Specifications

B-2

Cisco NAC Appliance - Clean Access Manager Configuration Guide

OL-28003-01

Appendix B API Support

Authentication Requirements

Authentication over SSL is required to access the API. Two authentication methods are supported:

• Session-Based Authentication

With this method, the administrator uses the adminlogin and adminlogout functions to create a

cookie-based session with the server. The adminlogin function logs in the admin user and if

successful, the HTTP response from the server will contain the session cookie to be used for the

duration of the session. The adminlogout function logs out the admin user and invalidates the

session. However, if the adminlogout function is not used, the CAM terminates the session by the

configured or default admin session timeout.

• Function-Based Authentication

If you do not want to used session-based authentication, you can use function-based authentication.

With this method, the admin authenticates by passing his or her admin account credentials in every

call to the API using the admin and passwd arguments in the request URL. If authenticating by

function, you must add the admin and passwd parameters to all functions that you are using in your

existing script. In this case, you do not use the adminlogin and adminlogout functions.

Administrator Operations

Use the adminlogin and adminlogout functions to create a shell script for session-based authentication

using a session ID cookie. If you decide not to use session-based authentication, you will need to include

the admin and passwd arguments within each API call instead.

adminlogin

The adminlogin function logs in the admin and starts the cookie-based session.

Required In Parameters:

• op: adminlogin

• admin: Administrator account username

• passwd: Administrator account password.

Out Parameters:  comment

• Success: mesg value of 0

• Failure: error string

The HTTP session cookie obtained through the adminlogin needs to be passed back as part of the HTTP

request in any subsequent operation.

Required In Parameters:

• op: <ANY operation>

• <any operation specific parameters>