FPR4112-ASA-K9 Cisco Firepower 4112 8 Ports 1u Rack Mountable Security Appliance

Cisco FPR4112-ASA-K9 8 Ports Security Appliance

The Cisco FPR4112-ASA-K9 Firepower 4112 represents a pinnacle in enterprise network security, merging the proven reliability of Cisco's ASA (Adaptive Security Appliance) platform with the advanced capabilities of the Firepower Next-Generation Intrusion Prevention System (NGIPS). This 1U rack-mountable security appliance is engineered for demanding network environments, providing comprehensive threat protection, application visibility, and control at multi-gigabit speeds. It is a cornerstone solution for mid-to-large enterprises, data centers, and service providers seeking to fortify their security posture against an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape.

Cisco Firepower 4112 Security Appliance

The Cisco FPR4112-ASA-K9 is a unified threat management (UTM) platform that integrates multiple security functions into a single, high-performance device. It operates with the Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) software, which combines stateful firewall services, next-generation IPS, advanced malware protection (AMP), and application visibility and control (AVC). The appliance features eight onboard 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GIGE) ports, offering significant throughput capacity for inspecting traffic in high-bandwidth network segments without becoming a bottleneck.

Key Specifications

Built with a robust hardware foundation, the FPR4112 is designed for 24/7 operation in critical network infrastructures. Its architecture is optimized for the intensive processing demands of deep packet inspection, SSL decryption, and correlation of threat intelligence.

Chassis and Form Factor

The appliance utilizes a standard 1U rack-mountable chassis, allowing for efficient use of data center rack space. Its compact design is complemented by redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and fans, ensuring high availability and serviceability.

Processing and Memory

At its core, the FPR4112 is powered by multi-core processors and is equipped with substantial system memory. This hardware configuration is critical for delivering its rated performance metrics, which include multi-gigabit firewall throughput and gigabit-range threat prevention throughput, enabling simultaneous inspection of millions of connections.

Network Interfaces

The eight built-in 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ ports provide high-density connectivity for uplinks, trunk connections to core switches, or connections to critical server farms. These interfaces support both copper and optical transceivers, offering flexibility in network design. The platform can be further expanded with additional interface modules if required.

Core Security Capabilities and Feature Set

The true power of the Cisco Firepower 4112 lies in its integrated software, Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD). This unified software image delivers a cohesive security policy management experience, eliminating the need to manage separate devices or software instances for different security functions.

Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) Services

The appliance provides full stateful firewall capabilities with advanced features that go beyond traditional port-based blocking. It enforces security policies based on applications, users, and device types, providing granular control over network traffic.

Application Visibility and Control (AVC)

Using deep packet inspection and a continuously updated application database, the FPR4112 can identify thousands of applications, including cloud-based and encrypted applications. Administrators can create policies to allow, block, or restrict bandwidth for specific applications, enhancing both security and network performance management.

User Identity Integration

By integrating with directory services like Active Directory, the firewall can tie network activity to specific user identities. This enables policy creation based on user or user group, simplifying compliance and allowing for precise access control regardless of IP address or device.

Next-Generation Intrusion Prevention System (NGIPS)

This is a signature-based and anomaly-based detection system that provides deep visibility into network traffic to identify and block malicious activity.

Snort-Based Inspection Engine

The NGIPS leverages the industry-standard Snort engine, enhanced by Cisco Talos, one of the world's largest commercial threat intelligence teams. It analyzes network traffic in real-time to detect vulnerabilities, exploits, malware, and other threats.

File and Malware Analysis

The system can detect files traversing the network and perform static analysis or dynamic sandboxing (with a separate subscription) to identify malware, ransomware, and advanced persistent threats (APTs). It can block files based on reputation or after analysis.

Network-Based Vulnerability Mapping

A unique feature of the Cisco NGIPS is its ability to act as a passive vulnerability scanner. It fingerprints operating systems and applications on the network, correlates this data with known vulnerabilities, and provides context to prioritize which attacks pose the greatest risk to the actual assets present.

Cisco Firepower Device

For smaller deployments or managing a single appliance, the Firepower Device Manager offers an embedded, web-based management interface. FDM provides a streamlined workflow for configuring core firewall and threat prevention features directly on the FPR4112 device itself, without the need for an external management server.

Integration with Cisco Security Ecosystem

The appliance is a key component of the Cisco Security Architectural Framework, designed to work in concert with other security products.

Cisco SecureX Integration

As part of the Cisco SecureX platform, the Firepower 4112 can share telemetry and context with other security tools like Cisco Secure Network Analytics (Stealthwatch) and Cisco Umbrella. This enables broader visibility and automated threat response workflows across the network, endpoint, and cloud.

AMP for Networks Integration

When licensed, the Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) feature provides retrospective security. Even if a file is initially allowed, AMP continuously analyzes it against updated threat intelligence. If it is later determined to be malicious, the system can retroactively log and alert on that file, providing crucial incident response data.

Target Use Cases and Deployment Scenarios

The performance profile and feature set of the Cisco FPR4112 make it suitable for several key positions within an enterprise network architecture.

Data Center Edge or Internet Gateway

Deployed at the perimeter where the corporate network meets the internet, the FPR4112 can serve as the primary defense layer. Here, its high-throughput 10 GbE ports and robust threat prevention capabilities inspect all inbound and outbound traffic, protecting internal servers and users from external attacks.

Internal Network Segmentation

Modern security best practices call for micro-segmentation within the data center. The FPR4112 can be deployed between different trust zones (e.g., between the user VLAN, server farm, and PCI-DSS zone) to inspect and control lateral traffic, helping to contain breaches and prevent the spread of malware.

High-Speed Network Aggregation Points

In large campus networks or service provider environments, the appliance can be placed at aggregation points to secure traffic from multiple branches or customer networks, applying consistent security policies and providing deep visibility into aggregated data flows.

Performance and Capacity Metrics

While specific throughput numbers can vary based on configuration and traffic mix, the FPR4112 is engineered for multi-gigabit performance. Key metrics include Firewall Throughput in the range of tens of gigabits per second, Threat Prevention Throughput in the gigabit-per-second range, and the capacity to handle millions of concurrent connections. Its eight 10 GbE ports provide an aggregate theoretical bandwidth of 80 Gbps full duplex.