1-2
Cisco ASA Series CLI Configuration Guide
Chapter 1 Configuring a Cluster of ASAs
Information About ASA Clustering
•
How the ASA Cluster Manages Connections, page 1-15
•
ASA Features and Clustering, page 1-17
How the ASA Cluster Fits into Your Network
The cluster consists of multiple ASAs acting as a single unit. (See the
“Licensing Requirements for ASA
Clustering” section on page 1-23
for the number of units supported per model). To act as a cluster, the
ASAs need the following infrastructure:
•
Isolated, high-speed backplane network for intra-cluster communication, known as the
cluster
control link
. See the
“Cluster Control Link” section on page 1-6
.
•
Management access to each ASA for configuration and monitoring. See the
Management” section on page 1-10
.
When you place the cluster in your network, the upstream and downstream routers need to be able to
load-balance the data coming to and from the cluster using one of the following methods:
•
Spanned EtherChannel (Recommended)—Interfaces on multiple members of the cluster are
grouped into a single EtherChannel; the EtherChannel performs load balancing between units. See
the
“Spanned EtherChannel (Recommended)” section on page 1-12
•
Policy-Based Routing (Routed firewall mode only)—The upstream and downstream routers perform
load balancing between units using route maps and ACLs. See the
Firewall Mode Only)” section on page 1-14
.
•
Equal-Cost Multi-Path Routing (Routed firewall mode only)—The upstream and downstream
routers perform load balancing between units using equal cost static or dynamic routes. See the
“Equal-Cost Multi-Path Routing (Routed Firewall Mode Only)” section on page 1-15
Performance Scaling Factor
When you combine multiple units into a cluster, you can expect a performance of approximately:
•
70% of the combined throughput
•
60% of maximum connections
•
50% of connections per second
For example, for throughput, the ASA 5585-X with SSP-40 can handle approximately 10 Gbps of real
world firewall traffic when running alone. For a cluster of 8 units, the maximum combined throughput
will be approximately 70% of 80 Gbps (8 units x 10 Gbps): 56 Gbps.
Cluster Members
•
ASA Hardware and Software Requirements, page 1-3
•
Bootstrap Configuration, page 1-3
•
Master and Slave Unit Roles, page 1-3
•
Summary of Contents for 5505 - ASA Firewall Edition Bundle
Page 28: ...Glossary GL 24 Cisco ASA Series CLI Configuration Guide ...
Page 61: ...P A R T 1 Getting Started with the ASA ...
Page 62: ......
Page 219: ...P A R T 2 Configuring High Availability and Scalability ...
Page 220: ......
Page 403: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Interfaces ...
Page 404: ......
Page 499: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Basic Settings ...
Page 500: ......
Page 533: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Objects and Access Lists ...
Page 534: ......
Page 601: ...P A R T 2 Configuring IP Routing ...
Page 602: ......
Page 745: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Network Address Translation ...
Page 746: ......
Page 845: ...P A R T 2 Configuring AAA Servers and the Local Database ...
Page 846: ......
Page 981: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Access Control ...
Page 982: ......
Page 1061: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Service Policies Using the Modular Policy Framework ...
Page 1062: ......
Page 1093: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Application Inspection ...
Page 1094: ......
Page 1191: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Unified Communications ...
Page 1192: ......
Page 1333: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Connection Settings and QoS ...
Page 1334: ......
Page 1379: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Advanced Network Protection ...
Page 1380: ......
Page 1475: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Modules ...
Page 1476: ......
Page 1549: ...P A R T 2 Configuring VPN ...
Page 1550: ......
Page 1965: ...P A R T 2 Configuring Logging SNMP and Smart Call Home ...
Page 1966: ......
Page 2059: ...P A R T 2 System Administration ...
Page 2060: ......
Page 2098: ...1 8 Cisco ASA Series CLI Configuration Guide Chapter 1 Troubleshooting Viewing the Coredump ...
Page 2099: ...P A R T 2 Reference ...
Page 2100: ......