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The IKE Responder-Only Mode feature provides support for controlling the initiation of Internet Key Exchange (IKE) negotiation and rekeying. When a device is configured as a responder-only device, it will not initiate IKE main, aggressive, or quick modes (for IKE and IP security [IPsec] security association [SA] establishment) nor will it rekey IKE and IPsec SAs. The device will respond to any negotiations initiated by its peers.
Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest feature information and caveats, see the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the Feature Information Table at the end of this document.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Since the advent of virtual private network (VPN) features that allow simultaneous bidirectional IKE negotiations (with or without interesting traffic), issues with the handling and recovery of data from duplicate IKE SAs have occurred. IKE as a protocol has no ability to compare IKE negotiations to determine whether there is already an existing or in-process negotiation between two peers taking place. These duplicate negotiations can be costly in terms of resources and confusing to router administrators. When a device is configured as a responder-only device, it will not initiate IKE main, aggressive, or quick modes (for IKE and IPsec SA establishment), nor will it rekey IKE and IPsec SAs, thus the likelihood of duplicate SAs is reduced.
The other benefit of this feature is to allow controlled support for negotiating connections in one direction only in a load-balancing scenario. It is not recommended that the servers or hubs initiate VPN connections toward the clients or spokes because these devices are all being accessed by a single-facing IP address as advertised via the load balancer. If the hubs were to initiate the connection, they would be doing so using an individual IP address, thus circumventing the benefits of the load balancer. The same is true of rekeying requests being sourced from the hubs or servers behind the load balancer.
This feature is particularly relevant in static virtual interfaces where events such as routing protocol convergence can generate simultaneous tunnel negotiations.
To configure your device as IKE responder-only, perform the following steps.
The following example shows that a device has been configured as responder-only:
crypto ipsec profile vti set transform-set 3dessha set isakmp-profile clients responder-only
The following sections provide references related to the IKE Responder-Only Mode feature.
Related Topic |
Document Title |
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Security commands |
Cisco IOS Security Command Reference |
Standard |
Title |
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No new or modified standards are supported by this feature, and support for existing standards has not been modified by this feature. |
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MIB |
MIBs Link |
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No new or modified MIBs are supported by this feature, and support for existing MIBs has not been modified by this feature. |
To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco IOS software releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator found at the following URL: |
RFC |
Title |
---|---|
No new or modified RFCs are supported by this feature, and support for existing RFCs has not been modified by this feature. |
-- |
Description |
Link |
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The Cisco Support website provides extensive online resources, including documentation and tools for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. To receive security and technical information about your products, you can subscribe to various services, such as the Product Alert Tool (accessed from Field Notices), the Cisco Technical Services Newsletter, and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds. Access to most tools on the Cisco Support website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password. |
The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Table 1 | Feature Information for IKE Responder-Only Mode |
Feature Name |
Releases |
Feature Information |
---|---|---|
IKE Responder-Only Mode |
12.4(24)T |
This feature provides support for controlling the initiation of IKE negotiation and rekeying. When a device is configured as a responder-only device, it will not initiate IKE main, aggressive, or quick modes (for IKE and IPsec SA establishment), nor will it rekey IKE and IPsec SAs. The device will respond to any negotiations initiated by its peers. The following command was introduced: responder-only. |
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