Administrator Guide for Cisco Trust Agent, Release 2.1, With Bundled Supplicant - Preface [Cisco Trust Agent]

Table Of Contents

Preface

Preface

Cisco Trust Agent (CTA) collects and reports posture credentials from clients in a Network Admission Control (NAC) environment.

Posture credentials are information about a NAC-compliant software application or a client on which it runs. These are examples of posture credentials that can be collected from the client: software application versions, machine name, operating system, and the client's MAC Address.

CTA reports the posture information it gathers to the Cisco Secure Access Control Server (ACS) which then determines application posture and an overall client posture. Examples of client posture could be "Healthy," "Quarantine," or "Unknown."

Based on the client's posture a NAC-compliant Network Access Device (NAD), such as a Cisco Switch or Cisco Router, provide the client access to a network.

Cisco Trust Agent 2.1 Release

The goals of Cisco Trust Agent, Release 2.1.103.0 (CTA 2.1) are to improve on the CTA 2.1.18.0 selective availability release by resolving outstanding product defects and to provide new functionality from that offered in the CTA 2.0.0.30 release. Cisco Trust Agent release 2.1 is an integral component of the Network Admission Control Framework 2.1 solution.

Qualified Deployments of CTA 2.1

Cisco Trust Agent 2.1.103.0 will be distributed to existing customers of CTA and those customers evaluating the NAC Framework 2.1 programs.

CTA 2.1 is not intended for distribution to new customers of CTA nor new customers of the NAC 2.1 Framework solution. New customers to CTA and NAC should work with their Cisco Account Team representative to evaluate their NAC Framework-qualified infrastructure and use-case scenarios.

We are making an extra effort to qualify our customers' infrastructure and goals to ensure that the components in their network are compatible with the NAC Framework, that their goals will be met by the NAC Framework, and that the deployment of the NAC Framework will be successful.

Product Versioning

The full version number of this release is CTA 2.1.103.0. The full release number is used in installation files names and in the text of the Administrator Guide for Cisco Trust Agent, Release 2.1 and the Release Notes for Cisco Trust Agent, Release 2.1 when it is important to distinguish the version of CTA being discussed. Any references in the documentation to CTA 2.1 are referring to CTA 2.1.103.0 unless otherwise noted.

Audience

The Administrator Guide for Cisco Trust Agent, Release 2.1 provides installation, configuration, and monitoring information to administrators responsible for deploying Cisco Trust Agent to network clients.

Conventions

This document uses the following conventions:

Item

Convention

Commands, keywords, special terminology, and options that should be selected during procedures

boldface font

Variables for which you supply values and new or important terminology

italic font

Displayed session and system information, paths and filenames

screen font

Information you enter

boldface screen font

Variables you enter

italic screen font

Menu items and button names

boldface font

Indicates menu items to select, in the order you select them

Option > Network Preferences

Tip Identifies information to help you get the most benefit from your product.

Note Means reader take note. Notes identify important information that you should reflect upon before continuing, contain helpful suggestions, or provide references to materials not contained in the document.

Caution Means reader be careful. In this situation, you might do something that could result in equipment damage, loss of data, or a potential breach in your network security.

Warning Identifies information that you must heed to prevent injuring yourself or damaging the state of the software or equipment. Warnings identify definite security breaches that will result if the information presented is not followed carefully.

Related Documentation

Note Although every effort has been made to validate the accuracy of the information in the printed and electronic documentation, you should also review Cisco Trust Agent documentation on Cisco.com for any updates.

The following documentation is available on Cisco.com:

•For Cisco Trust Agent, there are two documents available: This guide, the Administrator Guide for Cisco Trust Agent, Release 2.1, and the Release Notes for Cisco Trust Agent, Release 2.1.

•For documentation of other components in the Cisco NAC solution, see Network Admission Control (NAC) Framework page on Cisco.com.

Obtaining Documentation

Cisco documentation and additional literature are available on Cisco.com. This section explains the product documentation resources that Cisco offers.

