Configuring the Cisco Intrusion Prevention System Sensor Using the Command Line Interface 6.0
Configuring AIM-IPS

Table Of Contents

Configuring AIM-IPS

Configuration Sequence

Verifying Installation and Finding the Serial Number

Hardware Interfaces

Setting Up Interfaces on AIM-IPS and the Router

Interface Configuration Sequence

ARC and NAT

Using an Unnumbered IP Address Interface

Using a Routable IP Address Interface

Using a Default IP Address and NAT

Using a User-Configured IP Address and NAT

Configuring the Monitoring Router Interface

Establishing Sessions

Overview

Opening and Closing a Session

Displaying the Status of AIM-IPS

Rebooting, Resetting, and Shutting Down AIM-IPS

AIM-IPS Status Monitoring

Rebooting, Resetting, and Shutting Down AIM-IPS

Enabling and Disabling Heartbeat Reset

New and Modified Commands

interface ids-sensor

interface interface

service-module ids-sensor


Configuring AIM-IPS



Note The number of concurrent CLI sessions is limited based on the platform. IDS-4215 and NM-CIDS are limited to three concurrent CLI sessions. All other platforms allow ten concurrent sessions.


This chapter describes how to configure AIM-IPS. It contains the following sections:

Configuration Sequence

Verifying Installation and Finding the Serial Number

Hardware Interfaces

Setting Up Interfaces on AIM-IPS and the Router

Establishing Sessions

Displaying the Status of AIM-IPS

Rebooting, Resetting, and Shutting Down AIM-IPS

Enabling and Disabling Heartbeat Reset

New and Modified Commands

Configuration Sequence

Perform the following tasks to configure AIM-IPS:

1. Set up the interfaces.

2. Log in to AIM-IPS.

3. Initialize AIM-IPS.

Run the setup command to initialize AIM-IPS.

4. Create the service account.

5. Perform the other initial tasks, such as adding users, trusted hosts, and so forth.

6. Configure intrusion prevention.

7. Perform administrative tasks to keep your AIM-IPS running smoothly.

8. Upgrade the IPS software with new signature updates and service packs.

9. Reimage the boot helper and bootloader when needed.

For More Information

For the procedure for setting up interfaces, see Setting Up Interfaces on AIM-IPS and the Router.

For the procedure for logging in to AIM-IPS, see Establishing Sessions.

For the procedure for using the setup command to initialize AIM-IPS, see Initializing AIM-IPS, page 3-19.

For the procedure for creating the service account, see Creating the Service Account, page 4-20.

For the procedures for setting up the sensor, see Chapter 4, "Initial Configuration Tasks."

For the procedures for configuring intrusion prevention, see the following chapters:

Chapter 9, "Configuring Anomaly Detection"

Chapter 8, "Configuring Event Action Rules"

Chapter 7, "Defining Signatures"

Chapter 13, "Configuring Attack Response Controller for Blocking and Rate Limiting"

For the administrative procedures, see Chapter 16, "Administrative Tasks for the Sensor."

For more information on how to obtain IPS software, see Chapter 22, "Obtaining Software."

For the procedures for reimaging AIM-IPS, see Installing the AIM-IPS System Image, page 21-48.

Verifying Installation and Finding the Serial Number

Use the show inventory command in privileged EXEC mode to verify the installation of AIM-IPS.


Note You can also use this command to find the serial number of your AIM-IPS for use in troubleshooting with TAC. The serial number appears in the PID line, for example, SN:FOC11372M9X.


To verify the installation of AIM-IPS, follow these steps:


Step 1 Log in to the router.

Step 2 Enter privileged EXEC mode on the router:

router> enable

Step 3 Verify that AIM-IPS is part of the router inventory:

router# show inventory
NAME: "3825 chassis", DESCR: "3825 chassis"
PID: CISCO3825 , VID: V01 , SN: FTX1009C3KT

NAME: "Cisco Intrusion Prevention System AIM in AIM slot: 1", DESCR: "Cisco Intrusion 
Prevention"
PID: AIM-IPS-K9 , VID: V01 , SN: FOC11372M9X

router#


Hardware Interfaces

Figure 17-1 shows the router and AIM-IPS interfaces used for internal communication. You can configure the router interfaces through the Cisco IOS CLI and the AIM-IPS interfaces through the IPS CLI or IDM.


