Manuals+

Introduction to the Cisco ASAv

Overview

The Cisco Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance (ASAv) extends comprehensive firewall capabilities into virtualized environments, ensuring robust security for data center traffic and multitenant setups. Management and monitoring can be performed using either the Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) or the Command Line Interface (CLI), with additional management options potentially available.

Key Features and Sections

  • Hypervisor Support: Information on compatibility with various hypervisors. For detailed support, refer to Cisco ASA Compatibility.
  • Licensing for the ASAv: The ASAv utilizes Cisco Smart Software Licensing. A smart license is mandatory for regular operation. Without a license, throughput is restricted to 100 Kbps for initial testing.
  • Guidelines and Limitations: Details specific operational parameters and constraints for the ASAv.
  • ASAv Interfaces and Virtual NICs: Explains how ASAv interfaces map to virtual network interfaces (vNICs) on virtualized platforms.

Licensing Details

The ASAv operates with Cisco Smart Software Licensing. Key aspects include:

  • License Entitlements: Various license tiers (e.g., Lab Edition, ASAv5, ASAv10, ASAv30) offer different vCPU/RAM, throughput, and rate limiter configurations.
  • Licensing States: The system categorizes states as Compliant, Under-provisioned, or Non-compliant, each with associated actions and messages.
  • Model Specifications: Detailed descriptions of ASAv models (ASAv5, ASAv10, ASAv30) outline their specific license requirements, throughput, vCPU, RAM, concurrent connections, and cloud platform support (AWS, Azure).

Guidelines and Limitations

Important considerations for ASAv deployment include:

  • Disk Storage: A maximum virtual disk size of 8 GB is supported.
  • Context Mode: The ASAv supports single context mode only.
  • Failover for High Availability: Ensure standby units have matching licenses for successful failover deployments.
  • Unsupported Features: Certain features like clustering (with exceptions) and multiple context mode are not supported.
  • Performance Tuning: Specific guidelines are provided for ASAv5 memory management and network interface configurations, including disabling Large Receive Offload (LRO) for optimal performance in VMware environments.

Virtual Network Interfaces (vNICs)

The ASAv supports various vNIC types (e.g., e1000, virtio) with compatibility noted for VMware and KVM hypervisors. Configuration details for disabling LRO in VMware are provided to enhance throughput.

Models: ASAv5, ASAv10, ASAv30, ASAv5 Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance, Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance, Virtual Appliance

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References

DITA Open Toolkit XEP 4.30.961; modified using iText 2.1.7 by 1T3XT

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