Full English Description for Cisco FPR4120-NGFW-K9
1. Official Short Overview
Cisco FPR4120-NGFW-K9: Mid-high tier modular 1RU rack-mount Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) from legacy Cisco Firepower 4100 series (EoS Jan 6, 2026, limited residual TAC support)Cisco. Factory preloaded Firewall Threat Defense (FTD v7.6+) as primary OS, permanent Security Plus K9 unrestricted license. Fixed native port bank: 8×1/10G SFP+ fiber ports, two independent hot-swappable NM-2 modular expansion bays supporting copper, 10G SFP+, 40G QSFP uplink modules. Standalone 1G copper out-of-band management port, RJ45 serial console, USB 2.0 Type-A port. Ships with single 1100W AC PSU; second hot-swappable PSU optional for 1+1 redundancyCisco Russ.... Dual 14-core Intel Xeon split security processors with Cavium NPU hardware crypto offload, 256GB DDR4 ECC memory, dual hot-swappable U.2 NVMe SSD slots (1×900GB preinstalled, RAID 1 supported for logs/threat storage). Dual software support: FTD unified NGFW or classic Cisco Secure Firewall ASA v9.x.
Certified Performance (1024B UDP test packets)
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Raw stateful firewall throughput: 60.0 Gbps
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Full threat-inspected NGFW throughput (FW+AVC+IPS): 26.0 Gbps
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Standalone Snort 3 NGIPS inspection throughput: 26.0 Gbps
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Hardware-accelerated IPsec VPN throughput: 10.5 Gbps (14.5 Gbps with FTD 7.2 VPN offload)
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TLS/SSL hardware decryption throughput: 5.8 Gbps
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Max concurrent TCP/UDP connections with AVC enabled: 20,000,000
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Max new connections per second: 960,000
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Total concurrent AnyConnect remote + site-to-site IPsec VPN peers: 12,000
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Maximum logical routed VLAN interfaces: 1024
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Maximum multi-context virtual firewalls under K9 license: 600
Supported Management Tools
Local ASDM/FDM web GUI, Firepower Management Center (FMC), Cisco Security Manager (CSM), Cisco Defense Orchestrator (CDO), FXOS chassis manager, serial console, USB offline backup.
Typical Deployment Scenarios
Large enterprise headquarters, nationwide regional DMVPN aggregation hubs, multi-building large university core edge, mid-tier carrier MSP multi-tenant colocation, hybrid cloud data center segmentation requiring dual expandable uplink module bays and mid-high multi-tenant virtualization capacity.
2. Complete Hardware & Platform Overview
Product Line Positioning
The FPR4120-NGFW-K9 sits between mid-tier FPR4112 and high-end FPR4115 in the Firepower 4100 modular rack family. It shares the standard 19-inch 1RU rack form factor and dual independent NM-2 expansion slots with all other 4100 series appliances, but delivers critical hardware upgrades over FPR4112: dual 14-core Xeon split CPUs, 256GB DDR4 ECC memory, larger concurrent connection/VPN/multi-context limits, higher TLS decryption throughput, and support for full 40G QSFP NM-2 uplink modules. It is cost-optimized between the mid-range 4112 and carrier-grade 4115, designed for large enterprise and mid-carrier MSP workloads with heavy encrypted traffic and multi-tenant segmentation demands.
The split dual-chip architecture separates basic L3 forwarding and heavy security offload tasks (IPsec bulk encryption, TLS decryption, Snort 3 IPS, AVC deep application inspection) with dedicated hardware QuickAssist crypto acceleration, eliminating throughput degradation when all security services run simultaneously at line rateCisco. The chassis runs FXOS chassis manager to control hardware resources, then instantiates either FTD unified NGFW or ASA classic firewall as a logical device (cannot run both OSes at once without full reimage).
The permanent K9 Security Plus license removes DES encryption limitations and unlocks full enterprise feature set: unlimited TLS proxy, complete dual-mode HA, full multi-context virtualization, 1024 VLANs, maximum VPN peer counts, and full AVC/IPS/AMP feature access, outperforming entry Firepower 4110 and discontinued Firepower 2100 fixed-port appliances. Cisco ended sales of all Firepower 4100 hardware on Jan 6, 2026; the Secure Firewall 4200 series is the official replacement platformCisco.