Note For more information on IDM, refer to Installing and Using Cisco Intrusion Prevention System Device Manager Version 6.0.


Figure 17-1 AIM-IPS and Router Interfaces

1

Router interface to AIM-IPS (IDS-Sensor 0/1 or IDS-Sensor0/0, depending on which slot AIM-IPS occupies, 0 or 1)
Uses the Cisco OS CLI to configure the IP address of the router interface that connects to AIM-IPS. This router IP address is used as the default router IP address when you configure Cisco IPS on AIM-IPS.

2

AIM-IPS interface to router (GigabitEthernet0/1)
Configure the command and control interface using the IPS CLI or IDM.

3

Router interface to external link.



Note You need two IP addresses to configure AIM-IPS. AIM-IPS has a command and control IP address that you configure through the Cisco IPS CLI. You also assign an IP address to the router for its internal interface (IDS-Sensor 0/x) to AIM-IPS. This IP address belongs to the router itself and is used for routing traffic to the command and control interface of AIM-IPS. It is used as the default router IP address when you set up the AIM-IPS command and control interface.


Setting Up Interfaces on AIM-IPS and the Router

This section describes how to set up interfaces on AIM-IPS and the router, and contains the following topics:

Interface Configuration Sequence

ARC and NAT

Using an Unnumbered IP Address Interface

Using a Routable IP Address Interface

Using a Default IP Address and NAT

Using a User-Configured IP Address and NAT

Configuring the Monitoring Router Interface

Interface Configuration Sequence

Follow this sequence to set up interfaces on AIM-IPS and the router:

1. Configure the IPS command and control interface on the router, and the AIM-IPS IP address, mask, and gateway using one of the following methods:

An unnumbered IP address on the IDS-Sensor interface


Note Using an unnumbered IP address on the IDS-Sensor interface is the preferred method for configuring interfaces on the module and router.


A routable IP address

Default module IP address with NAT

User-configured IP address with NAT

2. Enable the monitoring interface and specify whether it is promiscuous or inline, assign the ACL to the interface, specify how you want the router to handle traffic if the module fails, and create a monitoring ACL (optional).

3. Save the configuration.

For More Information

For the procedure for configuring an unnumbered IP address interface, see Using an Unnumbered IP Address Interface.

For the procedure for configuring a routable IP address, see Using a Routable IP Address Interface.

For the procedure for configuring a default module IP address with NAT, see Using a Default IP Address and NAT.

For the procedure for configuring a user-configured IP address with NAT, see Using a User-Configured IP Address and NAT.

For the procedure configuring the monitoring router interface, see Configuring the Monitoring Router Interface.

ARC and NAT

If you use NAT to establish management access to AIM-IPS, ARC on AIM-IPS does not know the external IP address of AIM-IPS. To make sure that management access to AIM-IPS is not interrupted by devices that AIM-IPS is managing, you must state the NAT address of AIM-IPS every time you add a blocking device.

For More Information

For more information on ARC, see Chapter 13, "Configuring Attack Response Controller for Blocking and Rate Limiting," and Attack Response Controller, page A-11.

For the procedures for configuring the AIM-IPS NAT address every time you add a blocking device, see the following procedures:

Configuring the Sensor to Manage Cisco Routers, page 13-22

Configuring the Sensor to Manage Catalyst 6500 Series Switches and Cisco 7600 Series Routers, page 13-25

Configuring the Sensor to Manage Cisco Firewalls, page 13-27

Using an Unnumbered IP Address Interface


Note Using an unnumbered IP address on the IDS-Sensor interface is the preferred method for configuring interfaces on AIM-IPS and the router.


To configure the interface using an unnumbered IP address interface, follow these steps:


Step 1 Log in to the router.

Step 2 Enter privileged EXEC mode on the router:

router> enable

Step 3 Confirm the module slot number in your router:

router# show run | include ids-sensor
interface IDS-Sensor0/0
router#

Step 4 Configure the IPS command and control interface on the router using the ip unnumbered command on the IDS-Sensor interface to specify the router interface that provides external connectivity:

a. Make sure the IDS-Sensor interface is not shut down:

router# configure terminal
router(config)# interface ids-sensor slot/port
router(config-if)# no shutdown

b. Specify the external router interface:

router(config-if)# ip unnumbered other_router_interface
router(config-if)# exit
router(config)#


Note The IDS-Sensor interface shares the IP address between the two router interfaces (the IDS-Sensor interface and the other specified interface).



