CH A P T E R 3

Installing the ASA 5550

Caution Read the safety warnings in the Regulatory Compliance and Safety Information
for the Cisco ASA 5500 Series and follow proper safety procedures when
performing these steps.

Warning Only trained and qualified personnel should install, replace, or service this
equipment. Statement 49

This chapter describes the ASA 5550 adaptive security appliance and rack-mount
and installation procedures for the adaptive security appliance. This chapter
includes the following sections:
• Verifying the Package Contents, page 3-2
• Installing the Chassis, page 3-3
• Installing SFP Modules, page 3-6
• Ports and LEDs, page 3-9
• Connecting Interface Cables, page 3-13
• What to Do Next, page 3-19

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Verifying the Package Contents

Verifying the Package Contents

Verify the contents of the packing box, shown in Figure 3-1, to ensure that you
have received all items necessary to install the Cisco ASA 5550.

Figure 3-1 Contents of ASA 5550 Package

Cisco ASA 5550 adaptive
security appliance

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Mounting brackets Yellow Ethernet cable

(700-18797-01 AO) right (72-1482-01)
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2 long cap screws

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PC terminal adapter

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Installing the Chassis

Installing the Chassis

This section describes how to rack-mount and install the adaptive security
appliance. You can mount the adaptive security appliance in a 19-inch rack (with
a 17.5- or 17.75-inch opening).

Warning To prevent bodily injury when mounting or servicing this unit in a rack, you must
take special precautions to ensure that the system remains stable. The
following guidelines are provided to ensure your safety.

The following information can help plan equipment rack installation:

• Allow clearance around the rack for maintenance.
• When mounting a device in an enclosed rack ensure adequate ventilation. An
enclosed rack should never be overcrowded. Make sure that the rack is not
congested, because each unit generates heat.
• When mounting a device in an open rack, make sure that the rack frame does
not block the intake or exhaust ports.
• If the rack contains only one unit, mount the unit at the bottom of the rack.
• If the rack is partially filled, load the rack from the bottom to the top, with the
heaviest component at the bottom of the rack.
• If the rack contains stabilizing devices, install the stabilizers prior to
mounting or servicing the unit in the rack.

Warning Before performing any of the following procedures, ensure that the power
source is off. (AC or DC). To ensure that power is removed from the DC circuit,
locate the circuit breaker on the panel board that services the DC circuit,
switch the circuit breaker to the OFF position, and tape the switch handle of the
circuit breaker in the OFF position.

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Installing the Chassis

Rack-Mounting the Chassis

To rack-mount the chassis, perform the following steps.

Note You can use the mounting brackets to mount the chassis to the front or the back
of the rack, with the front panel or the rear panel of the chassis facing outward.

Step 1 Attach the rack-mount brackets to the chassis using the supplied screws. Attach
the brackets to the holes as shown in Figure 3-2. After the brackets are secured to
the chassis, you can rack-mount it.

Figure 3-2 Installing the Right and Left Brackets

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Step 2 Attach the chassis to the rack using the supplied screws, as shown in Figure 3-3.

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Installing the Chassis

Figure 3-3 Rack-Mounting the Chassis

CISCO
POWER
ASA 554
STATUS Adaptive 0 SERIE
ACTI Security S
VE VPN Appliance
FLASH

119633
Note Figure 3-2 shows the rack mounting brackets attached to the rear of the chassis
while Figure 3-3 shows the rack mounting brackets attached to the front of the
chassis. You can attach the mounting brackets to the front or the rear of the
chassis so that you can have the front panel or the rear panel of the chassis facing
outward.
Figure 3-2 shows the brackets attached to the rear so you can see how that
configuration appears while Figure 3-3 shows the brackets attached to the front so
that you can see how that configuration appears. In Step 1 and Step 2, you will
choose to have either the brackets rear mounted or front mounted but not both.

To remove the chassis from the rack, remove the screws that attach the chassis to
the rack, and then remove the chassis.

