Cisco Cisco ASA Series Installation instructions

Mount and Connect
This chapter describes how to rack-mount the ASA, and how to connect the cords and cables. It contains the
following sections
•Rack-mount the ASA , on page 1
•Connect Cables, Turn on Power, and Verify Connectivity, on page 2
•Connect to a Console Terminal or PC, on page 4
Rack-mount the ASA
The ASA ships with rack-mount brackets or “ears,” which you can install on the front or the rear of the chassis.
Follow these steps to install your ASA in a rack.
Step 1 Attach both brackets to the sides of the ASA chassis, either to the front or rear.
After the brackets are secured to the chassis, you can mount it in the rack.
Step 2 Attach the chassis to the rack.
We recommend that you install the chassis with the rear panel facing the cold aisle. (See the following illustration for an
example of air flow from back to front.)
Mount and Connect
1

Figure 1: Chassis Installed in the Rack
What to do next
You can now install the cables and power cord, as described in Connect Cables, Turn on Power, and Verify
Connectivity, on page 2.
Connect Cables, Turn on Power, and Verify Connectivity
After positioning or mounting the ASA, follow these steps to connect cables, turn on power, and verify
connectivity:
Step 1 Connect the network cables:
a) Management interface – Using this Management 1/1 Gigabit Ethernet port, you can connect a management computer
directly with an Ethernet cable, or you can connect the computer and the ASA to the same management network. Be
sure the PC is configured to obtain an IP address using DHCP.
You can configure any of the Gigabit Ethernet interfaces to be a management-only interface using the
management-onlycommand. However, you cannot disable management-only mode on the Management 1/1 interface.
The following figure shows how to connect the network cables.
Mount and Connect
2
Mount and Connect
Connect Cables, Turn on Power, and Verify Connectivity

Figure 2: ASA 5508-X and ASA 5516-X Cabling
Console port (RJ-45 or Mini USB Type B)2Gigabit Ethernet data interface (RJ-45)1
Management 1/1 interface (RJ-45)3
b) (Optional) Console port – For use with the CLI. Connect a computer or terminal server using a serial console cable
to either the RJ-45 or Mini USB Type B port.
Only one console port can be active at a time. When a cable is plugged into the USB console port, the RJ-45 port
becomes inactive. Conversely, when the USB cable is removed from the Mini USB Type B port, the RJ-45 port
becomes active. See Connect to a Console Terminal or PC, on page 4 for specific instructions for connecting the
console port.
c) Gigabit Ethernet ports – For the network interfaces; use standard RJ-45 Ethernet cables.
You can use any available Gigabit Ethernet port on the ASA 5508-X or ASA 5516-X as a failover link. The failover
link interface is not configured as a normal networking interface; it should only be used for the failover link. You
can connect the failover link by using a dedicated switch with no hosts or routers on the link.
Step 2 Connect the power cord to the ASA, and plug the other end to your power source.
Step 3 Press the power switch to turn the appliance on.
When the Power LED is solid green, the ASA is completely powered on.
Step 4 Check the Status LED on the ASA chassis.
When it is solid green, the ASA has passed power-on diagnostics.
Step 5 See the Cisco ASA 5508-X and ASA 5516-X Quick Start Guide to continue setting up your ASA.
Mount and Connect
3
Mount and Connect
Connect Cables, Turn on Power, and Verify Connectivity

Your ASA ships with either ASA or Firepower Threat Defense software preinstalled. To reimage your device,
see Reimage the Cisco ASA or Firepower Threat Defense Device.
Note
Connect to a Console Terminal or PC
The serial ports provide administrative access to the ASA either with a console terminal or a PC. To configure
the ASA through the CLI, you must establish a connection between the ASA console port and either a terminal
or a PC.
This section describes how to connect to a console terminal or a PC, and contains the following topics:
Connect to the Console Port with Microsoft Windows
You must install a USB device driver the first time a Microsoft Windows-based PC is connected to the USB
serial port on the ASA, otherwise the connection fails.
To uninstall the driver, use the Add Remove Programs utility or the Setup-exe program.
Disconnect the ASA console terminal before uninstalling the driver.
Note
Step 1 Obtain the appropriate driver (Cisco_usbconsole_driver_X_X_zip, where X is a revision number) for your ASA model
from the Cisco Download Software site, USB Console Software category.
Step 2 Install the driver.
Step 3 Connect a USB 5-pin Mini USB Type B to the USB console port as shown in the following figure.
Mount and Connect
4
Mount and Connect
Connect to a Console Terminal or PC

Figure 3: ASA 5508-X and ASA 5516-X Console Port Connection
Mini USB Type B to USB Type
A console cable
2Mini USB Type B console port1
USB Type A3
Step 4 Connect the end of the cable with the DB-9 connector (or USB Type A) to the terminal or PC. If your terminal or PC has
a console port that does not accommodate a DB-9 connector, you must provide an appropriate adapter for that port.
The LED for the console port turns green and within a few moments the Found New Hardware Wizard appears.
Step 5 Follow the instructions to complete the driver installation.
Step 6 To communicate with the ASA, start a terminal emulator application. This software should be configured with the
following parameters:
• 9600 baud
• 8 data bits
• no parity
• 1 stop bit
• no flow control
Connect to the Console Port with Mac OS X
Follow these steps to connect a Mac OS X system USB port to the console using the built-in OS X Terminal
utility, or alternatively you can use a separate terminal emulator application.
Mount and Connect
5
Mount and Connect
Connect to the Console Port with Mac OS X

Step 1 Use the Finder to go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
Step 2 Connect the OS X USB port to the ASA.
Step 3 Enter the following commands to find the OS X USB port number:
Example:
macbook:user$ cd /dev
macbook:user$ ls -ltr /dev/*usb*
crw-rw-rw- 1 root wheel 9, 66 Apr 1 16:46 tty.usbmodem1a21
DT-macbook:dev user$
Step 4 Connect to the USB port with the following command followed by the ASA USB port speed:
Example:
macbook:user$ screen /dev/tty.usbmodem1a21 9600
Step 5 Enter Ctrl-z followed by Ctrl-\ to disconnect the OS X USB console from the Terminal window.
Connect to the Console Port with Linux
Follow these steps to connect a Linux system USB port to the console using the built-in Linux Terminal utility.
Step 1 Open the Linux Terminal window.
Step 2 Connect the Linux USB port to the ASA.
Step 3 Enter the following commands to find the Linux USB port number:
Example:
root@usb-suse# cd /dev
root@usb-suse /dev# ls -ltr *ACM*
crw-r--r-- 1 root root 188, 0 Jan 14 18:02 ttyACM0
root@usb-suse /dev#
Step 4 Connect to the USB port with the following command followed by the ASA USB port speed
Example:
root@usb-suse /dev# screen /dev/ttyACM0 9600
Step 5 To disconnect the Linux USB console from the Terminal window, enter Ctrl-a followed by : then quit.
Mount and Connect
6
Mount and Connect
Connect to the Console Port with Linux