Cisco.com

You can access the most current Cisco documentation at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/techsupport

You can access the Cisco website at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com

You can access international Cisco websites at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/public/countries_languages.shtml

Product Documentation DVD

The Product Documentation DVD is a library of technical product documentation on a portable medium. The DVD enables you to access installation, configuration, and command guides for Cisco hardware and software products. With the DVD, you have access to the HTML documentation and some of the PDF files found on the Cisco website at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/home/home.htm

The Product Documentation DVD is created and released regularly. DVDs are available singly or by subscription. Registered Cisco.com users can order a Product Documentation DVD (product number DOC-DOCDVD= or DOC-DOCDVD=SUB) from Cisco Marketplace at the Product Documentation Store at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/go/marketplace/docstore

Ordering Documentation

You must be a registered Cisco.com user to access Cisco Marketplace. Registered users may order Cisco documentation at the Product Documentation Store at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/go/marketplace/docstore

If you do not have a user ID or password, you can register at this URL:

http://tools.cisco.com/RPF/register/register.do

Documentation Feedback

You can provide feedback about Cisco technical documentation on the Cisco Support site area by entering your comments in the feedback form available in every online document.

Cisco Product Security Overview

Cisco provides a free online Security Vulnerability Policy portal at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/products_security_vulnerability_policy.html

From this site, you will find information about how to do the following:

•Report security vulnerabilities in Cisco products

•Obtain assistance with security incidents that involve Cisco products

•Register to receive security information from Cisco

A current list of security advisories, security notices, and security responses for Cisco products is available at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/go/psirt

To see security advisories, security notices, and security responses as they are updated in real time, you can subscribe to the Product Security Incident Response Team Really Simple Syndication (PSIRT RSS) feed. Information about how to subscribe to the PSIRT RSS feed is found at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/products_psirt_rss_feed.html

Reporting Security Problems in Cisco Products

Cisco is committed to delivering secure products. We test our products internally before we release them, and we strive to correct all vulnerabilities quickly. If you think that you have identified a vulnerability in a Cisco product, contact PSIRT:

•For emergencies only — security-alert@cisco.com

An emergency is either a condition in which a system is under active attack or a condition for which a severe and urgent security vulnerability should be reported. All other conditions are considered nonemergencies.

•For nonemergencies — psirt@cisco.com

In an emergency, you can also reach PSIRT by telephone:

•1 877 228-7302

•1 408 525-6532

Tip We encourage you to use Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) or a compatible product (for example, GnuPG) to encrypt any sensitive information that you send to Cisco. PSIRT can work with information that has been encrypted with PGP versions 2.x through 9.x.

Never use a revoked encryption key or an expired encryption key. The correct public key to use in your correspondence with PSIRT is the one linked in the Contact Summary section of the Security Vulnerability Policy page at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/products_security_vulnerability_policy.html

The link on this page has the current PGP key ID in use.

If you do not have or use PGP, contact PSIRT to find other means of encrypting the data before sending any sensitive material.

Product Alerts and Field Notices

Modifications to or updates about Cisco products are announced in Cisco Product Alerts and Cisco Field Notices. You can receive these announcements by using the Product Alert Tool on Cisco.com. This tool enables you to create a profile and choose those products for which you want to receive information.

To access the Product Alert Tool, you must be a registered Cisco.com user. Registered users can access the tool at this URL:

http://tools.cisco.com/Support/PAT/do/ViewMyProfiles.do?local=en

To register as a Cisco.com user, go to this URL:

http://tools.cisco.com/RPF/register/register.do

Obtaining Technical Assistance

Cisco Technical Support provides 24-hour-a-day award-winning technical assistance. The Cisco Support website on Cisco.com features extensive online support resources. In addition, if you have a valid Cisco service contract, Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) engineers provide telephone support. If you do not have a valid Cisco service contract, contact your reseller.

Cisco Support Website

The Cisco Support website provides online documents and tools for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. The website is available 24 hours a day at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/support/index.html

Access to all tools on the Cisco Support website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password. If you have a valid service contract but do not have a user ID or password, you can register at this URL:

http://tools.cisco.com/RPF/register/register.do

Note Before you submit a request for service online or by phone, use the Cisco Product Identification Tool to locate your product serial number. You can access this tool from the Cisco Support website by clicking the Get Tools & Resources link, clicking the All Tools (A-Z) tab, and then choosing Cisco Product Identification Tool from the alphabetical list. This tool offers three search options: by product ID or model name; by tree view; or, for certain products, by copying and pasting show command output. Search results show an illustration of your product with the serial number label location highlighted. Locate the serial number label on your product and record the information before placing a service call.

