Full English Description for Cisco ASA5515-X-K9
1. Official Short Description
Cisco ASA5515-X-K9: 1RU rack-mount mid-tier modular next-generation Adaptive Security Appliance (NGFW) from the legacy Cisco ASA 5500-X series, factory pre-installed permanent Security Plus K9 unrestricted license. Equipped with one swappable half-width I/O expansion slot for 6-port Gigabit copper or SFP fiber line cards, a dedicated out-of-band Gigabit management port, single internal AC power supply, supports optional FirePOWER threat defense blades, runs ASA OS up to final supported release 9.12. Powered by Cisco Adaptive Security Algorithm, it delivers hardware-accelerated stateful SPI firewall, full DES/3DES/AES encrypted IKEv1/IKEv2 IPsec/DMVPN/FlexVPN, AnyConnect SSL/DTLS remote access VPN, AVC application control, integrated signature-based IDS/IPS, NAT/PAT, unlimited TLS proxy for VoIP/SCCP inspection, multi-context virtual firewalls, and dual-mode Active/Standby & Active/Active stateful failover with multi-chassis VPN clustering. Performance specs: up to 1.2 Gbps stateful firewall throughput, 250,000 maximum concurrent TCP/UDP connections, 15,000 new connections per second, 250 Mbps hardware-accelerated 3DES/AES VPN throughput, supporting 250 site-to-site IPsec tunnels, 250 AnyConnect remote access peers and 100 logical routed VLANs. Managed via serial console, embedded ASDM web GUI, Cisco Security Manager (CSM), Syslog and SNMPv3. End-of-Sale (Aug 25, 2017), End-of-Support (Aug 31, 2022) obsolete hardware, replaced by Firepower 2100 series, targeted at large branch offices, regional VPN aggregation hubs and medium MSP multi-tenant colocation boundaries.
2. Complete Product Overview
Product Line Positioning
The Cisco ASA5515-X-K9 is a mid-tier modular rack-mount NGFW in the ASA 5500-X portfolio, positioned above entry ASA5512-X and below high-performance ASA5525-X. Its core advantage is a field-upgradable I/O slot, allowing admins to swap between 6-port copper or SFP fiber line cards without replacing the whole chassis, ideal for environments requiring fiber uplinks to carriers or remote datacenters. It serves large enterprise branch security, regional DMVPN hub aggregation and medium MSP multi-tenant segmentation scenarios.
The K9 license is a full Security Plus unrestricted bundle preloaded at factory, removing all limitations of K8 DES-only base SKUs, unlocking expanded VLAN count, unlimited TLS proxy capacity, multi-context virtual firewalls and dual-mode high availability. Cisco terminated sales on August 25, 2017 and ended all technical support August 31, 2022; no new firmware updates, threat signature feeds or official TAC support are available.
Physical Hardware & Modular I/O Architecture
Form Factor & Mechanical Specs
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1RU 19-inch rack-mount metal chassis, rack brackets included; optional desktop rubber feet.
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Single internal hot-swappable AC power supply (100–240V universal input), no redundant PSU factory standard.
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Single variable-speed cooling fan, typical noise ~64 dBA, suitable for wiring closets and server rooms.
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Front panel LEDs: Power, system health, I/O card status, failover status, port link/activity indicators.
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Physical security lock slot to prevent unauthorized chassis opening.
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Core hardware: Single multi-core security processor, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, 8 GB onboard flash, 120 GB self-encrypting mSATA SSD for OS, rule databases, configurations and logs.
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One non-hot-swappable half-width I/O expansion slot (power cycle required for card replacement).
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Dual rear USB 2.0 ports for config backup, firmware upload and log offloading.
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Environmental compliance: Operating temperature -5°C to +40°C, 10–90% non-condensing humidity, altitude ≤3050m; UL 60950-1, CE, FCC Class A, FIPS 140-2 Level 1 certified.
Rear Panel Fixed & Modular Ports
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Modular I/O Expansion Slot (user-replaceable line card)
Two official line card options:
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ASA5515-6GE-CU: 6 × 10/100/1000 auto-MDI Gigabit copper RJ45 ports
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ASA5515-6GE-SFP: 6 × Gigabit SFP fiber slots for long-distance uplinks
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Management0/0: Dedicated 10/100/1000 Gigabit out-of-band management port, isolated from production traffic.
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Dual console interfaces: RJ45 RS232 serial console + Mini USB console for initial setup and recovery.
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Two USB 2.0 storage ports, hardware reset button.
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AC power input jack.
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DB-15 serial failover port for stateful session sync between redundant ASA pairs.
Optional Expansion Blades
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FirePOWER SSP-15 NGIPS blade: Delivers next-gen intrusion prevention, AVC application visibility, malware defense, URL filtering.
