Cisco ASA 5540 User Manual

1-2
Cisco ASA Series CLI Configuration Guide
Chapter 1 Configuring the Transparent or Routed Firewall
Information About the Firewall Mode
Information About Transparent Firewall Mode
Traditionally, a firewall is a routed hop and acts as a default gateway for hosts that connect to one of its
screened subnets. A transparent firewall, on the other hand, is a Layer 2 firewall that acts like a “bump
in the wire,” or a “stealth firewall,” and is not seen as a router hop to connected devices.
• Using the Transparent Firewall in Your Network, page 1-2
• Bridge Groups, page 1-3
• Management Interface (ASA 5510 and Higher), page 1-4
• Allowing Layer 3 Traffic, page 1-4
• Allowed MAC Addresses, page 1-5
• Passing Traffic Not Allowed in Routed Mode, page 1-5
• BPDU Handling, page 1-5
• MAC Address vs. Route Lookups, page 1-6
• ARP Inspection, page 1-6
• MAC Address Table, page 1-7
Using the Transparent Firewall in Your Network
The ASA connects the same network between its interfaces. Because the firewall is not a routed hop, you
can easily introduce a transparent firewall into an existing network.

Cisco ASA 5540 Specifications

General

Firewall Throughput	650 Mbps
Maximum Firewall Connections	400, 000
VPN Throughput	225 Mbps
Maximum VPN Peers	5, 000
High Availability	Active/Active, Active/Standby
IPSec VPN Throughput	225 Mbps
Memory	1 GB
IPS Throughput	225 Mbps
Security Contexts	50
Flash Memory	64 MB
Form Factor	1U
Power Supply	Dual
Interfaces	4 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet