Cisco ASA 5585-X Hardware Installation Guide

Safety Guidelines

Use the following guidelines to help ensure your safety and protect the ASA 5585-X. This list of guidelines may not address all potentially hazardous situations in your work environment, so be alert and exercise good judgment at all times.

• Keep the chassis area clear and dust-free before, during, and after installation.
• Keep tools away from walkways where you and others could trip over them.
• Do not wear loose clothing or jewelry, such as earrings, bracelets, or chains, that could get caught in the chassis.
• Wear safety glasses if you are working under any conditions that might be hazardous to your eyes.
• Do not perform any action that creates a potential hazard to people, or makes the equipment unsafe.
• Never attempt to lift an object that is too heavy for one person.

Note Removing the chassis cover to install a hardware component does not affect your Cisco warranty. Upgrading the ASA 5585-X does not require any special tools, and does not create any radio frequency leaks.

Maintaining Safety with Electricity

Warning Before working on a chassis, or working near power supplies, unplug all power cords on AC-input units. Statement 246

Follow these guidelines when working on equipment powered by electricity:

• Before beginning procedures that require access to the interior of the chassis, locate the emergency power-off switch for the room in which you are working. Then, if an electrical accident occurs, you can act quickly to turn off the power.
• Do not work alone if potentially hazardous conditions exist anywhere in your work space.
• Never assume that power is disconnected from a circuit; always check the circuit.
• Look carefully for possible hazards in your work area, such as moist floors, ungrounded power extension cables, frayed power cords, and missing safety grounds.
• If an electrical accident occurs, proceed as follows:

– Use caution; do not become a victim yourself.

– Disconnect power from the system.

– If possible, send another person to get medical aid. Otherwise, assess the condition of the victim and then call for help.

– Determine if the person needs rescue breathing or external cardiac compressions; then take appropriate action.

• Use the ASA 5585-X chassis within its marked electrical ratings and product usage instructions.
• Install the ASA 5585-X in compliance with local and national electrical codes as listed in Regulatory Compliance and Safety Information.
• The ASA 5585-X models equipped with AC-input power supplies are shipped with a three-wire electrical cord with a grounding-type plug that fits only a grounding-type power outlet. Do not circumvent this safety feature. Equipment grounding should comply with local and national electrical codes.

Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage equipment and impair electrical circuitry. ESD damage occurs when electronic components are improperly handled, and can result in complete or intermittent failures.

• Always follow ESD-prevention procedures when removing and replacing components. Ensure that the chassis is electrically connected to earth ground. Wear an ESD-preventive wrist strap, ensuring that it makes good skin contact. Connect the grounding clip to an unpainted surface of the chassis frame to safely ground ESD voltages. To properly guard against ESD damage and shocks, the wrist strap and cord must operate effectively. If no wrist strap is available, ground yourself by touching the metal part of the chassis.
• For safety, periodically check the resistance value of the anti-static strap, which should be between one and 10 megohms (Mohms).

Site Environment

Place the chassis on a desktop, or mount it on a rack. The location of the chassis and the layout of the equipment rack or wiring room are extremely important for proper system operation. Devices placed too close together, with inadequate ventilation, and inaccessible panels can cause system malfunctions and shutdowns, and can make the chassis maintenance difficult.

When planning the site layout and equipment locations, keep in mind the precautions described in the next section “Preventive Site Configuration” to help avoid equipment failures and reduce the possibility of environmentally caused shutdowns. If you are currently experiencing shutdowns or unusually high error rates with your existing equipment, these precautions may help you isolate the cause of failures and prevent future problems.

Preventive Site Configuration

The following precautions will help you plan an acceptable operating environment for the chassis and avoid environmentally caused equipment failures:

• Electrical equipment generates heat. Ambient air temperature might not be adequate to cool equipment to acceptable operating temperatures without adequate circulation. Ensure that the room in which you operate your system has adequate air circulation.
• Always follow the ESD-prevention procedures described previously to avoid damage to equipment. Damage from static discharge can cause immediate or intermittent equipment failure.
• Ensure that the chassis top panel is secure. The chassis is designed to allow cooling air to flow effectively within it. An open chassis allows air leaks, which may interrupt and redirect the flow of cooling air from the internal components.

Power Supply Considerations

The ASA 5585-X has an AC power supply. Observe the following:

• Check the power at the site before installing the chassis to ensure that the power is “clean” (free of spikes and noise). Install a power conditioner, if necessary, to ensure proper voltages and power levels in the source voltage.
• Install proper grounding for the site to avoid damage from lightning and power surges.
• In a chassis equipped with an AC-input power supply, use the following guidelines:

– The chassis does not have a user-selectable operating range. Refer to the label on the chassis for the correct AC-input power requirements.

– Several styles of AC-input power supply cords are available; make sure you have the correct style for your site.

– Install an uninterruptible power source for your site, if possible.

Warning If you remove a power supply or fan module, replace it immediately to prevent service disruption.

Caution If ASA 5585-X is subjected to environmental overheating, it shuts down and you must manually power it up again by toggling the power switch, or unplugging the power cord and then plugging it back in.

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Configuring Equipment Racks

The following tips help you plan an acceptable equipment rack configuration:

• Enclosed racks must have adequate ventilation. Ensure that the rack is not overly congested, because each chassis generates heat. An enclosed rack should have louvered sides and a fan to provide cooling air.
• When mounting a chassis in an open rack, ensure that the rack frame does not block the intake or exhaust ports. If the chassis is installed on slides, check the position of the chassis when it is seated all the way into the rack.
• In an enclosed rack with a ventilation fan in the top, excessive heat generated by equipment near the bottom of the rack can be drawn upward and into the intake ports of the equipment above it in the rack. Ensure that you provide adequate ventilation for equipment at the bottom of the rack.
• Baffles can help to isolate exhaust air from intake air, which also helps to draw cooling air through the chassis. The best placement of the baffles depends on the airflow patterns in the rack. Experiment with different arrangements to position the baffles effectively.