The Cisco® Catalyst® 6500 Series ASA Services Module delivers superior technology that seamlessly integrates with Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches to provide unmatched security, reliability, and performance. Based on the Cisco ASA platform, the most widely deployed firewall in the industry, the ASA Services Module supports the highest throughput, five times the concurrent connections, and twice as many connections per second as competitive network security modules, to meet the growing needs of today's most dynamic organizations - all in a single blade architecture.
The ASA Services Module makes it easy to add full firewall capabilities to an existing infrastructure by sliding a blade into an empty slot in an existing Catalyst 6500 Series switch - no additional rack space, cabling, power, or physical interface is required (Figure 1). It also works in tandem with other modules in the chassis to deliver robust security throughout the entire chassis, effectively making every port a security port. By using the data center's existing infrastructure to deliver network security services, the ASA Services Module delivers superior return on investment (ROI) and greatly simplifies maintenance and management.
Figure 1. Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series ASA Services Module
Features and Benefits
The ASA Services Module helps data centers increase effectiveness and efficiency in protecting their networks and applications. The module delivers exceptional protection of a Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series investment and helps to reduce the total cost of network ownership - all while lowering operating costs and addressing intangible opportunity costs. This is accomplished through the following elements:
• Seamless integration. The ASA Services Module seamlessly integrates with Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches. Full firewall capabilities are added by simply sliding the ASA Services Module into an empty slot in the existing Catalyst 6500 Series switch. No rack space is required, since it populates an empty slot within the existing switch; all interfaces are virtual, eliminating the need to manage physical interfaces; and the module uses the existing switch connections, so no re-cabling is required. As a result, the time required for installation and configuration is dramatically reduced, greatly simplifying the addition of security services. In contrast, adding a dedicated appliance for firewall services in an established data center requires significant effort, with corresponding human resources and costs.
• Simplified maintenance and management. The ASA Services Module integrates easily with the Catalyst 6500 Series chassis, using the same connections and management software as the rest of the switch. In effect, the module becomes part of the switch, with almost no increase in the time, effort, and cost of managing and maintaining the switch. Essentially, high-performance network security services are added to an existing infrastructure at a fraction of the maintenance and management required by a standalone security appliance.
• Minimal environmental costs. As a fully integrated component of the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switch, the ASA Services Module utilizes the power and cooling from the switch. Moreover, it consumes far less power than competitive modules, and a fraction of what is required by standalone appliances. Redundant ASA Services Modules can run on the smallest power supply, and will only consume a maximum of 352.8 watts or 8.4 amps at 42V.
Table 1 lists some of the features of the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series ASA Services Module.
Table 1. Features
Feature
Description
Performance
Maximum firewall throughput
20 Gbps
Multiprotocol firewall throughput
16 Gbps
Concurrent connections
10,000,000
Connections per second
300,000
Capacities
Security contexts
5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 250 licenses (2 included)
Cards per switch
4 ASA Services Modules per Catalyst 6500 Series chassis
VLANs
1000
High availability
Active/Active, Active/Standby
NAT translations
10 million
Transparent mode VLANs
16 pairs
Access control entries
2 million
System Requirements
Table 2 lists the system requirements of the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series ASA Services Module.
Table 2. System Requirements
Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Model
Chassis Size
Cisco IOS® Software Release
Supervisor Card
WS-C6503-E
3 slots
12.2(33)SXJ or later
VS-S720-10G-3C
VS-S720-10G-3CXL
WS-SUP720-3B
WS-SUP720-3BXL
WS-C6504-E
4 slots
WS-C6506-E
6 slots
WS-C6509-E
9 slots
WS-C6509-VE
9 slots
WS-C6513-E
13 slots
WS-C6503-E
3 slots
WS-C6504-E
4 slots
WS-C6506-E
6 slots
Licensing
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series ASA Services Module uses Cisco ASA 5500 Series Security Context Licenses and Cisco ASA 5500 Series GTP Licenses. These licenses are listed in Table 3.
Table 3. ASA Services Module Licenses
Description
License Number
ASA 5500 5 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-5
ASA 5500 5 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-5=
ASA 5500 10 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-10
ASA 5500 10 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-10=
ASA 5500 20 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-20
ASA 5500 20 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-20=
ASA 5500 50 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-50
ASA 5500 50 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-50=
ASA 5500 100 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-100
ASA 5500 100 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-100=
ASA 5500 250 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-250
ASA 5500 250 Security Contexts License
ASA5500-SC-250=
ASA 5500 5 to 10 Security Context License Upgrade
ASA5500-SC-5-10=
ASA 5500 10 to 20 Security Context License Upgrade
ASA5500-SC-10-20=
ASA 5500 20 to 50 Security Context License Upgrade
ASA5500-SC-20-50=
ASA 5500 50 to 100 Security Context License Upgrade
ASA5500-SC-50-100=
ASA 5500 100 to 250 Security Context License Upgrade
ASA5500-SC-100-250=
ASA 5500 GTP/GPRS Inspection License
ASA5500-GTP
ASA 5500 GTP/GPRS Inspection License
ASA5500-GTP=
Product Specifications
Table 4 lists the product specifications for the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series ASA Services Module.
Table 4. Product Specifications
Specification
Description
Regulatory Compliance
CE Markings per directives 2004/108/EC and 2006/108/EC
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