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Local TACACS+
In this topic, you will learn what is the Portnox™ local TACACS+ server software and how it works.

Reference information
- Security architecture and principles
  In this topic, you will learn about the Portnox™ Cloud security principles and how they apply to every layer of the Portnox Cloud architecture.
- Availability and reliability of Cloud services
  In this topic, you will learn about the availability and reliability of the Portnox Cloud™ services.
- Device retention periods
  In this topic, you will learn the retention periods for devices in Portnox™ Cloud.
- Types of certificates
  In this topic, you will learn about the different types of certificates that are used by Portnox™ Cloud to secure communications.
- EAP methods and their security
  In this topic, you will learn more about the EAP methods used by Portnox™ Cloud, authentication repositories, and operating systems.
- Alert format/content
  In this topic, you will learn what alert information is sent to integrated SIEM solutions and in what format.
- Portnox Cloud REST API
  In this topic, you will find introductory information about the Portnox Cloud REST API, the available API functions, and their most common uses.
- Automatic updates for all Docker containers
  In this topic, you will learn about the Portnox Docker container that automatically updates all other Portnox Docker containers.
- AgentP
- LDAP Broker
  In this topic, you will learn what is the Portnox™ LDAP Broker software and how it works.
- Local RADIUS
  In this topic, you will learn what is the Portnox™ local RADIUS server software and how it works.
- Local TACACS+
  In this topic, you will learn what is the Portnox™ local TACACS+ server software and how it works.
- Other integrations
  In this topic, you will find links to documents describing other integrations between Portnox™ Cloud and third-party products.

What is the Portnox local TACACS+ server?

In this topic, you will learn what is the Portnox™ local TACACS+ server software and how it works.

Portnox local TACACS+ server is a lightweight standalone server built on the basis of Tiny Core Linux. It is available for installation as Docker images (recommended) or virtual machine images . The local TACACS+ server is not necessary to use Portnox Cloud but it is necessary to set up a local TACACS+ container in Docker or set up a local TACACS+ instance in a virtual machine.

Installation requirements

The local TACACS+ server is available in the public Docker repository as portnox/portnox-tacacs and in OVA (Open Virtualization Appliance) and VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) formats for virtual machines.

The following are the recommended minimum settings for installing the local TACACS+ server on a virtual machine:

Recommended CPU: minimum 1 CPU
Recommended RAM: minimum 1 GB
Connection to the internet (see: firewall rule recommendations)

Warning: The performance of a local TACACS+ server depends on how many requests it processes, which cannot be predicted in advance. At a minimum, a local TACACS+ server needs 1 CPU and 1 GB of RAM. This is enough for most customers, but actual results may vary. Customers should monitor the server’s performance and add more resources if needed to avoid overloading it.

The local TACACS+ server for virtual machines is also accessible via SSH (similar to the local RADIUS server). However, for security reasons, the Tiny Core Linux installation is stripped only to basic functions of the server.