Full English Description for Cisco ASA5505-K9 (ASA5505-UL-BUN-K9 Security Plus Bundle)
1. Official Short Order Description
Cisco ASA5505-K9: Small branch/SOHO Adaptive Security Appliance from legacy Cisco ASA 5500 Series, Security Plus Unrestricted K9 bundle variant. Fanless compact desktop security chassis with integrated 8-port 10/100 Fast Ethernet switch (2 PoE 802.3af ports), running Cisco ASA OS 9.x. Equipped with an SSC expansion slot for optional AIP-SSC-5 IPS hardware module, triple USB 2.0 ports, and RJ45 serial console port. K9 Security Plus license delivers full 3DES/AES strong crypto, up to 150 Mbps stateful firewall throughput, 25,000 maximum concurrent TCP/UDP connections, 25 simultaneous IPsec remote/site-to-site VPN peers, support for 20 routed VLAN security zones, stateless Active/Standby failover, and expanded SSL VPN user capacity. Managed via CLI, embedded ASDM graphical web GUI, Cisco Security Manager (CSM), Syslog and SNMPv3. Combines stateful firewall, multi-protocol IPsec/SSL VPN, inline IPS, NAT/PAT, PPPoE, VoIP fixup inspection and application-aware QoS for small retail, remote branch and hybrid teleworker deployments. End-of-Sale (2017) and End-of-Support (2022) obsolete hardware, fully replaced by ASA 5506-X next-gen firewallsCisco.
2. Complete Detailed Product Overview
Product Line Positioning
The Cisco ASA5505-K9 is the premium unrestricted bundle of the entry ASA 5505 platform, positioned above the limited DES-only ASA5505-K8 base model. It inherits the silent fanless desktop form factor with built-in Layer 2 PoE switch to eliminate extra LAN hardware for small office environments, while unlocking full enterprise-grade crypto and scale limitations via Security Plus licensing.
Built on Cisco Adaptive Security Algorithm (ASA), it unifies switching, stateful firewall, intrusion prevention, multi-standard VPN and content filtering on a single compact appliance, replacing the discontinued PIX 506/506E legacy firewalls. The K9 suffix indicates unrestricted export-compliant strong encryption (3DES/AES) and expanded resource limits, while K8 only supports weak DES crypto with capped VLAN/VPN scale. The platform reached EoS August 25, 2017 and EoS August 31, 2022; no official firmware patches, vulnerability fixes or Cisco TAC support are available todayCisco.
Physical Hardware & Integrated Switch Architecture
Form Factor & Mechanical Specifications
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Compact blue plastic fanless desktop chassis, zero noise for indoor office/desk placement, optional rack-mount wall-mount brackets sold separately
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Front panel multi-color LED indicators: Power, System Status, Global Activity, VPN Tunnel Status, SSC IPS Module Status, per-port Link/Activity LEDs for all 8 FE switch ports
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Integrated physical security lock slot for anti-tampering protection
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Hardware core: Single-core x86 processor, base 256 MB DRAM (field-upgradeable to 512 MB), 128 MB flash storage for ASA OS, configurations and persistent event logsCisco
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External 100–240V AC universal DC power brick (no redundant internal power supplies)
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Operating environment: 0°C to +40°C ambient temperature, 10%–90% non-condensing humidity, max 3000m altitude; UL, CE, FCC Class B, FIPS 140-2 Level 2 certifiedCisco
Rear Panel Fixed Port Layout
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8 × 10/100 Fast Ethernet Integrated Layer 2 Switch Ports (Ethernet 0/0 – 0/7)
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Eth0/0: Default Outside untrusted WAN uplink for cable/DSL modems
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Eth0/1 – Eth0/5: Standard Inside trusted LAN switch ports for PCs, printers and workstations
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Eth0/6 & Eth0/7: 802.3af PoE ports to power IP phones, wireless APs and PoE cameras
Auto-MDI/MDIX auto-crossover detection; ports can be grouped into logical routed VLAN security zones for multi-segment traffic isolationCisco
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RJ45 RS-232 Serial Console Port
Out-of-band CLI management at default 9600 baud for bootstrap, password recovery and offline config editing
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3 × USB 2.0 Ports (1 front, 2 rear)
Supports external USB flash drives for config backup, firmware upgrades and log archiving
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SSC Security Services Card Expansion Slot
Field-installable AIP-SSC-5 hardware IPS module for inline intrusion prevention, exploit signature scanning and advanced threat mitigation
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DC Power Input Jack
Receives regional AC-to-DC switching power adapter
Wireless Hardware Note
No built-in Wi-Fi; external wireless access points connect via PoE switch ports.
