Here is a youtube video covering the basic steps to configured a ASA using command line so you can access the GUI management known as ASDM found HERE.

After a minute or two I plugged in a console cable and configured the 5506 for my network. The next images show comparing a 55 power adapter. The power adapter is different from the 5505 however it takes a standard power cable so at least you don’t need that funky three prong power cable anymore. It does not have a fan so it’s silent when powered up. As you can see from the pictures, the 5506 is slightly longer and “batman” black as I like to call its color. So the first thing I did after unboxing the 5506 was compare it to the 5505. This is similar to hosting virtual systems within hardware. Details on the ASA5506 and the rest of the ASAx series can be found HERE. You also don’t have to buy any physical models like the first generation of ASA hardware since the X series has a virtual space that hosts these new features. FirePOWER gives you Application Visibility and Control, Enterprise level IPS, URL filtering and end to end breach detection from network to endpoint. The value of the 5506 compared to the 5505 is it can run the new FirePOWER technology just like all other versions of ASAx series appliances (more on that HERE). That replacement is the ASA5506 (the black appliance on the left). Cisco released a new line of ASA appliances known as the X series however didn’t release a replacement for the 5505 until this past March.

The smallest 1 st generation ASA is the 5505 that has been around for a long time and designed for small offices or home networks (shown in the above picture on the right). Eventually those technologies were consolidated into the Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) series of appliances. Cisco released the VPN concentrator and PIX firewall a long time ago.

For those that are not aware of this release or the ASA series, the history goes like this. I finally received a brand new ASA5506 and thought I would share my experience along with the new FirePOWER ASDM GUI.

Cisco 5506