Note The IP address of the sensor and the other_router_interface IP address must be on the same subnet.


c. Enter a route to send traffic to the IP address of AIM-IPS to the IDS-Sensor interface:

router(config)# ip route sensor_ip_address 255.255.255.255 ids-sensor slot/port
router(config)#

d. Exit configuration mode:

router(config)# exit
router#

Step 5 Configure the IP address, mask, and gateway:


Note You can also configure these parameters by initializing AIM-IPS with the setup command.



Note The AIM-IPS IP address defaults to 10.1.9.201/24, 10.1.9.1.


a. Session to AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/0 session 
Trying 10.1.9.201, 2322 ... Open


sensor login:

b. Log in to the CLI.

c. Enter global configuration mode:

sensor# configure terminal
sensor(config)#

d. Enter service host mode:

sensor(config)# service host
sensor(config-hos)# 

e. Assign the command and control interface and the gateway:

sensor(config-hos)# network-settings
sensor(config-hos-net)# host-ip ip_address/mask,gateway
sensor(config-hos-net)# 


Note The gateway should be the IP address of the other_router_interface that you set up in Step 4b.


f. Exit network settings mode:

sensor(config-hos-net)# exit
sensor(config-hos)# exit
Apply Changes:?[yes]: 

g. Press Enter to apply the changes or enter no to discard them.

h. Exit the session to AIM-IPS.

Step 6 Write the configuration to NVRAM:

router# write memory
Building configuration
[OK]


For More Information

For more information on using the setup command to initialize AIM-IPS, see Initializing AIM-IPS, page 3-19.

For more information on sessioning from the router to AIM-IPS, see Opening and Closing a Session.

For more information on exiting sessions, see Opening and Closing a Session.

Using a Routable IP Address Interface

To configure the interface using a routable IP address interface, follow these steps:


Step 1 Log in to the router.

Step 2 Enter privileged EXEC mode on the router:

router> enable

Step 3 Confirm the module slot number in your router:

router# show run | include ids-sensor
interface IDS-Sensor0/0
router#

Step 4 Configure the IPS command and control interface on the router using the ip unnumbered command on the IDS-Sensor interface to specify the router interface that provides external connectivity:

a. Make sure the IDS-Sensor interface is not shut down:

router# configure terminal
router(config)# interface ids-sensor slot/port
router(config-if)# no shutdown

b. Configure an IP address for the IDS-Sensor interface:

router(config-if)# ip address 10.1.9.1 255.255.255.0
router(config0if)#

Use 10.1.9.1 (default IP address for the default gateway on the AIM-IPS). You cannot session to AIM-IPS if its interface does not have an IP address.

c. Enter a route to send traffic to the IP address of AIM-IPS to the IDS-Sensor interface:

router(config)# ip route sensor_ip_address 255.255.255.255 ids-sensor slot/port
router(config)#

d. Exit configuration mode:

router(config)# exit
router#

Step 5 Configure the AIM-IPS IP address, mask, and gateway:


Note You can also configure these parameters by initializing AIM-IPS with the setup command.



Note The AIM-IPS IP address defaults to 10.1.9.201/24, 10.1.9.1.


a. Session to AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-Sensor 0/0 session 
Trying 10.1.9.201, 2322 ... Open


sensor login:

b. Log in to the CLI.

c. Enter global configuration mode:

sensor# configure terminal
sensor(config)#

d. Enter service host mode:

sensor(config)# service host
sensor(config-hos)# 

e. Assign the command and control interface and the gateway:

sensor(config-hos)# network-settings
sensor(config-hos-net)# host-ip ip_address/mask,gateway
sensor(config-hos-net)# 

f. Exit network settings mode:

sensor(config-hos-net)# exit
sensor(config-hos)# exit
Apply Changes:?[yes]: 

g. Press Enter to apply the changes or enter no to discard them.

h. Exit the session to AIM-IPS.

Step 6 Write the configuration to NVRAM:

router# write memory
Building configuration
[OK]


For More Information

For more information on using the setup command to initialize AIM-IPS, see Initializing AIM-IPS, page 3-19.

For more information on sessioning from the router to AIM-IPS, see Opening and Closing a Session.

For more information on exiting sessions, see Opening and Closing a Session.