Tip Displaying and Searching on Cisco.com

If you suspect that the browser is not refreshing a web page, force the browser to update the web page by holding down the Ctrl key while pressing F5.

To find technical information, narrow your search to look in technical documentation, not the entire Cisco.com website. After using the Search box on the Cisco.com home page, click the Advanced Search link next to the Search box on the resulting page and then click the Technical Support & Documentation radio button.

To provide feedback about the Cisco.com website or a particular technical document, click Contacts & Feedback at the top of any Cisco.com web page.

Submitting a Service Request

Using the online TAC Service Request Tool is the fastest way to open S3 and S4 service requests. (S3 and S4 service requests are those in which your network is minimally impaired or for which you require product information.) After you describe your situation, the TAC Service Request Tool provides recommended solutions. If your issue is not resolved using the recommended resources, your service request is assigned to a Cisco engineer. The TAC Service Request Tool is located at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/techsupport/servicerequest

For S1 or S2 service requests, or if you do not have Internet access, contact the Cisco TAC by telephone. (S1 or S2 service requests are those in which your production network is down or severely degraded.) Cisco engineers are assigned immediately to S1 and S2 service requests to help keep your business operations running smoothly.

To open a service request by telephone, use one of the following numbers:

Asia-Pacific: +61 2 8446 7411
Australia: 1 800 805 227
EMEA: +32 2 704 55 55
USA: 1 800 553 2447

For a complete list of Cisco TAC contacts, go to this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/techsupport/contacts

Definitions of Service Request Severity

To ensure that all service requests are reported in a standard format, Cisco has established severity definitions.

Severity 1 (S1)—An existing network is "down" or there is a critical impact to your business operations. You and Cisco will commit all necessary resources around the clock to resolve the situation.

Severity 2 (S2)—Operation of an existing network is severely degraded, or significant aspects of your business operations are negatively affected by inadequate performance of Cisco products. You and Cisco will commit full-time resources during normal business hours to resolve the situation.

Severity 3 (S3)—Operational performance of the network is impaired while most business operations remain functional. You and Cisco will commit resources during normal business hours to restore service to satisfactory levels.

Severity 4 (S4)—You require information or assistance with Cisco product capabilities, installation, or configuration. There is little or no effect on your business operations.

Obtaining Additional Publications and Information

Information about Cisco products, technologies, and network solutions is available from various online and printed sources.

•The Cisco Online Subscription Center is the website where you can sign up for a variety of Cisco e-mail newsletters and other communications. Create a profile and then select the subscriptions that you would like to receive. To visit the Cisco Online Subscription Center, go to this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/offer/subscribe

•The Cisco Product Quick Reference Guide is a handy, compact reference tool that includes brief product overviews, key features, sample part numbers, and abbreviated technical specifications for many Cisco products that are sold through channel partners. It is updated twice a year and includes the latest Cisco channel product offerings. To order and find out more about the Cisco Product Quick Reference Guide, go to this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/go/guide

•Cisco Marketplace provides a variety of Cisco books, reference guides, documentation, and logo merchandise. Visit Cisco Marketplace, the company store, at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/go/marketplace/

•Cisco Press publishes a wide range of general networking, training, and certification titles. Both new and experienced users will benefit from these publications. For current Cisco Press titles and other information, go to Cisco Press at this URL:

http://www.ciscopress.com

•Internet Protocol Journal is s a quarterly journal published by Cisco for engineering professionals involved in designing, developing, and operating public and private internets and intranets. You can access the Internet Protocol Journal at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/ipj

•Networking products offered by Cisco, as well as customer support services, can be obtained at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/index.html

•Networking Professionals Connection is an interactive website where networking professionals share questions, suggestions, and information about networking products and technologies with Cisco experts and other networking professionals. Join a discussion at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/discuss/networking

•"What's New in Cisco Documentation" is an online publication that provides information about the latest documentation releases for Cisco products. Updated monthly, this online publication is organized by product category to direct you quickly to the documentation for your products. You can view the latest release of "What's New in Cisco Documentation" at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/abtunicd/136957.htm

•World-class networking training is available from Cisco. You can view current offerings at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/learning/index.html