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Installing SFP Modules

Installing SFP Modules

The adaptive security appliance uses a field-replaceable SFP module to establish
fiber Gigabit Ethernet connections.
This section describes how to install and remove SFP modules in the adaptive
security appliance. This section includes the following topics:
• SFP Module, page 3-6
• Installing an SFP Module, page 3-8

SFP Module
The SFP (Small Form-Factor Pluggable) module is a hot-swappable input/output
device that plugs into the fiber ports.

Note If you install an SFP module after the switch has powered on, you must reload the
adaptive security appliance to enable the SFP module.

Table 3-1 lists the SFP modules that are supported by the adaptive security
appliance.
Table 3-1 Supported SFP Modules

SFP Module Type of Connection Cisco Part Number

1000BASE-LX/LH Fiber GLC-LH-SM=
1000BASE-SX Fiber GLC-SX-MM=

The 1000BASE-LX/LH and 1000BASE-SX SFP modules are used to establish

fiber connections. Use fiber cables with LC connectors to connect to an SFP
module. The SFP modules support 850 to 1550 nm nominal wavelengths. The
cables must not exceed the required cable length for reliable communications.
Table 3-2 lists the cable length requirements.

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Installing SFP Modules

Table 3-2 Cabling Requirements for Fiber-Optic SFP Modules

62.5/125 micron 50/125 micron 62.5/125 micron 50/125 micron 9/125 micron
Multimode 850 Multimode 850 Multimode Multimode Single-mode
SFP Module nm Fiber nm Fiber 1310 nm Fiber 1310 nm Fiber 1310 nm Fiber

— — 550 m at 550 m at 10 km
500 Mhz-km 400 Mhz-km
LX/LH

275 m at 550 m at — — —
200 Mhz-km 500 Mhz-km
SX

Use only Cisco-certified SFP modules on the adaptive security appliance. Each
SFP module has an internal serial EEPROM that is encoded with security
information. This encoding provides a way for Cisco to identify and validate that
the SFP module meets the requirements for the adaptive security appliance.

Note Only SFP modules certified by Cisco are supported on the adaptive security
appliance.

Caution Protect your SFP modules by inserting clean port plugs into the SFPs after the
cables are extracted from them. Be sure to clean the optic surfaces of the fiber
cables before you plug them back into the optical bores of another SFP module.
Avoid getting dust and other contaminants into the optical bores of your SFP
modules: The optics do not work correctly when obstructed with dust.

Warning Because invisible laser radiation may be emitted from the aperture of the port
when no cable is connected, avoid exposure to laser radiation and do not stare
into open apertures. Statement 70

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Installing SFP Modules

Installing an SFP Module

To install an SFP module in a fiber port in Slot 1, perform the following steps:

Step 1 Line up the SFP module with the port and slide the SFP module into the port slot
until it locks into position as shown in Figure 3-4.

Figure 3-4 Installing an SFP Module

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1

1 Port plug 3 SFP module

2 Port slot

Caution Do not remove the port plugs from the SFP module until you are ready to connect
the cables.

Step 2 Remove the port plug; then connect the network cable to the SFP module.
Step 3 Connect the other end of the cable to your network. For more information on
connecting the cables, see Chapter 3, “Connecting Interface Cables.”

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Ports and LEDs

Caution The latching mechanism used on many SFP modules locks them into place when
cables are connected. Do not pull on the cabling in an attempt to remove the SFP
module.

Ports and LEDs

This section describes the front and rear panels. Figure 3-5 shows the front panel
LEDs. This section includes the following topics:
• Front Panel LEDs, page 3-9
• Rear Panel LEDs and Ports in Slot 0, page 3-10
• Ports and LEDs in Slot 1, page 3-12

Front Panel LEDs

Figure 3-5 shows the LEDs on the front panel of the adaptive security appliance.

