Install on Cisco ASA 5505?

planalpha

I have a Cisco 5505 that I want to install PFS on. It is a Pentium 500mhz with 128mb RAM. It boots off of a CF card. I put the embedded PFS image on it and I get:```
Launching BootLoader...
Default configuration file contains 1 entry.

Searching / for images to boot.

No images in /
Error 15: File not found

unable to boot an image

Default configuration file contains 1 entry.

Searching / for images to boot.

No images in /
Error 15: File not found

unable to boot an image

Failsafe booting engaged.
Default configuration file contains 1 entry.

Searching / for images to boot.

No images in /
Error 15: File not found

unable to boot an image

…and it just reboots. If I hit ESC during the boot process I get a small shell on the ROM like this:```
Use ? for help.
rommon #0> ?

   Variables:     Use "sync" to store in NVRAM
ADDRESS=     <addr>  local IP address
CONFIG=      <name>  config file path/name
GATEWAY=     <addr>  gateway IP address
IMAGE=       <name>  image file path/name
LINKTIMEOUT= <num>   Link UP timeout (seconds)
PKTTIMEOUT=  <num>   packet timeout (seconds)
PORT=        <name>  ethernet interface port
RETRY=       <num>   Packet Retry Count (Ping/TFTP)
SERVER=      <addr>  server IP address
VLAN=        <num>   enable/disable DOT1Q tagging on the selected port

   Commands:
?                 valid command list
address   <addr>  local IP address
boot      <args>  boot an image, valid args are:
     - "image file spec" and/or
     - "cfg=<config file="" spec="">"
clear             clear interface statistics
confreg   <value> set hex configuration register
dev               display platform interface devices
erase     <arg>   erase storage media
file      <name>  application image file path/name
gateway   <addr>  gateway IP address
gdb       <cmd>   edit image gdb settings
help              valid command list
history           display command history
interface <name>  ethernet interface port
no        <feat>  clear feature settings
ping      <addr>  send ICMP echo
reboot            halt and reboot system
reload            halt and reboot system
repeat    <arg>   repeat previous command, valid arguments:
     - no arg: repeat last command
     - number: index into command history table
     - string: most recent 1st arg match in command history table
reset             halt and reboot system
server    <addr>  server IP address
set               display all variable settings
show      <cmd>   display cmd-specific information
sync              save variable settings in NVRAM
tftpdnld          TFTP download
timeout   <num>   packet timeout (seconds)
trace             toggle packet tracing
unset   <varname> unset a variable name</varname></num></cmd></addr></arg></addr></feat></name></cmd></addr></name></arg></value></config></args></addr></num></addr></num></name></num></num></name></addr></name></addr>

Any idea? What would be the boot image name?

Thanks

dotdash

My guess is that the Cisco bootloader will only let you boot a Cisco image. The rom monitor is typically used to tftp in a new image when you've hosed the software. If it was me, I would load a Cisco image back on it, sell it on ebay, and buy new hardware for pfSense with the money.

planalpha

Ya, you're probably right but thought I'd ask. When it boots the Cisco image it looks for /asa721-k8.bin. Is there a way to rename whatever file PFS boots from to asa721-k8.bin or make a symlink to it? It's a darn nice piece of hardware!

hoba

Did you try searching google? This is really unit specific and I doubt that someone around here will know how to "crack up" this cisco gear to run pfSense. It's rather Cisco related than a pfSense problem.

planalpha

I did try searching google but to no avail :(
I can point the Cisco to a boot file, what should it be?
Thanks again!

hoba

PfSense is supplied as partition image and not as some kind of bootfile. Don't know what the cisco expects but it might be something proprietary that won't work with anything else than cisco bootfiles. Just a guess though.

valnar

Although proprietary, the Cisco ASA is a nice firewall. Why would you want to load pfSense on it? That would be like trying to retrofit Vyatta on a Cisco IOS router. ??? :o

(No offense to the pfSense or Vyatta developers….)

Robert