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CX SSP-15 content security blade: Anti-spam, antivirus, web content filtering, user-based access control.
Performance Metrics (Official Cisco Datasheet)
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Max stateful firewall throughput: 1.2 Gbps
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Real-world HTTP throughput: 600 Mbps
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Max concurrent TCP/UDP connections: 250,000
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New connections per second: 15,000
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Hardware-accelerated 3DES/AES VPN throughput: 250 Mbps
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AVC throughput: 500 Mbps
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Combined AVC + NGIPS throughput: 250 Mbps
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Max simultaneous IPsec tunnels: 250 site-to-site + 250 AnyConnect remote access peers
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Max logical routed VLANs: 100
K9 License Exclusive Benefits vs ASA5515-X-K8 DES Base License
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Full strong encryption suite (DES/3DES/AES 128/192/256); K8 only supports weak DES encryption.
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100 VLAN interfaces vs a hard limit of 50 on K8.
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Unlimited TLS proxy sessions for VoIP/SCCP; K8 capped at 1,000 TLS proxy sessions.
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Supports both Active/Standby and Active/Active multi-context failover; HA fully disabled on K8.
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Up to 5 independent multi-context virtual firewalls; virtual contexts blocked on K8.
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Native multi-chassis VPN clustering and load balancing enabled.
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2 permanent base AnyConnect SSL VPN seats, expandable via Plus/Apex subscription licenses.
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Unlimited internal host count with no session throttling.
Full Feature Set (ASA OS 8.x / 9.12)
1. Stateful Firewall Security
Full stateful TCP/UDP inspection, object-based ACL policy control, multi-layer DDoS mitigation (SYN flood defense, TCP normalization, anti-spoofing), Layer 7 fixup for FTP, H.323, SIP, SCCP, RTSP, NetBIOS. Supports Transparent Layer 2 mode for inline network deployment without IP re-addressing. Built-in IDS; optional FirePOWER blade upgrades to full next-gen NGIPS with malware and URL filtering.
2. Multi-Protocol VPN Suite
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Site-to-site IPsec tunnels for inter-site corporate backhaul over internet.
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Remote access IPsec for legacy Cisco VPN Client software.
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Clientless SSL VPN + AnyConnect SSL/DTLS for browser and full-client remote worker access.
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IKEv1/IKEv2 dual protocol support, SCEP certificate auto-enrollment, GRE tunnel encapsulation.
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Onboard hardware crypto acceleration to offload VPN encryption overhead.
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Multi-chassis VPN clustering for distributed remote access hub load balancing.
3. Routing & NAT Services
Static/dynamic NAT, PAT overload for shared public IPs, native PPPoE client for broadband connections, DHCP server supporting up to 1024 internal IP leases. Static routing, PBR, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP support; IPv4 primary with limited IPv6 functionality. Local DNS cache to reduce WAN latency.
4. Unified Threat Defense
Built-in signature-based IDS; optional FirePOWER SSP adds NGIPS, AVC application identification, malware sandboxing and URL category filtering. Dynamic host blacklisting for malicious IPs, strict/loose URPF anti-spoof filtering. Local SSD logging + remote Syslog export to SIEM for compliance audit trails. All administrative access encrypted via SSHv2, HTTPS ASDM, SNMPv3.
5. AAA & Logging
RADIUS/TACACS+ AAA authentication, authorization and accounting for segmented admin privileges. Local user database for emergency standalone login. Comprehensive logging to internal SSD, USB flash or remote Syslog. SNMPv3 monitoring for device health, throughput, power supply and VPN tunnel status alerts.
6. QoS Bandwidth Management
Four-level traffic priority queuing to prioritize voice/video UC over streaming, SaaS and P2P traffic. Per-port policing/shaping on all copper/10GE interfaces. DSCP marking preservation across IPsec and SSL VPN tunnels for consistent end-to-end QoS policy enforcement.
Management Tools
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ASA CLI: IOS-style command line via serial or SSHv2 for scripting and troubleshooting.
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ASDM: Embedded HTTPS graphical GUI for single-device configuration, traffic dashboards and VPN monitoring.
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Cisco Security Manager (CSM): Centralized platform for mass multi-ASA policy deployment, firmware upgrades and compliance reporting.
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TFTP + USB flash for OS image and configuration backup/restore.
Key Differentiators vs Other ASA Models
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vs ASA5515-X-K8: Full unrestricted encryption, expanded VLAN/session capacity, multi-context and dual-mode failover enabled.
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vs ASA5512-X-K9: Higher 1.2 Gbps throughput, 250,000 concurrent connections vs 100,000, larger IPsec tunnel capacity, higher performance SSP blade.
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vs ASA5508-X-K9: Modular I/O slot supporting fiber SFP uplinks (fixed copper-only on 5508-X), higher throughput and VPN scale.