Figure 3-5 Front Panel LEDs

CISCO ASA 5540 SERIES
Adaptive Security Appliance

119638
POWER STATUS ACTIVE VPN FLASH

1 3 5
2 4

LED Color State Description

1 Power Green On The system has power.

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Ports and LEDs

LED Color State Description

2 Status Green Flashing The power-up diagnostics are running or the system is booting.
Solid The system has passed power-up diagnostics.
Amber Solid The power-up diagnostics have failed.
3 Active Green Flashing There is network activity.
4 VPN Green Solid VPN tunnel is established.
5 Flash Green Solid The CompactFlash is being accessed.

Rear Panel LEDs and Ports in Slot 0

Figure 3-6 shows the rear panel LEDs and ports in Slot 0.

Figure 3-6 Rear Panel LEDs and Ports on Slot 0 (AC Power Supply Model Shown)

1 2 3 4 5
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3
2 External CompactFlash slot 7 Network interfaces 12 Flash LED
3 Serial Console port 8 Power indicator LED 13 AUX port
4 Power switch 9 Status indicator LED 14 Power connector
5 Power indicator LED 10 Active LED
1. The management 0/0 interface is a Fast Ethernet interface designed for management traffic only.
2. Reserved for future use.

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Ports and LEDs

3. GigabiteEthernet interfaces, from right to left, GigabitEthernet 0/0, GigabitEthernet 0/1, GigabitEthernet 0/2, and
GigabitEthernet 0/3.

For more information on the Management Port, see the management-only

command in the Cisco Security Appliance Command Reference.
Figure 3-7 shows the adaptive security appliance rear panel LEDs.

Figure 3-7 Rear Panel Link and Speed Indicator LEDs

1 2
MGMT
USB2
USB1

126917
LNK SPD LNK SPD LNK SPD LNK SPD
3 2 1 0

1 MGMT indicator LEDs 2 Network interface LEDs

Table 3-3 lists the rear MGMT and Network interface LEDs.

Table 3-3 Link and Speed LEDs

Indicator Color Description

Left side Solid green Physical link
Green flashing Network activity
Right side Not lit 10 Mbps
Green 100 Mbps
Amber 1000 Mbps

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Ports and LEDs

Ports and LEDs in Slot 1

Figure 3-8 illustrates the ports and LEDs in Slot 1.

Figure 3-8 Ports and LEDs in Slot 1

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1 4 5 6

1 Copper Ethernet ports 5 Status LED

2 RJ-45 Link LED 6 Fiber Ethernet ports
3 RJ-45 Speed LED 7 SFP Link LED
4 Power LED 8 SFP Speed LED

Note Figure 3-8 shows SFP modules installed in the fiber Ethernet ports. You must
order and install the SFP modules if you want to establish fiber Ethernet
connectivity. For more information on fiber ports and SFP modules, see the
“Installing SFP Modules” section on page 3-6.

Table 3-4 describes the LEDs in Slot 1.

Table 3-4 LEDs on Bus G1

LED Color State Description

2, 7 LINK Green Solid There is an Ethernet link.
Flashing There is Ethernet activity.

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Connecting Interface Cables

Table 3-4 LEDs on Bus G1 (continued)

LED Color State Description

3, 8 SPEED Off 10 MB There is no network activity.
Green 100 MB There is network activity at
100 Mbps.
Amber
1000 MB There is network activity at
(GigE) 1000 Mbps.
4 POWER Green On The system has power.
5 STATUS Green Flashing The system is booting.
Green Solid The system booted correctly.
Amber Solid The system diagnostics failed.

Connecting Interface Cables

This section describes how to connect the appropriate cables to the Console,
Auxiliary, Management, copper Ethernet, and fiber Ethernet ports.
To connect cables to the network interfaces, perform the following steps:

Step 1 Place the chassis on a flat, stable surface, or in a rack (if you are rack-mounting it).
Step 2 Connect to the Management port.
The adaptive security appliance has a dedicated interface for device management
that is referred to as the Management0/0 port. The Management0/0 port is a Fast
Ethernet interface. This port is similar to the Console port, but the Management0/0
port only accepts incoming traffic to the adaptive security appliance.

