Introduction to the Cisco ASAv

The Cisco Adaptive Security Virtual Appliance (ASAv) brings full firewall functionality to virtualized environments to secure data center traffic and multi-tenant environments.

You can manage and monitor the ASAv using ASDM or CLI. Other management options may be available.

Prerequisites for the ASAv

For hypervisor support, see Cisco ASA Compatibility.

Guidelines for the ASAv

Context Mode Guidelines

Supported in single context mode only. Does not support multiple context mode.

Failover Guidelines

For failover deployments, make sure that the standby unit has the same model license; for example, both units should be ASAv30s.

Unsupported ASA Features

The ASAv does not support the following ASA features:

  • Clustering
  • Multiple context mode
  • Active/Active failover
  • EtherChannels
  • Shared AnyConnect Premium Licenses

Licensing for the ASAv

The ASAv uses Cisco Smart Software Licensing. For detailed information, see Smart Software Licensing for the ASAv.

 

Model

License Requirement

ASAv5

Standard license

See the following specifications:

  • 100 Mbps Throughput
  • 1 vCPU
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 100,000 concurrent firewall connections
  • Does not support AWS

ASAv10

Standard license

See the following specifications:

  • 1 Gbps Throughput
  • 1 vCPU
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 100,000 concurrent firewall connections
  • Supports AWS

ASAv30

Standard license

See the following specifications:

  • 2 Gbps Throughput
  • 4 vCPUs
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 500,000 concurrent firewall connections
  • Supports AWS

Note: You must install a smart license on the ASAv. Until you install a license, throughput is limited to 100 Kbps so you can perform preliminary connectivity tests. A smart license is required for regular operation.

ASAv Interfaces and Virtual NICs

As a guest on a virtualized platform, the ASAv utilizes the network interfaces of the underlying physical platform. Each ASAv interface maps to a virtual NIC (vNIC).

ASAv Interfaces

The ASAv includes the following Gigabit Ethernet interfaces:

  • Management 0/0
  • GigabitEthernet 0/0 through 0/8. Note that the GigabitEthernet 0/8 is used for the failover link when you deploy the ASAv as part of a failover pair.

Supported vNICs

The ASAv supports the following vNICs:

 

vNIC Type

Hypervisor Support

ASAv Version

Notes

VMware

KVM
e1000
Yes
Yes
9.2(1) and later
VMware default.
Virtio
No
Yes
9.3(2.200) and later
KVM default.