms, and the consultants who follow the security industry. AAA Protocols Authentication, authorization and accounting for the Internet. Authentication, Authorization and Accounting in Ad Hoc Networks An abstract from Helsinki University of Technology. How to Perform Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting of Users Through the PIX RADIUS and TACACS+ authentication may be done for FTP, Telnet, and HTTP connections through the Cisco Secure PIX Firewall. RFC 2989 This document represents a summary of AAA protocol requirements for network access. RFC 3127 This memo represents the process and findings of the Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting Working Group (AAA WG) panel evaluating protocols proposed against the AAA Network Access Requirements, RFC 2989.