Cisco ASA 5505 Features

In this post I’ll describe the software and hardware features of the Cisco ASA 5505 model. The ASA 5505 is the smallest model in the 5500 series and is suitable for small businesses or small branch offices and teleworkers. As it is a smaller size compared with the other models, it is not rack-mountable. It is the only model also that comes with an 8-port switch (with 2 power over Ethernet ports). The Cisco ASA 5505 ports are Layer 2 ports and not normal Layer 3 ports like the other models. To configure its Layer 2 ports you need to create VLANs and assign each port to a certain VLAN number. All interface parameters are configured under the “Interface VLAN [number]” command.

The Cisco ASA 5505 features depend on which software license is installed. There are two license options available: Base License and Security Plus License. The Security Plus license enables the Cisco ASA 5505 Appliance to support higher connection capacity and a higher number of IPsec VPN users, add full DMZ support, and integrate into switched network environments through VLAN trunking support. Moreover, the upgrade security plus license enables redundant ISP connections and stateless Active/Standby high-availability services.

In more detail, the Cisco ASA 5505 features are the following: Read the rest of this entry