This guide is no longer my recommended way of running an ASA in GNS3. I recommend signing up for Cisco VIRL and running the virtual appliances in the new GNS3 using VMWare Workstation.
This post will take you through a step-by-step guide to emulate Cisco ASA 8.4.2 on GNS3. In GNS3, QEMU is an emulator which emulates the hardware environment for a Cisco ASA device. Please make sure that your computer has at least 4GB of RAM before you begin.
1.) Download and install GNS3. You can get the software from http://www.gns3.com . You may need to register/login to get the software.
2.) Get a copy of ASA 8.4.2 code. You can get it from your live ASA device by copying the image to a TFTP server. (or download from https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxGGwKJEWVB0dzd5aFMzTjRNcDg&usp=sharing)
3.) Download asa842-initrd.gz and asa842-vmlinuz
4.) Now Open GNS3 and go to Edit -> Preferences -> Qemu -> Qemu VMs
5.) Click New and type a name of your ASA device
6.) Select the type as ASA 8.4(2) and click Next
7.) Leave the Qemu binary and RAM as it is and click Next
8.) Now browse the initrd and Kernal image which you downloaded and click Finish
9.) Last thing you need to do is add a few more interfaces by clicking Edit -> Network and change adapters from 4 to 6
10.) Click OK and OK again
11.) Now in the main GNs3 window click the Browse Security Device and drag your new ASA into the workspace.
Add ASDM and connect your ASA
You can connect ASA from the computer from which you are running GNS3. Follow the steps below to do this:
1.) Add a Loop-back to your computer (http://websistent.com/how-to-connect-gns3-to-the-internet/)
2.) Drag and drop ‘Cloud’ to the GNS3 work-space and connect it with an Ethernet Switch. Refer below screenshot: (also ping the cloud tap0 interface)
3.) Configure ‘Cloud’ and add the Loop-back adapter which you have added in step 1, see below figure:
4.) Open a console session to your ASA from GNS3 and configure one of its interface like below:
interface GigabitEthernet1
nameif inside
security-level 100
ip address 192.168.1.10 255.255.255.0
5.) Now try to ping your computers Loopback IP from the ASA and vice-verse (Make sure that you disable firewall/antivirus etc on your local PC which is installed with GNS3.)
6.) Download ASDM ( asdm-649.bin) from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxGGwKJEWVB0amstM0VQVmRYNUk/view?usp=sharing
7.) Install a TFTP server in your local PC and keep the above file in its root directory.
8.) Now upload the asdm-649.bin to the ASA flash using the below commands: (If the upload fails , then try disabling any other network adapter other than the Loop-back adapter temporarily and try)
ciscoasa# copy tftp: flash:
Address or name of remote host? 192.168.1.100
Source filename? asdm-649.bin
Destination filename [asdm-649.bin]?
Accessing tftp://192.168.1.100/asdm-649.bin…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
18927088 bytes copied in 143.10 secs (132357 bytes/sec)
9.) Initiate the below commands to load ASDM on the ASA and enable http server:
ciscoasa(config)# asdm image flash:asdm-649.bin
ciscoasa(config)# http server enable
ciscoasa(config)# http 192.168.1.10 255.255.255.0 inside
ciscoasa(config)# username admin password 1234 privilege 15
10.) Now at your local PC, open a browser and type https://192.168.1.10 and the ASDM page will open:
11.) Click on ‘Run ASDM’ and enter with the username and password which you have created on step 9. You will be presented with the ASA dashboard.
Chris Nadeau 