For this lab I am using Firepower Threat Defence version 6.3 (FTD) and Firepower Management Center 6.3 (FMC). The FTD is a next generation firewall that does IPS/IDS, URL filtering and traditional firewall, the FTD itself can be managed individually with its own FTD manager, however it can also be managed with FMC. The IPS/IDS engine uses SNORT engine with the same syntax as snort.
My firewall experience with Cisco stopped at ASA, this is my first time setting up a firepower lab, hence this post is a documentation for future reference if I have forgotten how to set the lab up again.
Default credential
This is for both FMC and FTD, you can choose to change the password, however not for my lab, as it will be destroyed once finished.
Username: admin
Password: Admin123
Topology
Setting up
For the first time setup, the OVF will need to take a few minutes to fully install the FMC and FTD.
The FTD finishes installation earlier than FMC, and first we need to press enter to read EULA.
Then agree on the EULA.
This one sets up the password and the ipv4 address.
FTD address is configured to 192.168.1.45 manually.
This finishes the network setup of FTD.
To let FMC manages FTD, first we need to add manager from the FTD and assign a register key of your choice. The command configure manager add 192.168.1.34 the_key_your_like, where 192.168.1.34 is the ip address of the FMC, you need to use the same registration key in FMC when adding this FTD as a managed device.
Logon to the FMC and change your password. I leave all the rest as defaults.
I changed the time zone for this section.
Leave all as default then agree on EULA and apply.
Select Smart License, this is to activate the 90 days evaluation to try out the product.
Click on the evaluation mode button.
You will see this once evaluation mode is successful.
Then select the Device Management to add FTD.
Add the device.
So this is where the registration key which was configured in FTD is important, put in the same registration key as configured in FTD then create an access policy. Once finished click Register button.
You will see more features activated.
So once this is setup the lab is ready for use.