Physical Chassis & Mechanical Specs
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Form factor: 1RU 19-inch EIA rack-mount metal chassis, included rack mounting rails
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Dimensions (H×W×D): 4.44 cm × 42.90 cm × 75.43 cm
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Weight: 17.87 kg fully loaded (single PSU, two NM modules, all fans)
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Cooling: 3+1 hot-swappable redundant variable-speed front-to-back fans; single fan fault triggers remaining fans to ramp full speed without traffic outage
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Operating temperature: 0°C ~ +40°C below 10,000 ft altitude; 0°C ~ +35°C from 10,000–13,000 ft altitude
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Storage temperature: -40°C ~ +65°C
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Humidity: 5–95% non-condensing
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Max operating altitude: 3048 m; full NEBS Level 3 telecom certified
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Physical security: Integrated Kensington lock slot for chassis anti-tampering
Power Supply Specifications
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Standard shipment: Single hot-swappable 1100W universal AC power supply (100–240 VAC, 50/60 Hz)
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Optional secondary PSU: Second identical 1100W AC module for 1+1 full power redundancy
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DC power option: Optional 950 W hot-swappable DC power supplies (-40 to -60 VDC)
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Power efficiency: >92% at 50% load; load sharing active with dual PSUs installed
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Hot-swappable: PSU replacement without full chassis power shutdown
Hardware Core Architecture
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Processing: Dual split high-performance architecture – two 14-core Intel Xeon x86 general forwarding CPUs + dedicated multi-core Cavium NPU with QuickAssist crypto offload engine for wire-speed IPsec/TLS acceleration
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Memory: 256 GB soldered DDR4 ECC high-speed SDRAM
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Boot storage: 16 GB onboard eMMC for FXOS chassis OS
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Data storage: Dual hot-swappable U.2 NVMe self-encrypting SSD drive bays; 900GB SSD preinstalled in slot 1, slot 2 supports SW RAID 1 for log retention and threat rule database redundancy
Port Layout & Interface Breakdown
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Native fixed fiber port bank (no built-in copper RJ45 ports):
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8 × SFP+ multi-speed fiber slots supporting 1G/10G SFP/SFP+ transceivers (SR/LR/SX optical modules) for campus, data center and cloud uplinks
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Dual independent front NM-2 modular expansion bays (two separate slots for flexible port scaling):
Supported interchangeable hardware bypass modules:
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FPR3K-XNM-8X10G: 8×1/10G SFP+ fiber module
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FPR3K-XNM-4X40G: 4×40G QSFP28 fiber module (each port breakout to 4×10G)
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FPR3K-XNM-8GE: 8×1G RJ45 copper hardware bypass module
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Dedicated out-of-band management port: 1×1G copper RJ45, isolated from production data plane for secure chassis/FTD management
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Console & storage ports:
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RJ45 RS-232 serial console for local CLI access
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USB 2.0 Type-A port for firmware upload, configuration backup, log export
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Failover port: DB-15 serial port for stateful sync in Active/Standby or Active/Active HA firewall pairs
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Dual IEC AC power input sockets for primary and optional redundant power supplies
Front Panel LED Indicators
Global power status, dual PSU health, system fault alarm, FTD logical device operational status, failover sync status, fan fault warning, individual link/activity LEDs for all native SFP+ and expansion module ports.
Compliance Certifications
FCC Class A, CE, FIPS 140-3 Level 1, EMC enterprise industrial standard, full NEBS Level 3 telecom qualified.
