United States
Q
What are Cisco Firewall Modules & Cards?
A
Cisco Firewall Modules & Cards are modular hardware components that integrate advanced firewalling, VPN, intrusion prevention, and content filtering into Cisco routers, switches, and Firepower appliances.
Q
Which Cisco routers and switches support firewall modules & cards?
A
Cisco Firewall Modules & Cards are supported on Catalyst 6500 Series with FWSM, ASA 5500-X appliances, ISR and ASR routers with Security Services Modules (SSM), and Firepower 4100/9300 series chassis.
Q
How do I choose the right Cisco Firewall Module for my network?
A
Evaluate your required throughput, interface density, security features (VPN, IPS, URL filtering) and platform compatibility, then select a Cisco Firewall Module that aligns with your performance and policy needs.
Q
What throughput and capacity can I expect from Cisco Firewall Modules?
A
Cisco Firewall Modules deliver firewall throughput ranging from 500 Mbps on small SSM cards to over 100 Gbps on Firepower 9300 modules; exact performance varies by model and inspection features.
Q
How do I install a Cisco Firewall Module into a Cisco ISR or ASR router?
A
Power down the router, insert the Cisco Firewall Module into the designated Security Services slot, secure it with the retention screw, power on, and verify installation with the CLI show module command.
Q
Are Cisco Firewall Modules hot-swappable or field-replaceable?
A
Most Cisco Firewall Modules are field-replaceable but not hot-swappable; plan a brief maintenance window to power-cycle the device when adding or replacing modules.
Q
How do I license features on Cisco Firewall Modules & Cards?
A
Cisco Firewall Modules & Cards use Smart Licensing: register your Smart Account, allocate tokens to devices, then enable firewall, VPN, and advanced inspection services via CLI or management interfaces.
Q
Can I manage Cisco Firewall Modules via Cisco Firepower Management Center?
A
Yes, you can centrally manage Cisco Firewall Modules with Cisco Firepower Management Center or Cisco Defense Orchestrator for unified policy, threat analytics, and software updates.
Q
Do Cisco Firewall Modules support high availability and clustering?
A
High availability on Cisco Firewall Modules is supported via active/standby or clustering configurations, synchronizing policies and session state across redundant modules for seamless failover.
Q
What advanced threat protection features do Cisco Firewall Cards provide?
A
Cisco Firewall Cards deliver advanced threat protection with integrated intrusion prevention (IPS), malware defense, URL filtering, and contextual analytics powered by the FirePOWER services engine.
Q
How do Cisco Firewall Cards handle SSL and TLS inspection?
A
Cisco Firewall Cards support hardware-accelerated SSL/TLS decryption and re-encryption, enabling deep packet inspection of encrypted traffic without significant performance impact.
Q
Are Cisco Firewall Modules compatible with IPv6?
A
Yes, Cisco Firewall Modules & Cards fully support IPv6 routing, firewall policies, and VPN tunnels, allowing seamless operation in dual-stack or IPv6-only environments.
Q
How do I upgrade the software on a Cisco Firewall Module or Card?
A
Download the latest ASA or Firepower image from Cisco.com, transfer it via TFTP/FTP/SCP to the module, and run the install or upgrade commands in the module’s CLI.
Q
What monitoring and reporting tools are available for Cisco Firewall Modules?
A
Use Cisco Firepower Management Center, Cisco Security Manager, native CLI commands and SNMP for real-time monitoring, syslog, NetFlow, and comprehensive reporting on modules and cards.
Q
Can I deploy multiple Cisco Firewall Cards in the same chassis for scalability?
A
Yes, you can install multiple Cisco Firewall Cards in supported chassis or modular platforms to scale throughput, expand interface count, and segment security services across cards.
Q
Where can I download documentation, firmware, and software updates for Cisco Firewall Modules?
A
Access the Cisco Support & Downloads portal, search for your module model, and select recommended software releases, data sheets and configuration guides under the Software section.