Using a Default IP Address and NAT

To configure the interfaces using the default IP address and NAT, follow these steps:


Step 1 Log in to the router.

Step 2 Enter privileged EXEC mode on the router:

router> enable

Step 3 Confirm the module slot number in your router:

router# show run | include ids-sensor
interface IDS-Sensor0/0
router#

Step 4 Configure the IPS command and control interface on the router using the default sensor IP address and have the router perform NAT:

a. Make sure the IDS-Sensor interface is not shut down:

router# configure terminal
router(config)# interface ids-sensor slot/port
router(config-if)# no shutdown

b. Configure an IP address for the IDS-Sensor interface:

router(config-if)# ip address 10.1.9.1 255.255.255.0
router(config0if)#

Use 10.1.9.1 (default IP address for the default gateway on the AIM-IPS). You cannot session to AIM-IPS if its interface does not have an IP address.

c. Set up a NAT address for AIM-IPS:

router(config-if)# ip nat inside
router(config-if)# exit
router(config)# interface other_router_interface
router(config-if)# ip nat outside
router(config-if)# exit
router(config)# ip nat inside source static 10.1.9.201 AIM_external_ip_address
router(config-if)# exit


Note The AIM_external_ip_address and the other_router_interface IP addresses must be on the same subnet. The IP address of AIM-IPS must be on a separate subnet.


d. Exit configuration mode:

router(config-if)# exit
router(config)# exit
router#

Step 5 Configure the AIM-IPS IP address, mask, and gateway:


Note You can also configure these parameters by initializing AIM-IPS with the setup command



Note The AIM-IPS IP address defaults to 10.1.9.201/24, 10.1.9.1.


a. Session to AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-Sensor 0/0 session
Trying 10.89.148.165, 2322 ... Open


sensor login:

b. Log in to the CLI.

c. Enter global configuration mode:

sensor# configure terminal
sensor(config)#

d. Enter service host mode:

sensor(config)# service host
sensor(config-hos)# 

e. Assign the command and control interface and the gateway:

sensor(config-hos)# network-settings
sensor(config-hos-net)# host-ip ip_address/mask,gateway
sensor(config-hos-net)# 

f. Exit network settings mode:

sensor(config-hos-net)# exit
sensor(config-hos)# exit
Apply Changes:?[yes]: 

g. Press Enter to apply the changes or enter no to discard them.

h. Exit the session to AIM-IPS.

Step 6 Write the configuration to NVRAM:

router# write memory
Building configuration
[OK]


For More Information

For more information on how ARC and NAT operate on AIM-IPS, see ARC and NAT.

For more information on using the setup command to initialize AIM-IPS, see Initializing AIM-IPS, page 3-19.

For more information on sessioning from the router to AIM-IPS, see Opening and Closing a Session.

For more information on exiting sessions, see Opening and Closing a Session.

Using a User-Configured IP Address and NAT

To configure the interfaces using a user-configured IP address and NAT, follow these steps:


Step 1 Log in to the router.

Step 2 Enter privileged EXEC mode on the router:

router> enable

Step 3 Confirm the module slot number in your router:

router# show run | include ids-sensor
interface IDS-Sensor0/0
router#

Step 4 Configure the IPS command and control interface on the router using the default sensor IP address and have the router perform NAT:

a. Make sure the IDS-Sensor interface is not shut down:

router# configure terminal
router(config)# interface ids-sensor slot/port
router(config-if)# no shutdown

b. Configure an IP address for the IDS-Sensor interface:

router(config-if)# ip address user_configured_ip_address gateway
router(config0if)#

You cannot session to AIM-IPS if its interface does not have an IP address.

c. Set up a NAT address for AIM-IPS:

router(config-if)# ip nat inside
router(config-if)# exit
router(config)# interface router_command_and_control_interface
router(config-if)# ip nat outside
router(config-if)# exit
router(config)# ip nat inside source static AIM_ip_address AIM_external_ip_address
router(config-if)# exit

d. Exit configuration mode:

router(config-if)# exit
router(config)# exit
router#

Step 5 Configure the AIM-IPS IP address, mask, and gateway:


Note You can also configure these parameters by initializing AIM-IPS with the setup command.