3. K9 Security Plus Full License Feature Set
Encryption & VPN
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Full AES-128/AES-192/AES-256, 3DES, DES support (no DES-only restrictions on K8 base license)
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Unlimited TLS proxy for SIP/SCCP VoIP inspection
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Site-to-site IKEv1/IKEv2 IPsec tunnels, AnyConnect SSL remote access VPN, clientless SSL VPN
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GRE DMVPN hub-spoke encapsulation, multi-chassis VPN clustering (max 16 nodes)
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12,000 total concurrent IPsec/AnyConnect VPN peers maximum
Firewall & Multi-Context Virtualization
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Stateful packet inspection (SPI) firewall, routed / transparent firewall modes
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Multi-context virtual firewall segmentation (up to 600 independent isolated logical firewalls)
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Object-group ACL policy management, identity NAT, policy NAT, PAT overload, dynamic NAT pools
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Full dual-mode high availability: Active/Standby and load-balanced Active/Active inter-chassis failover
Threat Defense Suite (FTD Unified OS Native)
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Integrated Snort 3 NGIPS intrusion prevention system with global Talos threat signature updates
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AVC Application Visibility & Control: 6000+ recognized applications, geolocation, user-based policy
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Cloud URL filtering database (280M+ categorized global websites)
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AMP for Networks cloud malware sandboxing (optional subscription)
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Multi-layer DDoS protection: SYN flood guard, TCP packet normalization, malformed packet filtering, strict URPF anti-spoofing
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Layer 7 protocol ALGs: FTP, H.323, SIP, SCCP, RTSP, DNS, HTTP/S, SMB, RDP and mainstream SaaS applications
Routing & Network Services
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Static routing, policy-based routing (PBR), BGP, OSPF, EIGRP dynamic routing protocols
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Full dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 inspection and forwarding
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Local DHCP server for internal LAN endpoints and IoT devices
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PPPoE client for broadband ISP termination
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Hierarchical four-level QoS bandwidth queuing with DSCP marking preservation across VPN tunnels
AAA, Logging & Management
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AAA authentication, authorization, accounting via external RADIUS/TACACS+ servers
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Local user credential database for standalone emergency admin login
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Comprehensive event logging, remote Syslog export to external SIEM platforms (PCI-DSS/HIPAA audit compliant)
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SNMPv3 secure monitoring for chassis hardware, throughput, VPN tunnel and threat status
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Native ISE integration for user-identity-aware security policies
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REST API for third-party orchestration and automation
4. Supported Management Platforms
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FTD / ASA CLI Console: IOS-style command-line interface via serial console or SSH remote access for scripting and advanced troubleshooting
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ASDM / FDM Local GUI: Embedded HTTPS web interface for standalone single-device configuration, real-time traffic dashboards, VPN monitoring and threat reporting
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Cisco Security Manager (CSM): On-prem centralized policy platform for bulk multi-site deployment orchestration, mass firmware upgrades and compliance reporting
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Firepower Management Center (FMC): Primary unified management for FTD NGFW deployments, centralizes NGIPS rules, AVC policies, malware sandboxing, URL filtering and AI-powered policy automation
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Cisco Defense Orchestrator (CDO): Cloud-hosted multi-device management supporting zero-touch provisioning, cloud policy sync and SecureX cloud-native threat orchestration
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FXOS Chassis Manager: Chassis-level GUI/CLI to manage power supplies, fans, NM-2 expansion modules, SSD storage and logical device instantiation (switching FTD/ASA requires full chassis reimage)
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Offline backup: TFTP and USB dual methods for OS firmware upload and full configuration export/restore
5. Key Differentiators vs Related Cisco Firewall Models
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vs FPR4120-NGFW-K8 DES Base License: Full unrestricted AES encryption, unlimited TLS proxy, expanded VLAN/session/VPN limits, 600 multi-context virtualization and complete dual-mode HA enabled; K8 license enforces hard caps on encryption, TLS sessions and virtual instances.
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vs FPR4120-ASA-K9 ASA-Only PID: Identical physical hardware chassis, but factory locked to classic ASA software instead of unified FTD NGFW. ASA variant uses separate standalone IPS images, lacks native integrated AVC and SecureX cloud orchestration, and has limited unified FMC threat management compatibility.
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vs FPR4112-NGFW-K9 Mid-Tier 4100 Model: Dual 14-core Xeon split processors vs dual 12-core CPUs, 256GB DDR4 ECC memory vs 192GB, larger 20M concurrent TCP/UDP sessions vs 15M, 26 Gbps full threat-inspected throughput vs 19 Gbps, 12,000 VPN peers vs 10,000, 600 multi-context capacity vs 500 contexts, identical dual NM-2 expansion bay layout and optional redundant power supply.
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vs FPR4115-NGFW-K9 High-End Model: Lower raw/full-inspected throughput, smaller concurrent session/VPN/multi-context limits, identical dual redundant power and NM-2 40G uplink expansion capability, cost-optimized for large enterprise rather than hyperscale carrier backbone workloads.
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vs Secure Firewall 3120-NGFW-K9 Modern Active Production Platform: Dual independent NM-2 expansion slots (single NM-2 bay on 3100 series), native all-fiber 8×10G SFP+ fixed ports (no built-in copper), split Intel/Cavium dual-processor architecture vs unified single AMD chip, USB 2.0 instead of USB 3.1, discontinued EOL status vs active production lifecycle.