Core Performance & K9 Security Plus License Capabilities
Throughput & Connection Benchmarks
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Maximum cleartext stateful firewall throughput: 150 MbpsCisco
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Maximum concurrent TCP/UDP connection table entries: 25,000 (vs 10,000 on K8 base license)
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Maximum new connections per second: 5,000
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IPsec VPN throughput (3DES/AES): Up to 100 Mbps; DES up to 45 Mbps
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IPS throughput with AIP-SSC-5 module: Up to 75 MbpsCisco
License Scale Limits (K9 Unrestricted Bundle)
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Logical routed VLAN interfaces: Up to 20 (trunking enabled, vs 3 VLAN cap on K8)
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Simultaneous IPsec IKEv1/IKEv2 tunnels (site-to-site + remote access): 25 peers (vs 10 on K8)
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SSL VPN AnyConnect remote access peers: 2 included base seats, expandable via add-on licenses
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Encryption suite: Full native DES, 3DES-168, AES-128/AES-192/AES-256 strong crypto (K8 limited to DES only)
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High Availability: Stateless Active/Standby redundant firewall pair support; no Active/Active multi-context capability
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Unlimited internal LAN host capacity, no hard user count throttling
Full Integrated Security & Networking Feature Suite (ASA OS 9.x)
1. Stateful Adaptive Security Algorithm Firewall
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Full stateful packet inspection tracking all TCP/UDP connection states to block stateless filter bypass attacks
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Object-based inbound/outbound ACLs for granular traffic permission/denial rules
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Multi-vector DoS/DDoS mitigation: SYN flood protection, port scan detection, malformed packet filtering
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Layer 7 fixup protocol inspection for FTP, H.323, SIP, SCCP Skinny, RTSP, NetBIOS to preserve NAT traversal for VoIP and multimedia workloads
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Transparent Layer 2 firewall mode native support (ASA OS 8.x+)
2. Standards-Based Multi-Protocol VPN Suite
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Site-to-site LAN-to-LAN IPsec tunnels for inter-branch private connectivity over public internet
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Remote access IPsec VPN for legacy Cisco VPN Client
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Clientless SSL VPN + AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client TLS remote access for browser/software-based teleworker connectivity
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IKEv1/IKEv2 key exchange, full X.509 SCEP digital certificate enrollment for multi-site deployments
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GRE tunnel encapsulation for routed non-IPsec traffic across VPN links
3. Broadband NAT & Routing Services
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Static one-to-one NAT, dynamic NAT pools, PAT port address translation for single public IP multi-device sharing
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Native PPPoE client for DSL broadband ISP authentication and dynamic public IP assignment
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Local DHCP server supporting up to 256 internal IP address leases for wired endpoints
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Static routing and policy-based routing (PBR); dual-stack native IPv4 / IPv6 support on ASA OS 9.x
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Local DNS caching to reduce external DNS query latency
4. Threat Defense & Unified Security Stack
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Base built-in IDS engine; enhanced inline IPS with optional AIP-SSC-5 hardware SSC module with hundreds of exploit signatures
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Automatic dynamic host blocking to quarantine malicious source IP addresses after detected security events
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Unicast Reverse Path Forwarding (URPF) strict/loose anti-spoof filtering to block forged source IP traffic
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Third-party URL web content filtering integration for outbound internet access control
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Local event logging + remote Syslog export to external SIEM platforms for compliance audit trails
5. Application-Aware Hierarchical QoS & Bandwidth Management
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Deep application recognition to classify Microsoft Teams, Zoom, enterprise SaaS, streaming media and P2P file-sharing traffic
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Four-level priority queuing to prioritize real-time voice/video conferencing over recreational internet traffic
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Per-link bandwidth shaping on WAN and PoE internal switch ports to eliminate congestion
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DSCP marking preservation across IPsec VPN tunnels for consistent enterprise end-to-end QoS policy enforcement
Management & Configuration Tools
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ASA CLI Console: Traditional Cisco IOS-style command-line interface via serial console or encrypted SSH remote access
