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Cisco ASA Series CLI Configuration Guide
 
Chapter 1      Configuring the Identity Firewall
  Information About the Identity Firewall
Figure 1-1 Identity Firewall Components
Features of the Identity Firewall
The Identity Firewall has the following key features.
Flexibility
• The ASA can retrieve user identity and IP address mappings from the AD Agent by querying the 
AD Agent for each new IP address or by maintaining a local copy of the entire user identity and IP 
address database.
• Supports host group, subnet, or IP address for the destination of a user identity policy.
Client ASA
AD Servers AD Agent
304003
LAN
NetBIOS Probe
mkg.example.com
10.1.1.2
WMI
LDAP
RADIUS
1 On the ASA: Configure local user groups and 
Identity Firewall policies. 
4 Client <-> ASA: The client logs onto the 
network through Microsoft Active Directory. 
The AD Server authenticates users and 
generates user logon security logs.
Alternatively, the client can log onto the 
network through a cut-through proxy or by 
using VPN.
2 ASA <-> AD Server: The ASA sends an 
LDAP query for the Active Directory groups 
configured on the AD Server.
The ASA consolidates local and Active 
Directory groups and applies access rules and 
MPF security policies based on user identity.
5 ASA <-> Client: Based on the policies 
configured on the ASA, it grants or denies 
access to the client.
If configured, the ASA probes the NetBIOS of 
the client to pass inactive and no-response 
users. 
3 ASA <-> AD Agent: Depending on the 
Identity Firewall configuration, the ASA 
downloads the IP-user database or sends a 
RADIUS request to the AD Agent querying 
the user’s IP address. 
The ASA forwards the new mappings learned 
from web authentication and VPN sessions to 
the AD Agent. 
6 AD Agent <-> AD Server: Periodically or 
on-demand, the AD Agent monitors the AD 
Server security event log file via WMI for 
client login and logoff events. 
The AD Agent maintains a cache of user ID 
and IP address mappings. and notifies the 
ASA of changes.
The AD Agent sends logs to a syslog server.