install ASA 8.4 on Gns3

How to add or install ASA 8.4 on Gns3 1.1 windows 8.1

This article is related to installation and configuration of ASA on Gns3 1.1 and also include some tips for older versions of Gns3.

How to configure / use Cisco ASA on Gns3 1.1:

You can add ASA in Gns3 1.1 by following steps:

• Open Edit \ Preferences \ Qemu \Qemu VMs

• Click on New button
• this will start a wizard for ASA, Type it’s name and select it’s type ASA and click next

• Set a suitable memory for ASA

• Now browse the initrd.gz & kernel files for ASA and click finish.

• Now you may need for flash, yo can create it easily. Open the “C:\Program Files\GNS3\qemu” directory by cmd (command prompt) using command cd C:\Program Files\GNS3\qemu . For flash type the command “qemu-img create FLASH 512M” and press enter.

• this will create a file flash in this directory.

• now again go to Edit \ Preferences \ Qemu \Qemu VMs & edit the ASA.

• In HDD tab define the path for flash.

In Advanced Settings, on kernel command line replace with following code:

-append ide_generic.probe_mask=0x01 ide_core.chs=0.0:980,16,32 auto nousb console=ttyS0,9600 bigphysarea=65536 ide1=noprobe no-hlt -net nic

On options: Replace the content with -vnc none -vga none -m 1024 -icount auto -hdachs 980,16,32

Click on apply.

note: It will take some time for first boot

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Emulate ASA in older versions of  gns3:

Please carefully follow these step to configure ASA in older gns3 on windows 7 or XP.

• Download ASA IOS
• Configure ASA in gns3 
• Start the ASA
• Open the console 

 Step-1 Download ASA IOS and how to solved ASA console hangs Problem: 

First you need two file for ASA one is ".kernel" and other is ".initrd.gz". In my case these are "asa802-k8.kernel" and asa802-k8.initrd.gz. You can download these files from following link:

Download ASA IOS for GNS3

Add ASA in gns3:

Now run the gns3 open the Preferences from edit/preferences, and in qemu/ASA tab define the name for ASA and these two file i.e. "asa802-k8.kernel" and "asa802-k8.initrd.gz" in respective fileld.




Start the ASA:

 Start the ASA and a qemu console window is open don't close this window. 

 

Open the console:

Now open the ASA console by rigth clicking on it and after some time you received a message that  copy these two commands and press enter, do this.

and then you received the welcome message of ASA.