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Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM): Embedded HTTPS graphical web GUI for single-device visual configuration, real-time traffic utilization dashboards, VPN tunnel monitoring and security event reporting
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Cisco Security Manager (CSM): Centralized enterprise policy management platform for bulk multi-ASA deployment orchestration, mass firmware upgrades and cross-device audit reporting
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TFTP + USB flash dual methods for OS firmware and full configuration backup/restore
Key Differentiators vs ASA5505-K8 and Other ASA Models
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vs ASA5505-K8 Base License:
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K9 supports full 3DES/AES strong encryption; K8 limited to DES only
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K9 unlocks 25,000 concurrent sessions / 25 VPN tunnels / 20 VLANs; K8 capped at 10,000 sessions / 10 VPN peers / 3 VLANs
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vs Mid/High ASA 5510/5520/5540: Compact fanless desktop with integrated PoE switch, lower throughput and session scale, no native rack-mount hardware, limited HA capability
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vs Discontinued PIX-506E: Modern ASA OS architecture, native IPv6, ASDM graphical GUI, PoE switch ports, AnyConnect SSL VPN, higher throughput and connection limits
Typical Historical Deployment Scenarios
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Multi-user small business / SOHO internet edge firewall with integrated PoE switch for IP phones and office workstations
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Regional retail kiosk, pop-up store secure IPsec/SSL VPN gateway connecting field sites back to corporate headquarters
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Hybrid remote worker hub for distributed field sales teams with unlimited internal wired endpoints
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Small branch redundant Active/Standby firewall pair for business continuity disaster recovery
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Legacy network lab training platform for ASA OS stateful firewall, IPS and multi-VLAN VPN architecture learning
3. E-commerce Short Marketing Description
Cisco ASA5505-K9 Security Plus Unrestricted Small Branch Adaptive Security Appliance, fanless silent desktop form factor with integrated 8-port 10/100 Fast Ethernet switch (2 PoE ports), running Cisco ASA OS 9.x. Premium K9 license bundle unlocking full 3DES/AES strong encryption, up to 150 Mbps cleartext firewall throughput, 25,000 concurrent TCP/UDP sessions, 25 simultaneous IPsec VPN tunnels and 20 logical routed VLAN security zones. Equipped with SSC IPS expansion slot, triple USB 2.0 storage ports and serial console management, delivering stateful SPI firewall, IPsec site-to-site/AnyConnect SSL remote access VPN, inline IPS intrusion prevention, NAT/PAT, PPPoE broadband client, VoIP fixup inspection and stateless Active/Standby failover high availability. Managed via CLI, embedded ASDM web GUI and Cisco Security Manager, obsolete end-of-support legacy ASA 5500 series security gateway for multi-user SOHO, retail and remote branch deployments.
4. Product Catalog Keyword Tags
Cisco, ASA5505-K9, ASA 5500 Series Small Branch Adaptive Security Appliance, Security Plus Unrestricted K9 License Bundle, Fanless Silent Desktop Chassis, Integrated 8-Port 10/100 Fast Ethernet Layer 2 Switch, 2 × 802.3af PoE LAN Ports, SSC Security Services Card Expansion Slot (AIP-SSC-5 IPS Module), 3 × USB 2.0 Storage Ports, RJ45 Serial Out-of-Band Console Port, Cisco ASA Operating System 9.x, Stateful Packet Inspection SPI Firewall, IPsec IKEv1/IKEv2 Site-to-Site & AnyConnect SSL Remote Access VPN, Full DES/3DES/AES Strong Encryption Suite, Inline IPS Intrusion Prevention System, NAT PAT Static Dynamic Address Translation, PPPoE DSL Broadband Client, VoIP H.323 SIP SCCP Fixup Protocol Inspection, Transparent Layer 2 Firewall Mode, Stateless Active/Standby Failover Redundancy, 20 Logical Routed VLAN Maximum (Security Plus License), 25 Max Simultaneous IPsec VPN Peers, 25,000 Concurrent TCP/UDP Connections, 150 Mbps Max Cleartext Firewall Throughput, ASDM Adaptive Security Device Manager Embedded Web GUI, Cisco Security Manager CSPM Centralized Policy Orchestration, Syslog SNMPv3 Monitoring, Dual-Stack IPv4/IPv6 Native Support, Application-Aware Hierarchical QoS Scheduling, FIPS 140-2 Level 2 Certified, End-of-Sale 2017 End-of-Support 2022 Obsolete Legacy Hardware, Predecessor to ASA 5506-X Next-Generation Firewall Series, Multi-User SOHO Retail Branch Internet Edge Security Gateway
Naming Rule Explanation
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ASA: Adaptive Security Appliance, Cisco post-PIX unified firewall product family combining firewall, VPN and IPS services
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5505: Entry-tier small-branch desktop model number within the legacy ASA 5500 security appliance lineup
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K9: Premium unrestricted license identifier with full 3DES/AES strong encryption and expanded resource limits; contrasted with K8 base DES-only limited license
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Hardware Distinction Note: All ASA5505 chassis share identical physical ports and hardware performance; only software feature scale, encryption algorithms and resource limits differ between K8 base and K9 Security Plus bundles. The platform is fully obsolete with no official Cisco firmware updates, vulnerability patches or technical support available today.
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