Securing Networks with Cisco Firepower

Enabling Cisco FTD clustering results in VPN functionality being limited to the master unit, meaning all VPN connections will be dropped if the master unit fails. This configuration is designed so that site-to-site VPNs do not leverage the high availability benefits provided by clustering, and instead, they rely on the master unit's availability.

For high availability to function between two Cisco FTD devices, it is essential that the units must be the same version and the same model. This ensures compatibility in terms of both hardware and software, which is crucial for seamless failover and synchronization.

TAP mode allows interfaces to emulate a passive interface by enabling the inline device to monitor the traffic without actually intercepting or altering the traffic flow. This is useful for network monitoring and analysis, as the traffic remains unaffected. Propagate link state, on the other hand, manages the link state of paired interfaces and does not enable passive monitoring of traffic. Therefore, the correct answer is TAP mode.

To deploy a managed device inline, the minimum requirements are the inline interfaces, MTU, and mode. Security zones are optional when setting up the device in an inline configuration. The security zone configuration can be done separately and is not mandatory for the initial deployment.

Inline mode on Cisco Firepower allows the device to actively monitor and control network traffic. In this mode, it can inspect data packets and take action such as dropping malicious traffic based on predefined security policies. This enables the device to prevent harmful data from reaching its destination. Other modes such as inline tap mode are more passive, generally used for monitoring and analysis, and do not have the capability to drop or block traffic.