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Port Security

Port security is a layer 2 traffic control feature that enables you to manage network access from end-users. Use port security to:

  • Limit port access to specific MAC addresses so that the port does not forward ingress traffic from source addresses that are not defined.
  • Limit port access to only the first learned MAC address on the port (sticky MAC) so that the device with that MAC address has full bandwidth. You can provide a timeout so that the MAC address on that port no longer has access after a specified time.
  • Limit port access to a specific number of MAC addresses.

You can specify what action to take when there is a port security violation (drop packets or put the port into ADMIN down state) and add a timeout for the action to take effect.

  • Layer 2 interfaces in trunk or access mode are currently supported. However, interfaces in a bond are not supported.
  • NVUE commands are not available for port security configuration.

Configure Port Security

To configure port security, add the configuration settings you want to use to the /etc/cumulus/switchd.d/port_security.conf file, then restart switchd to apply the changes.

Setting
Description
interface.<port>.port_security.enable1 enables security on the port. 0 disables security on the port.
interface.<port>.port_security.mac_limitThe maximum number of MAC addresses allowed to access the port. You can specify a number between 0 and 512. The default is 32.
interface.<port>.port_security.static_macThe specific MAC addresses allowed to access the port. You can specify multiple MAC addresses. Separate each MAC address with a space.
interface.<port>.port_security.sticky_mac1 enables sticky MAC, where the first learned MAC address on the port is the only MAC address allowed. 0 disables sticky MAC.
interface.<port>.port_security.sticky_timeoutThe time period after which the first learned MAC address ages out and no longer has access to the port. The default aging timeout value is 30 minutes. You can specify a value between 0 and 60 minutes.
interface.<port>.port_security.sticky_aging1 enables sticky MAC aging. 0 disables sticky MAC aging.
interface.<port>.port_security.violation_modeThe violation mode: 0 (shutdown) puts a port into ADMIN down state. 1 (restrict) drops packets.
interface.<port>.port_security.violation_timeoutThe number of seconds after which the violation mode times out. You can specify a value between 0 and 3600 seconds. The default value is 1800 seconds.

The following example shows an /etc/cumulus/switchd.d/port_security.conf configuration file:

cumulus@switch:~$ sudo nano /etc/cumulus/switchd.d/port_security.conf
interface.swp1.port_security.enable = 1
interface.swp1.port_security.mac_limit = 32
interface.swp1.port_security.static_mac = 00:02:00:00:00:05 00:02:00:00:00:06
interface.swp1.port_security.sticky_mac = 1
interface.swp1.port_security.sticky_timeout = 2000
interface.swp1.port_security.sticky_aging = 1
interface.swp1.port_security.violation_mode = 0
interface.swp1.port_security.violation_timeout = 3600
...