Home > Articles > Security > Network Security

Understanding Cisco Security Agent Components and Installation

Jul 29, 2005

📄 Contents

␡

⎙ Print

< Back Page 2 of 4 Next >

This chapter is from the book 

Cisco Security Agent

Learn More Buy

CSA Installation Requirements

In each of the operating systems in which CSA may be installed, you must satisfy minimum hardware and software requirements to ensure the deployment is supported by Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC). This section describes the software and hardware requirements and the communication requirements.

Software and Hardware Requirements

CSA has specific minimum requirements to load on an endpoint-protected server or workstation. Because the CSA is a software product, it only runs on appropriate operating systems. In version 4.5, the agent is supported on some Solaris, Linux, and Windows flavors. Future versions might provide you with an expanded operating system support base, but for version 4.5, follow the operating system requirements described in this section or refer to the latest CSA documentation for the most current guidelines, which are available at Cisco.com.

The hardware requirements for Windows, Solaris, and Linux agents differ slightly. Verify the requirements for your system before attempting installation and architecture implementation.

Table 6-1 shows the Windows agent minimum requirements.

Table 6-1 Windows Agent Requirements

System Component	Requirement
Processor	Intel Pentium 200 MHz or higher. Note: Uni/dual/quad processors are all supported.
Operating systems	Windows 2003. Windows XP (Professional English 128 bit) with Service Pack 0, 1, or 2. Windows 2000 (Professional, Server, or Advanced Server) with Service Pack 0, 1, 2, or 3 or higher. Windows NT (Workstation, Server, or Enterprise Server) with Service Pack 5 or higher. Note: Citrix MetaFrame and Citrix XP are supported. Terminal Services are supported on XP and Windows 2000. Terminal Services is not supported on Windows NT.
Memory	128 MB minimum.
Hard drive space	15 MB or higher.
Network	Ethernet or dialup. Note: Maximum of 64 IP addresses supported on a single system.

Table 6-2 lists the Solaris agent minimum requirements.

Table 6-2 Solaris Agent Requirements

System Component	Requirement
Processor	UltraSPARC 400 MHz or higher. Note: Uni/dual/quad processors are all supported.
Operating systems	Solaris 8, 64-bit 7/01 edition or higher. Note: Solaris minimum core installation is not sufficient. You must also install the SUNWlibCx library.
Memory	256 MB minimum.
Hard drive space	15 MB or higher.
Network	Ethernet. Note: Maximum of 64 IP addresses supported on a single system.

Table 6-3 shows the Linux agent minimum requirements.

Table 6-3 Linux Agent Requirements

System Component	Requirement
Processor	500 MHz or higher x86 processor. Note: Uni/dual/quad processors are all supported.
Operating systems	RedHat Enterprise Linux 3.0 ES, AS, or WS.
Memory	256 MB minimum.
Hard drive space	15 MB or higher.
Network	Ethernet. Note: Maximum of 64 IP addresses supported on a single system.

Additional Installation Requirements

For the CSA to become fully functional, you must address a few other points. Beyond the requirement to be loaded on a supported hardware and software platform, the agent must also support the necessary communication to be sure the agent remains current from a policy standpoint. The agent must also be able to resolve the IP address of the CSA MC server by its fully qualified domain name (FQDN) within Domain Name System (DNS).

CSA MC Server and Database

The CSA MC server contains the rules and policies that are required for agent enforcement. The MC is also where configuration changes and updates are maintained and is the focal point for the agents when they need to update their local policy enforcement rules. In addition, the MC serves as the destination for agent event messages that are transmitted and thus provides a centralized aggregation point for global event correlation and agent troubleshooting.

The default installation of the CSA MC includes the installation of Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) database. This database is sufficient for smaller installations of 500 agents or fewer. The MSDE database has a database size limitation of 2 GB, which is not sufficient in larger deployments. When the enterprise agent deployment total increases to a number greater than 500 agents, it is recommended that you migrate the MSDE database to MS SQL.

In version 4.5, you can keep the MS SQL database local to the CSA MC server itself or you can use an externally loaded MS SQL server installation. It is important in either case that this database and server be secured from both a network and physical standpoint. You might decide to use an external MS SQL database in your enterprise for a number of reasons, as follows:

Off-box SQL allows for cold standby CSA MC servers in case of a server failure.
Fewer enterprise SQL deployments to maintain (regular maintenance and patching) because the SQL database can reside in your current enterprise SQL system.
The ability to leverage highly effective SQL hardware, including server architectures and disaster recovery mechanisms such as storage-area networks (SANs).

Communication Security

For policy and rule changes created on the CSA MC to take effect on the CSA, the CSA must have the ability to contact and communicate with the CSA MC over the network. This communication path can take any transport necessary between the agent and MC machines as long as there is end-to-end IP reachability for the duration of the connection.

For the agent to request the update or transmit event log messages, the agent attempts to resolve the MC IP address using DNS or any other local resolution means available such as the local hosts file. It is important that this information be correct to facilitate both a successful connection and to verify the certificate used in the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) communication.

SSL over the standard TCP port 443 is the protocol used for all MC-to-agent interaction. SSL ensures an authenticated and encrypted communication of the updates and event transmissions. Within an enterprise, name resolution is not typically an issue; however, if you have systems that will roam around disparate networks, you need to be certain that the machine resolves the correct address and that the CSA MC server is reachable from those locations.

< Back Page 2 of 4 Next >

🔖 Save To Your Account

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Privacy Notice

Overview

Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information

To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information

Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security

Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children

This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing

Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information

If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out

Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information

Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents

California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure

Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

As required by law.
With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links

This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact

Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020

Email Address