CHAPTER
1-1
Cisco ASA Series CLI Configuration Guide
1
Introduction to the Cisco ASA
The Cisco ASA provides advanced stateful firewall and VPN concentrator functionality in one device,
and for some models, integrated services modules such as IPS. The ASA includes many advanced
features, such as multiple security contexts (similar to virtualized firewalls), clustering (combining
multiple firewalls into a single firewall), transparent (Layer 2) firewall or routed (Layer 3) firewall
operation, advanced inspection engines, IPsec VPN, SSL VPN, and clientless SSL VPN support, and
many more features.
Note ASDM supports many ASA versions. The ASDM documentation and online help includes all of the
latest features supported by the ASA. If you are running an older version of ASA software, the
documentation might include features that are not supported in your version. Similarly, if a feature was
added into a maintenance release for an older major or minor version, then the ASDM documentation
includes the new feature even though that feature might not be available in all later ASA releases. Please
refer to the feature history table for each chapter to determine when features were added. For the
minimum supported version of ASDM for each ASA version, see Cisco ASA 5500 Series Hardware and
Software Compatibility.
This chapter includes the following sections:
• ASDM Client Operating System and Browser Requirements, page 1-1
• Hardware and Software Compatibility, page 1-3
• VPN Specifications, page 1-3
• New Features, page 1-4
• How the ASA Services Module Works with the Switch, page 1-24
• Firewall Functional Overview, page 1-26
• VPN Functional Overview, page 1-31
• Security Context Overview, page 1-31
• ASA Clustering Overview, page 1-32
ASDM Client Operating System and Browser Requirements
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