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PIX firewall troubleshooting with ASDM

Brian Clark
04.19.2007
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Cisco's Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) helps value-added resellers (VARs) and systems integrators configure their customers' PIX firewalls. The normally user-friendly PIX firewall, when acting up, can be a pain to fix; leaving customers' networks vulnerable to the threats that PIX is so effective at stopping. ASDM serves to expedite the installation and configuration process, and therefore get the firewall up and keeping your customers' networks secure again faster.

Cisco PIX ASDM installation & troubleshooting

To simplify the PIX firewall configuration, Cisco has provided ASDM. Installing ASDM is normally a painless process; however, many of us buy equipment from failed ISPs, Hosting providers, or equipment that has been refurbished. It's cheaper; however, the lack of documentation and support is a big pain. With that said, this article covers some of the ASDM issues and workarounds as well as the actual installation of ASDM.

Get more information on simplifying your customer's PIX firewall configuration with ASDM, including step-by-step installation of ASDM.

Cisco PIX ASDM installation & troubleshooting, part 2

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The most common issue I've run into is when ASDM doesn't work/won't start. If it works, it works, and if it doesn't -- well, then we end up reading this part of the article. Here's what to do when ASDM won't start: (See the sample output at the end of this article for references).

The first thing we need to check is to see if ASDM is installed correctly. To do this, issue the "show flash:" command. This will display the contents of the PIX's flash memory. Look for the ASDM image that we pointed to with the "asdm image" command earlier.
Next, type "show ru" to display the running configuration. Look for a line that says "asdm image flash: xxxx.bin".
Does the image name in running config match the image name in flash? If not, use the "asdm image flash: " command again with the correct filename from the "show flash:" command. Then issue the command "write mem" to write the config.
Now, what if you don't even see the "asdm image flash:" line in running configuration? Did you issue the "write mem" command after installing ASDM? If not, that's one reason why you would not see it in the running configuration output.
Issue the "write mem" command and then "show ru" to see if the line "asdm image flash: xxxx.bin" is there. If all else fails here, try issuing the "reload" command -- but keep in mind that this command will restart your PIX.

After all of the above steps are taken for troubleshooting, try to access ASDM once more at https://x.x.x.x/admin.

Get more tips for troubleshooting ASDM.

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