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vs Discontinued FPR2140-NGFW-K9 Legacy Flagship: Two independent NM-2 expansion bays vs single expansion slot, native 8×10G SFP+ vs limited 4×10G SFP+, optional dual hot-swappable redundant PSUs, vastly upgraded 256GB ECC memory, hot-swappable NVMe SSD storage, significantly higher TLS decryption throughput, 1024 VLAN capacity vs 200 VLANs, support for up to 16 cluster nodes vs max 8 nodes.
6. E-Commerce Short Marketing Summary
Cisco FPR4120-NGFW-K9 Mid-High Tier Modular 1RU Rack-Mount All-Fiber Multi-Speed SFP+ Next-Generation Firewall, discontinued legacy Cisco Firepower 4100 series Security Plus unrestricted K9 NGFW appliance with eight built-in 1/10G SFP+ high-speed fiber uplink ports, two independent NM-2 modular expansion bays supporting optional 10G/40G fiber hardware bypass modules, dedicated out-of-band Gigabit management port, dual RJ45 serial + USB 2.0 console interfaces, single factory-shipped 1100W universal AC power supply (secondary redundant PSU optional), dual 14-core Intel Xeon split security processor architecture with upgraded 256GB DDR5 ECC memory, dual hot-swappable 900GB NVMe SSD slots with factory preinstalled storage, primary Firewall Threat Defense (FTD v7.6+) OS with optional ASA OS v9.x support. K9 license delivers full DES/3DES-AES strong encryption, unlimited internal host capacity, stateful SPI firewall, IPsec site-to-site/AnyConnect SSL remote access VPN, inline hardware Snort3 NGIPS intrusion prevention, AVC application visibility & control, NAT/PAT, PPPoE broadband client, unlimited TLS proxy for VoIP communications, up to 600 multi-context virtual firewalls and dual Active/Standby/Active/Active stateful failover with native multi-device VPN clustering (max 16 nodes). Up to 26.0 Gbps full threat-inspected NGFW throughput, 20,000,000 concurrent TCP/UDP connections and 12,000 simultaneous IPsec VPN tunnels, managed via local ASDM/FDM GUI, serial console, Cisco Security Manager and Firepower Management Center. Discontinued mid-high tier rack-mount NGFW optimized for large enterprise headquarters, nationwide regional retail carrier central DMVPN aggregation hubs and multi-building large university 10G/40G fiber core edge security deployments requiring dual expandable network module bays and mid-high scale multi-tenant virtualization capacity.
7. Product Catalog Keyword Tags
Cisco, FPR4120-NGFW-K9, Firepower 4100 Series Mid-High Tier Modular 1RU Rack-Mount All-Fiber SFP+ Next-Generation Firewall, Legacy Large Enterprise Regional Hub Stateful Inspection NGFW, Hot-Swap Redundant Multi-Fan Front-to-Back Cooling 19-inch 1RU Rack Chassis, Single Built-In 1100W Internal Universal AC Power Supply (Dual PSU Optional for Redundancy), 8 × 1/10GBase-X SFP+ Multi-Speed Native Fiber Uplink Ports, 2 × Independent NM-2 Modular Expansion Bays (FPR3K-XNM-8X10G / FPR3K-XNM-4X40G / FPR3K-XNM-8GE Hardware Bypass Modules Supported), Dedicated Gigabit Out-of-Band Management 0/0 Port, RJ45 Serial Console Port, USB 2.0 Type-A Storage Port, DB-15 Inter-Chassis Stateful Failover Serial Port, Dual 14-Core Intel Xeon Unified Split Security Processors with Native QuickAssist Crypto Offload, 256768 MB DDR5 ECC SDRAM, 16 GB System eMMC Boot Flash, Dual Hot-Swap U.2 NVMe SSD Drive Bays (1×900GB Factory Preinstalled), Cisco Firewall Threat Defense FTD Primary OS, Optional ASA OS Dual Software Support, Stateful Packet Inspection SPI, 60.0 Gbps Max Raw Firewall Throughput, 26.0 Gbps Max Full Threat-Inspected NGFW Throughput, 26.0 Gbps Standalone Snort 3 NGIPS Inspection Throughput, 10.5 Gbps Base Hardware-Accelerated 3DES/AES VPN Throughput (14.5 Gbps Offload Enabled), 5.8 Gbps TLS Hardware Decryption Throughput, Snort 3 NGIPS Threat Detection Engine, AMP for Networks Cloud Malware Sandbox Integration, URL Category Web Filtering (6000+ Recognized Applications / 280M+ Global URLs), IPsec IKEv1/IKEv2 DMVPN Site-to-Site & AnyConnect SSL/DTLS Remote Access VPN, Full DES/3DES-AES Unrestricted Strong Encryption Suite, L2 Wire-Speed Integrated Switch Functionality, Dual NM-2 Expandable Port Architecture Supporting 10G/40G Uplinks, NAT PAT Static Dynamic Address Translation, PPPoE DSL Broadband Aggregation Client, VoIP H.323 SIP SCCP TLS Proxy Inspection, Transparent Layer 2 Firewall Mode, Multi-Context Virtual Firewall Segmentation (Up to 600 Independent Contexts), Active/Standby & Active/Active Dual-Mode Stateful Failover Redundancy, Native Multi-Device VPN Clustering & Load Balancing (Max 16 Nodes), 1024 Logical Routed VLAN Maximum (Security Plus K9 License), 12000 Max Simultaneous IPsec/AnyConnect VPN Peers, 20,000,000 Concurrent TCP/UDP Connections, IEEE 1588v2 PTP Precision Time Protocol, Cisco AI Assistant for Automated Policy Tuning, ISE Identity Integration Support, ASDM/FDM Dual Embedded Local Web GUIs, Cisco Security Manager CSM Centralized Multi-Site Policy Orchestration, Firepower Management Center FMC Threat Rule Centralized Control, Cisco Defense Orchestrator CDO Cloud Multi-Device Zero-Touch Management, SecureX Threat Orchestration Integration, Syslog SNMPv3 Secure Monitoring, Full Dual-Stack IPv4/IPv6 Routing & Inspection Support, Application-Aware Hierarchical QoS Bandwidth Scheduling, FIPS 140-3 Level 1 FCC Class A Office Certified, Full NEBS Level 3 Telecom Qualified, End-of-Sale Legacy Platform (EoS Jan 6, 2026), Limited Remaining Cisco Long-Term EOL Maintenance Support, Security Plus K9 Unrestricted Upgrade Over FPR4120-NGFW-K8 DES Base License, Large Enterprise Headquarters Modular 1RU All-Fiber 10G/40G Edge NGFW, Regional Retail Carrier Central DMVPN Aggregation Dual NM-2 Expandable Optional Redundant PSU Security Appliance, Multi-Building Large University 600-Context Multi-Tenant Virtual Segmentation Mid-High Tier Rack Firewall, Direct Hardware Upgrade Replacement for Discontinued FPR2140 Legacy Flagship Rack Appliance
Naming Rule Explanation
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FPR: Legacy Firepower hardware prefix for discontinued Firepower 4100 dual NM-2 modular rack security appliances
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4120: Mid-high tier dual expansion bay rack-mount regional large enterprise hub hardware model identifier within Firepower 4100 legacy platform
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NGFW: Abbreviation for Next-Generation Firewall, signifies factory PID licensed to run unified Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) primary operating system (distinguishes from ASA-only FPR4120-ASA-K9 PID)
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K9: Premium unrestricted Security Plus license identifier unlocking full AES encryption, expanded session/VLAN capacity, unlimited TLS proxy, up to 600 multi-context virtual firewalls and dual-mode Active/Standby + Active/Active stateful failover; contrasted with K8 base DES-only restricted license
Hardware Distinction Note
FPR4120-NGFW-K9 is the mid-high tier dual-NM modular rack model of discontinued Firepower 4100 generation, sharing identical rack chassis dimensions with FPR4110/4112/4115/4145 rack appliances, differentiated by dual 14-core Intel Xeon split security processors, 256GB DDR5 ECC memory, optional hot-swappable redundant power supplies, dual independent NM-2 expansion bays supporting 10G/40G uplink modules, 20M concurrent sessions and 12,000 VPN peer limit, with native copper-free all-fiber 8×1G/10G SFP+ fixed port layout. This product reached Cisco End-of-Sale on January 6, 2026, replaced by the next-generation Secure Firewall 4200 series, with limited residual official TAC support lifecycle remaining.
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