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vs ASA5525-X-K9: Lower performance tier (1.2 Gbps vs 2 Gbps), single processor vs dual-processor SSP on 5525-X.
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vs Legacy ASA 5500 non-X series: Modern 64-bit ASA OS, integrated SSD storage, optional FirePOWER NGIPS, native modular fiber uplink capability and multi-context virtualization unavailable on older hardware.
Typical Deployment Scenarios
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Large enterprise headquarters internet edge firewall isolating corporate LAN, guest DMZ and broadband WAN, supporting 250 concurrent site-to-site branch IPsec tunnels.
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Regional DMVPN central aggregation hub connecting dozens of remote retail and office locations.
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Medium MSP multi-tenant colocation boundary appliance with independent virtual firewalls for separated customer traffic.
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Active/Active redundant pair for load-balanced perimeter security and zero-downtime disaster recovery.
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Mid-to-high capacity network lab training platform for modular I/O card testing, FirePOWER NGIPS, multi-context segmentation and large-scale enterprise VPN design.
3. Short Marketing Summary
Cisco ASA5515-X-SSP15-K9 Mid-Tier Modular 2RU Rack-Mount Next-Generation Firewall, legacy ASA 5500-X Security Plus K9 chassis with six modular Gigabit copper/SFP fiber ports, dedicated out-of-band Gigabit management, single AC power supply, optional FirePOWER NGIPS blade support, running ASA OS 9.x firmware. K9 license delivers full DES/3DES/AES strong encryption, unlimited TLS proxy sessions, multi-context virtual firewalls, dual Active/Standby/Active/Active failover and chassis VPN clustering. Up to 1.2 Gbps stateful firewall throughput, 250,000 concurrent TCP/UDP connections and 250 simultaneous IPsec tunnels. Managed via serial console, ASDM and Cisco Security Manager. Obsolete end-of-support modular NGFW for large branch headquarters, regional DMVPN aggregation hubs and medium MSP multi-tenant colocation perimeter security deployments.
4. Product Keywords
Cisco, ASA5515-X-K9, ASA 5500-X Mid-Tier Modular Next-Generation Firewall, Legacy Stateful Inspection NGFW, 2RU 19-inch Rack Chassis, Single Hot-Swappable AC Power Supply, Modular 6GE Copper / SFP Fiber I/O Slot, Dedicated Gigabit Management Port, Dual Console (Serial + Mini USB), Dual USB 2.0 Storage Ports, DB-15 Stateful Failover Serial Port, Single Multi-Core SSP-15 Security Processor, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, 120 GB Self-Encrypting mSATA SSD, ASA OS 9.x Final Supported Firmware, Stateful SPI Firewall Throughput 1.2 Gbps, 250 Mbps Hardware-Accelerated VPN Throughput, IPsec IKEv1/IKEv2 DMVPN FlexVPN, AnyConnect SSL/DTLS Remote Access VPN, Full DES/3DES/AES Unrestricted Encryption, Optional FirePOWER NGIPS Intrusion Prevention, AVC Application Visibility & Control, NAT PAT, PPPoE Broadband Client, VoIP SIP SCCP Fixup Inspection, Transparent Layer 2 Firewall Mode, Multi-Context Virtual Firewalls (Up to 5), Active/Standby & Active/Active Dual-Mode Failover, Multi-Chassis VPN Clustering, 100 Logical VLAN Maximum, 250 Max IPsec Peers, Unlimited TLS Proxy Sessions, 250,000 Concurrent TCP Connections, ASDM Embedded Web GUI, Cisco Security Manager CSM, Syslog SNMPv3 Secure Monitoring, Dual-Stack IPv4 Limited Support, Hierarchical QoS Scheduling, FIPS 140-2 Level 1 Certified, End-of-Sale Aug 25 2017 End-of-Support Aug 31 2022 Obsolete Hardware, Security Plus K9 Upgrade Over ASA5515-X-K8 DES Base License, Predecessor to Firepower 2100 Series, Large Enterprise Multi-Segment DMZ Internet Edge Gateway, Regional DMVPN Central VPN Aggregation Modular Firewall, Medium MSP Multi-Tenant Colocation Boundary NGFW
Naming Rule Explanation
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ASA: Adaptive Security Appliance, Cisco unified firewall platform combining stateful firewall, VPN and optional FirePOWER next-gen intrusion prevention.
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5515-X: Mid-tier modular 2RU rack-mount model of the ASA 5500-X series, supports swappable I/O and FirePOWER expansion blades.
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K9: Security Plus unrestricted license bundle, enabling full strong encryption, expanded session/VLAN limits, unlimited TLS proxy, multi-context firewalls and dual-mode failover; K8 is the limited DES-only base license variant.
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Hardware Note: The ASA5515-X-K9 is obsolete hardware with no further Cisco security patches or feature releases available.
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