ASA 8.4 with ASDM on GNS3 – Step by Step Guide

ASA 8.4 with ASDM on GNS3 – Step by Step Guide

This post details the method to connect to Firewall in GNS3 using ASDM. You will establish ASDM session from your machine to GNS3 so we will be building connection/bridge between GNS3 and PC. Also because first you will have to copy ASDM via TFTP to Firewall so this connection is necessary.

1. Follow this guide about how to add a loopback adapter to Windows 7, Windows XP
Windows 7
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itpronetworking/thread/259c7ef2-3770-4212-8fca-c58936979851

Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/839013

2. Restart your PC

3. Follow this guide about how to configure ASA 8.4(2) for GNS3.

http://www.xerunetworks.com/2012/02/cisco-asa-84-on-gns3/

4. Start a new Porject in GNS3 and drag/drop a ASA (8.4) firewall to the topology

5. Drag/Drop Cloud Object from Panel on the Left to the topology and right click it. Select 'Configure'. Select 'C1' or whatever name of the object.

6. Now as per following diagram select the loopback adapter that you added in step 1.

7. Add the adapter as per following after selecting and press OK.

8. Drop an ethernet switch the topology. If you dont do this and try drawing a direct connection between Firewall and Cloud it will come up with error saying 'Devices does not support this type of NIO. Use an ETHSW to bridge the connection to the NIO Instead.

9. Connect both Cloud and Firewall to the Switch as following

10. Now start all devices in GNS and use following commands on the firewall to give it an IP.

ciscoasa# config t
ciscoasa(config)# int gi
ciscoasa(config)# int gigabitEthernet 0
ciscoasa(config-if)# ip address 10.10.10.1 255.255.255.0
ciscoasa(config-if)# nameif management
ciscoasa(config-if)# no shut

11. Now, go back to Windows 7 and open 'Network and Sharing Centre', Click on Change adapter settings and Change the IP Address of the Loopback adapater as following

12. You will have to turn off your PC firewall as you will be copying ASDM to ASA firewall. If you dont know this, stop studying networking or stop the Windows Firewall Service or if that doesnt work then Base Filtering Service.

13. Now you PC is ready to talk to firewall, lets try.

ciscoasa# ping 10.10.10.2
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 10.10.10.2, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 1/6/20 ms
ciscoasa#

14. OK, Now the next step is to copy ASDM to Firewall. If you already have TFTP Server installed, cool otherwise Download and start this TFTP Application from following website

http://tftpd32.jounin.net/tftpd32_download.html

15. Download ASDM from Cisco website or any other dodgy source you have. I have ASDM 6.4(7) downloaed.

16. On the TFTP application browse to the folder where you have downloaded ASDM.

17. On the firewall use following command to download TFTP Image.

ciscoasa# copy tftp flash
Address or name of remote host []? 10.10.10.2
Source filename []? asdm-647.bin
Destination filename [asdm-647.bin]?
Accessing tftp://10.10.10.2/asdm-647.bin…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
———–Output Omited—————–
Writing current ASDM file disk0:/asdm-647.bin
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
———–Output Omited—————–
17902288 bytes copied in 56.500 secs (319683 bytes/sec)
ciscoasa#

18. Set the Firewall to Load the ASDM at next reboot and also identify the management Station IP address

ciscoasa# sh flash
–#–  –length–  —–date/time——  path
2  4096        Mar 05 2012 13:40:42  log
9  4096        Mar 05 2012 13:40:47  coredumpinfo
10  59          Mar 05 2012 13:40:47  coredumpinfo/coredump.cfg
11  196         Mar 05 2012 13:40:47  upgrade_startup_errors_201203051340.log
12  17902288    Mar 05 2012 14:00:48  asdm-647.bin

268136448 bytes total (250191872 bytes free)
ciscoasa# config t
ciscoasa(config)# asdm image flash:asdm-647.bin
ciscoasa(config)# http server enable
ciscoasa(config)# http 10.10.10.2 255.255.255.255 management
ciscoasa(config)# username cisco password cisco privilege 15

19.  use 'wr' command and then reload the firewall using 'reload' command

20. Launch your browser and go to https://10.10.10.1 (Disable Proxy if you are using any)

21. Download and Install ASDM App from website you browsed to.

22. Launch the ASDM and here you go

You can follow the post below if you want to connect two GNS3 on two different PCs together or to connect an external device on physcial network to the GNS3 network.

http://www.xerunetworks.com/2012/03/connect-gns3-network-to-real-networks-other-gns3-network/

You can use follwoing Lab guide for NAT migration from pre ASA 8.2 to 8.4

http://www.xerunetworks.com/2012/03/asa-8384-nat-migration-lab-guide/