Cisco ASA Redundant or Backup ISP Links  with VPNs
Nov17

Cisco ASA Redundant or Backup ISP Links with VPNs

KB ID 0000544 Problem This method provides failover to a redundant ISP link should your primary network connection go down. IT IS NOT going to load balance the traffic across both interfaces. In this example I’ve also got a VPN to a remote site and some port forwarding to contend with as well. Where we are at the start. Where we want to be   Solution Before you go any further the ASA that will have the backup ISP line,...

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Allow access to VMware View through Cisco ASA 5500
Nov17

Allow access to VMware View through Cisco ASA 5500

KB ID 0000545  Problem To access VMware View though a firewall you need the following ports to be open; TCP Port 80 (http/www) TCP Port 443 (https/ssl) TCP Port 4172 (PCoIP) UDP Port 4172 (PCoIP) In the following example I’m using 192.168.1.100 as the internal IP address of the View Server and the public IP address of the firewall is 123.123.123.123. Which solution you use, depends on weather you are allowing access via a...

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ASA – Memory Error (Post upgrade to version 8.3)
Nov17

ASA – Memory Error (Post upgrade to version 8.3)

KB ID 0000553  Problem I’ve split this article away from this one, as it tripped me up this week again, so I think it deserves an article of its own. Some ASA firewalls that shipped prior to February 2010 may need a hardware memory upgrade, before you can update them to version 8.3 and beyond. If not you will see the following; Memory Error as seen on an ASA5510 ************************************************************* ** **...

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Cisco ASA 5500 – Reset / Recycle VPN Tunnels
Nov17

Cisco ASA 5500 – Reset / Recycle VPN Tunnels

KB ID 0000586  Problem I’ve been asked this before and it came up on EE today, basically you have a site to site VPN tunnel and you either want to restart it or reset it. Solution Cisco ASA Reset ALL VPN Tunnels 1. Connect to your ASA, then to reset ALL your ISAKMP VPN tunnels use the following command; clear crypto isakmp sa In the example below I’ve reset ALL my tunnels. I had a constant ping running across the VPN, and...

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IP Address Conflicts with VMware ESX and Cisco ASA
Nov17

IP Address Conflicts with VMware ESX and Cisco ASA

KB ID 0000635 Problem My colleague was setting up a DMZ server for one of our clients, it was a virtual server that was presented to the DMZ of a Cisco ASA 5510. Every time he gave it a static IP address it popped up an IP address conflict (no matter what the IP address was). Windows has detected an IP address conflict Another computer on this network has the same IP address as this computer. Contact your network administrator for...

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Update Cisco ASA – Directly from Cisco (via ASDM)
Nov17

Update Cisco ASA – Directly from Cisco (via ASDM)

KB ID 0000636  Problem Warning: Before upgrading/updating the ASA to version 8.3 (or Higher) Check to see if you have the correct amount of RAM in the firewall (“show version” command will tell you). This is VERYIMPORTANT if your ASA was shipped before February 2010. See the link below for more information. ASA – Memory Error (Post upgrade to version 8.3) Warning 2: Be aware, if you are upgrading to an OS of...

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Cisco ASA 5500 – Using a Third Party Digital Certificate
Nov17

Cisco ASA 5500 – Using a Third Party Digital Certificate

(For Identification, AnyConnect, and SSL VPN) KB ID 0000694 Problem A client asked me how to do this, so off I went to the test bench to work it out. Note: I’m this example In going to submit the request to, and issue the certificate from, my own windows domain certificate authority, you would send your request to a third party certificate authority, here’s a direct link to the certificate type you require. To use your own...

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ASA 5505 Determine Your License Version
Nov17

ASA 5505 Determine Your License Version

KB ID 0000701 Problem If you are having problems with internal clients NOT getting through the firewall, the license on your ASA 5505 may be ‘to small’. ASA 5505 License Differences Essentially the licenses come in 10 user, 50 user, and unlimited*. You can also have a Security Plus License, this increases IPSEC VPN’s from 10 to 25, and adds Active/Standby failover, Dual ISP Support, and DMZ Support. *Note: These...

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Cisco ASA – Using ‘logging’ to see what ports are being blocked
Nov17

Cisco ASA – Using ‘logging’ to see what ports are being blocked

KB ID 0000702  Problem If you look after a firewall, sooner or later something will fail, and the blame (rightly or wrongly), will be leveled at the firewall. I came back from holiday this week to find a client had got a problem with secure POP email. The problem had been fixed (temporarily) by dropping the affected users into a group, and opening all ports. As this had fixed the problem then it’s fair to say that the ASA was...

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Cisco ASA to Juniper SRX Site to Site VPN

KB ID 0000710 Problem You want to establish a site to site VPN from a site with a Cisco ASA firewall, to another site running a Juniper SRX firewall. I had to do this this week, and struggled to find any good information to help. In the example below I’m configuring the whole thing from a laptop (172.16.254.206) that’s on the Juniper’s site. Use the diagram below, and substitute your own IP addresses and subnet...

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