Note You can configure any interface to be a management-only interface using

the management-only command. You can also disable management-only
mode on the management interface. For more information about this
command, see the management-only command in the Cisco Security
Appliance Command Reference.

a. Locate an Ethernet cable, which has an RJ-45 connector on each end.

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b. Connect one RJ-45 connector to the Management0/0 port, as shown in

Figure 3-9.
c. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on your
computer or to your management network.

Figure 3-9 Connecting to the Management Port

1
MGMT
USB2
USB1

92684
LNK SPD LNK SPD LNK SPD LNK SPD
3 2 1 0

1 Management port 2 RJ-45 to RJ-45 Ethernet cable

Step 3 Connect to the Console port.

a. Before connecting a computer or terminal to any ports, check to determine the
baud rate of the serial port. The baud rate of the computer or terminal must
match the default baud rate (9600 baud) of the Console port of the adaptive
security appliance.
Set up the terminal as follows: 9600 baud (default), 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop
bits, and Flow Control (FC) = Hardware.
b. Locate the serial console cable, which has an RJ-45 connector on one end and
a DB-9 connector on the other end for the serial port on your computer.
c. Connect the RJ-45 connector to the Console port of the adaptive security
appliance as shown in Figure 3-10.

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d. Connect the DB-9 connector to the console port on your computer.

Figure 3-10 Connecting the Console Cable

CONSOLE
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1 RJ-45 Console port 2 RJ-45 to DB-9 console cable

Step 4 Connect to the Auxiliary port (labeled AUX).

a. Locate the serial console cable, which has an RJ-45 connector on one end and
a DB-9 connector on the other end for the serial port on your computer.
b. Connect the RJ-45 connector of the cable to the Auxiliary port (labeled AUX)
on the adaptive security appliance, as shown in Figure 3-11.
c. Connect the other end of the cable, the DB-9 connector, to the serial port on
your computer.

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Figure 3-11 Connecting to the AUX Port

CONSOLE
FLASH

AUX
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1 RJ-45 AUX port 2 RJ-45 to DB-9 console cable

Step 5 Connect to copper Ethernet ports to be used for network connections. Copper
Ethernet ports are available both in Slot 0 and Slot 1.

Note You must use a port in Slot 0 for the inside interface, and a port in Slot 1
for the outside interface.

a. Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to a copper Ethernet port, as shown in

Figure 3-12 and Figure 3-13.

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Figure 3-12 Connecting to a Copper Ethernet Interface in Slot 0

MGMT
USB2
USB1

92685
LNK SPD LNK SPD LNK SPD LNK SPD
3 2 1 0

1 Copper Ethernet ports 2 RJ-45 connector

Figure 3-13 Connecting to a Copper Ethernet Interfaces in Slot 1

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MGMT USB2

Cisco
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1 Copper Ethernet ports 2 RJ-45 connector

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Connecting Interface Cables

b. Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable to a network device, such as a
router, switch or hub.
Step 6 Connect to fiber Ethernet ports to be used for network connections.

Note Slot 1 contains four copper Ethernet ports and four fiber Ethernet ports.
You can use both types of ports, but you can only have a total of four
Slot 1 ports in use at a time. For example, you could use two copper
Ethernet ports and two fiber Ethernet ports.

For each fiber port you want to use, perform the following steps:
a. Install the SFP module:
– Insert and slide the SFP module into the fiber port until you hear a click.
The click indicates that the SFP module is locked into the port.
– Remove the port plug from the installed SFP as shown in Figure 3-14.

Figure 3-14 Removing the Fiber Port Plug

2
1

143146
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1 Port plug 2 SFP module

b. Connect the LC connector to the SFP module as shown in Figure 3-15.

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Figure 3-15 Connecting the LC Connector

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1 LC connector 2 SFP module

c. Connect the other end of the cable to a network device, such as a router,
switch, or hub.
Step 7 Connect the power cord to the adaptive security appliance and plug the other end
to the power source.
Step 8 Power on the chassis.

What to Do Next
Continue with Chapter 1, “Configuring the Adaptive Security Appliance.”

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