System and method for authentication for transceivers
AssigneeArista Networks, Inc.
InventorsAlexander Channing Ho, Hugh W. Holbrook, Lorenz Wolfgang Redlefsen
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Abstract
A method and apparatus of a network element that authenticates a transceiver and/or a field replaceable unit of the network element is described. The network element generates a stored transceiver signature using transceiver data stored in the removable transceiver and a nonce. In addition, the network element generates a hardware transceiver signature using data stored in secure storage of the network element and the nonce. If the stored transceiver signature and the hardware transceiver signature are equal, the network element uses the transceiver to communicate network data for the network element. Otherwise, the network element disables the transceiver.
Claims20
A non-transitory machine-readable medium having executable instructions to cause one or more processing units to perform a method to authenticate a removable transceiver coupled to a network element, the method comprising:
- generating a stored transceiver signature using a nonce and transceiver data stored in the removable transceiver;
- generating a hardware transceiver signature using the nonce and data stored in a secure storage of the network element;
- and
- if the stored transceiver signature and the hardware transceiver signature are equal, using the transceiver to communicate network data for the network element.
A method to authenticate a removable transceiver coupled to a network element, the method comprising:
- detecting the removable transceiver coupled to the network element, wherein the transceiver is not authorized to communicate traffic for the network element;
- authenticating the removable transceiver using encrypted data stored in the removable transceiver and unencrypted data stored in the network element;
- if the removable transceiver is authenticated, communicating data using the removable transceiver;
- and
- if the removable transceiver is not authenticated, disabling the removable transceiver.
A network element to authenticate a removable transceiver coupled to the network element, the method comprising:
- the removable transceiver to communicate network data for the network element;
- secure storage;
- and
- a transceiver authentication module to authenticate the removable transceiver, the transceiver authentication module including,
- a generate transceiver signature module to generate a stored transceiver signature using transceiver data stored in the removable transceiver and a nonce,
- a generate hardware signature module to generate a hardware transceiver signature using the nonce and data stored in the secure storage of the network element, and
- an authenticate transceiver module to use the transceiver to communicate network data for the network element if the stored transceiver signature and the hardware transceiver are equal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.