Cable and Register the Firewall

Cable the firewall and then register the firewall to the management center.

Cable the Firewall

Connect the management center to the dedicated Management 1/1 interface. The management network needs access to the internet for updates. For example, you can connect the management network to the internet through the firewall itself (for example, by connecting to the inside network).

  • Obtain a console cable—The firewall does not ship with a console cable by default, so you will need to buy a third-party USB-to-RJ-45 serial cable, for example.

  • Install SFPs into the data interface ports—The built-in ports are 1/10/25-Gb SFP28 ports that require SFP/SFP+/SFP28 modules.

  • See the hardware installation guide for more information.

Cabling the Management Network

Initial Configuration: CLI

Set the dedicated Management IP address, gateway, and other basic networking settings using the CLI setup script.

Procedure

Step 1

Connect to the console port and access the threat defense CLI. See Access the Threat Defense CLI.

Step 2

Complete the CLI setup script for the Management interface settings.

Note

 

You cannot repeat the CLI setup script unless you clear the configuration, for example, by reimaging. However, all of these settings can be changed later at the CLI using configure network commands. See Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense Command Reference. 


You must accept the EULA to continue.
Press <ENTER> to display the EULA:                 
Cisco General Terms
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Please enter 'YES' or press <ENTER> to AGREE to the EULA:

System initialization in progress.  Please stand by.
You must configure the network to continue.
Configure at least one of IPv4 or IPv6 unless managing via data interfaces.
Do you want to configure IPv4? (y/n) [y]:
Do you want to configure IPv6? (y/n) [y]: n

Guidance: Enter y for at least one of these types of addresses. 

Configure IPv4 via DHCP or manually? (dhcp/manual) [manual]:
Enter an IPv4 address for the management interface [192.168.45.61]: 10.89.5.17
Enter an IPv4 netmask for the management interface [255.255.255.0]: 255.255.255.192

Enter the IPv4 default gateway for the management interface [data-interfaces]: 10.10.10.1

Enter a fully qualified hostname for this system [firepower]: 1010-3
Enter a comma-separated list of DNS servers or 'none' [208.67.222.222,208.67.220.220,2620:119:35::35]:
Enter a comma-separated list of search domains or 'none' []: cisco.com
If your networking information has changed, you will need to reconnect.
Disabling IPv6 configuration: management0
Setting DNS servers: 208.67.222.222,208.67.220.220,2620:119:35::35
Setting DNS domains:cisco.com
Setting hostname as 1010-3
Setting static IPv4: 10.89.5.17 netmask: 255.255.255.192 gateway: data on management0
Updating routing tables, please wait...
All configurations applied to the system. Took 3 Seconds.
Saving a copy of running network configuration to local disk.
For HTTP Proxy configuration, run 'configure network http-proxy'

Setting hostname as 1010-3
Setting static IPv4: 10.89.5.17 netmask: 255.255.255.192 gateway: data on management0
Updating routing tables, please wait...
All configurations applied to the system. Took 3 Seconds.
Saving a copy of running network configuration to local disk.
For HTTP Proxy configuration, run 'configure network http-proxy'
Configuring firewall mode ...


Device is in OffBox mode - disabling/removing port 443 from iptables.
Update policy deployment information
    - add device configuration
    - add network discovery
    - add system policy

You can register the sensor to a Firepower Management Center and use the
Firepower Management Center to manage it. Note that registering the sensor
to a Firepower Management Center disables on-sensor Firepower Services
management capabilities.

When registering the sensor to a Firepower Management Center, a unique
alphanumeric registration key is always required.  In most cases, to register
a sensor to a Firepower Management Center, you must provide the hostname or
the IP address along with the registration key.
'configure manager add [hostname | ip address ] [registration key ]'

However, if the sensor and the Firepower Management Center are separated by a
NAT device, you must enter a unique NAT ID, along with the unique registration
key.
'configure manager add DONTRESOLVE [registration key ] [ NAT ID ]'

Later, using the web interface on the Firepower Management Center, you must
use the same registration key and, if necessary, the same NAT ID when you add
this sensor to the Firepower Management Center.
>

Step 3

Identify the management center.

configure manager add {hostname | IPv4_address | IPv6_address | DONTRESOLVE} reg_key nat_id

  • {hostname | IPv4_address | IPv6_address | DONTRESOLVE}—Specifies either the FQDN or IP address of the management center. If the management center is not directly addressable, use DONTRESOLVE, in which case the firewall must have a reachable IP address or hostname.

  • reg_key—Specifies a one-time registration key of your choice that you will also specify on the management center when you register the threat defense. The registration key must not exceed 37 characters. Valid characters include alphanumerical characters (A–Z, a–z, 0–9) and the hyphen (-).

  • nat_id—Specifies a unique, one-time string of your choice that you will also specify on the management center. The NAT ID must not exceed 37 characters. Valid characters include alphanumerical characters (A–Z, a–z, 0–9) and the hyphen (-). This ID cannot be used for any other devices registering to the management center.

Example:


> configure manager add fmc-1.example.com regk3y78 natid56
Manager successfully configured.

Register the Firewall with the Management Center

Register the firewall to the management center.

Procedure

Step 1

Log into the management center.

  1. Enter the following URL.

    https://fmc_ip_address

  2. Enter your username and password.

  3. Click Log In.

Step 2

Choose Devices > Device Management.

Step 3

From the Add drop-down list, choose Add Device.

Figure 1. Add Device Using a Registration Key
Add Device Using a Registration Key

Set the following parameters:

  • Host—Enter the IP address or hostname of the firewall you want to add, if available. Leave this field blank if it is not available.

  • Display Name—Enter the name for the firewall as you want it to display in the management center. You cannot change this name later.

  • Registration Key—Enter the same registration key that you specified in the firewall initial configuration.

  • Domain—Assign the device to a leaf domain if you have a multidomain environment.

  • Group—Assign it to a device group if you are using groups.

  • Access Control Policy—Choose an initial policy. Unless you already have a customized policy you know you need to use, choose Create new policy, and choose Block all traffic. You can change this later to allow traffic; see Configure an Access Control Rule.

    Figure 2. New Policy
    New Policy

  • Smart Licensing—Assign the Smart Licenses you need for the features you want to deploy. Note: You can apply the Secure Client remote access VPN license after you add the device, from the System > Licenses > Smart Licenses page.

  • Unique NAT ID—Specify the NAT ID that you specified in the firewall initial configuration.

  • Transfer Packets—Check the Transfer Packets check box so that for each intrusion event, the device transfers the packet to the management center for inspection.

    This option is enabled by default. For each intrusion event, the device sends event information and the packet that triggered the event to the management center for inspection. If you disable it, only event information will be sent to the management center; the packet will not be sent.

Step 4

Click Register.

If the threat defense fails to register, check the following items:

  • Ping—Access the threat defense CLI (see Access the Threat Defense CLI), and ping the management center IP address using the following command:

    ping system fmc_ip_address

    If the ping is not successful, check your network settings using the show network command. If you need to change the firewall Management IP address, use the configure network {ipv4 | ipv6} manual command.

  • Registration key, NAT ID, and the management center IP address—Make sure you are using the same registration key and NAT ID on both devices. You can set the registration key and NAT ID on the firewall using the configure manager add command.

For more troubleshooting information, see https://cisco.com/go/fmc-reg-error.