Hello every one, here is a fun project if you have some old Cisco ASA hardware to breathe new life into!
Items you will need:
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Old Cisco ASA 5525-x security appliance, get the cheap one on ebay
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Copy of rufus
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Copy of 7zip to uncompressed files with
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8 or 16gb USB stick
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2 cat 5 or cat 6 cables 5’ long with rj45 ends on each end
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Optional SSD drive to insert in the front of the unit for extra space as the internal USB-SSD drive is only 4gb
1.open cover and find iBMC_Jtag_VGA_Conn1 This is a 15pin to vga adapter for video out to monitor Ebay Part= VGA Port HD15F Adapter to IDC16 12 Inch (From PC Cables.com) -
go to openwrt and download
https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.4/targets/x86/64/openwrt-19.07.4-x86-64-combined-ext4.img.gz -
download rufus = https://rufus.ie/en/ used to burn openwrt to usb stick
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download 7zip = https://www.7-zip.org/a/7z2107-x64.exe
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Download Finnix 121 = https://www.finnix.org/releases/124/finnix-124.iso
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open Rufus and install finnix.iso to usb drive
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on the Cisco ASA5525-x appliance you need to remove the cover and install the VGA adapter and hook up to monitor for Video output
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open BIOS settings go to BOOT, Find ROMMON BOOT setting and HIT the space bar to set it to Disabled
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Set boot Priorty to:
1st Boot: USB-HDD: "your usb stick"
2nd BOOT: HDD: "your hard drive" SSD
3rd BOOT: eUSB-HDD:USB Diskhit F4 to save changes, Save Configuration and exit
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install the USB drive you installed FINNIS onto in top USB slot, turn on cisco ASA applicnce and let boot up
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install cat 5 cable to your internet router, and place the other end into eth0 on the back of the cisco
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after unit boots up try to ping 8.8.8.8 to see if you can get to the internet
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if you can ping 8.8.8.8 go to next step, if you can not ping 8.8.8.8, plz retry your connections or steps 1-11
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after you are able to ping 8.8.8.8 now type in "wget https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/19.07.4/targets/x86/64/openwrt-19.07.4-x86-64-combined-ext4.img.gz" - no quotes
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type in gzip -d openwrt-19.07.4-x86-64-combined-ext4.img.gz
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type in "lsblk" to see your disk
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typ in "dd if=openwrt-19.07.4-x86-64-combined-ext4.img of=/dev/sda enter
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type reboot and remove the usb drive
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Yeah, now, place a cable from your pc to port eth6 on the back of the unit and set your nic card IP settings to:
set your PC IP to: 192.168.1.50
set your PC subnet mask to: 255.255.255.0
Set your PC gateway to: 192.168.1.1 -
open a bros=wser to 192.168.1.1 and you should now see openwrt webpage, log in with admin and the password you set, if you didnt set a password hit enter to move into the web page.
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if you need more help watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOLn2H1FZEI for details of how to use the setup
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good luck and happy OpenWRT with opld Cisco ASA 5525-x appliance