Note The AIM-IPS IP address defaults to 10.1.9.201/24, 10.1.9.1.


a. Session to AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-Sensor 0/0 session
Trying 10.89.148.165, 2322 ... Open


sensor login:

b. Log in to the CLI.

c. Enter global configuration mode:

sensor# configure terminal
sensor(config)#

d. Enter service host mode:

sensor(config)# service host
sensor(config-hos)# 

e. Assign the command and control interface and the gateway:

sensor(config-hos)# network-settings
sensor(config-hos-net)# host-ip ip_address/mask,gateway
sensor(config-hos-net)# 

f. Exit network settings mode:

sensor(config-hos-net)# exit
sensor(config-hos)# exit
Apply Changes:?[yes]: 

g. Press Enter to apply the changes or enter no to discard them.

h. Exit the session to the router.

Step 6 Write the configuration to NVRAM:

router# write memory
Building configuration
[OK]


For More Information

For more information on how ARC and NAT operate on AIM-IPS, see ARC and NAT.

For more information on using the setup command to initialize AIM-IPS, see Initializing AIM-IPS, page 3-19.

For more information on sessioning from the router to AIM-IPS, see Opening and Closing a Session.

For more information on exiting sessions, see Opening and Closing a Session.

Configuring the Monitoring Router Interface


Note You must add the AIM-IPS internal interface to the virtual sensor (vs0) so that traffic can be monitored.


To configure the router interface to be monitored, follow these steps:


Step 1 Log in to the router.

Step 2 Enter privileged EXEC mode on the router:

router> enable

Step 3 Confirm the module slot number in your router:

router# show run | include ids-sensor
interface IDS-Sensor0/0
router#

Step 4 (Optional) Configure a monitoring access list on the router:

router(config)# access-list 101 permit tcp any eq www any

You can set up a standard access list and apply it to filter what type of traffic you want to inspect. A matched ACL causes traffic not to be inspected for that ACL. This example bypasses inspection of HTTP traffic only. Refer to your Cisco IOS Command Reference for more information on the options for the access-list command.

Step 5 Enable monitoring on the interface in either inline or promiscuous mode and associate the access list:

router(config)# interface monitored_interface
router(config-if)# ids-service-module monitoring [inline | promiscuous] access-list 101
router(config-if)# exit
router(config)#


Note Associating the access list with the interface further controls what traffic is sent to the module.


Step 6 Specify how the router handles traffic inspection during a module failure:

router(config)# interface ids-sensor slot/port
router(config-if)# service-module [fail-close | fail-open]
router(config-if)#

The default is fail-open.

Step 7 Exit configuration mode:

router(config-if)# exit
router(config)# exit
router#

Step 8 Write the configuration to NVRAM:

router# write memory
Building configuration
[OK]


For More Information

For more information on adding the AIM-IPS internal interface to the virtual sensor, see Steps 12 though 16 of Initializing AIM-IPS, page 3-19.

For more information on promiscuous mode, see Configuring Promiscuous Mode, page 5-16.

For more information on inline mode, see Configuring Inline Interface Mode, page 5-16.

Establishing Sessions

This section describes how to open and close sessions on AIM-IPS, and contains the following topics:

Overview

Opening and Closing a Session

Overview

Because AIM-IPS does not have an external console port, console access to AIM-IPS is enabled when you issue the service-module ids-sensor slot/port session command on the router. The lack of an external console port means that the initial bootup configuration is possible only through the router.

When you issue the service-module ids-sensor slot/port session command, you create a console session with AIM-IPS, in which you can issue any IPS configuration commands. After completing work in the session and exiting the IPS CLI, you are returned to the Cisco IOS CLI.

The session command starts a reverse Telnet connection using the IP address of the IDS-Sensor interface. The IDS-Sensor interface is an interface between AIM-IPS and the router. You must assign an IP address to the IDS-Sensor interface before invoking the session command. Assigning a routable IP address can make the IDS-Sensor interface itself vulnerable to attacks, because AIM-IPS is visible on the network through that routable IP address, meaning you can communicate with AIM-IPS outside the router. To counter this vulnerability, assign an unnumbered IP address to the IDS-Sensor interface. Then the AIM-IPS IP address is only used locally between the router and AIM-IPS, and is isolated for the purposes of sessioning in to AIM-IPS.


Note Before you install your application software or reimage the module, opening a session brings up the bootloader. After you install the software, opening a session brings up the application.



Caution If you session to the module and perform large console transfers, character traffic may be lost unless the host console interface speed is set to 115200/bps or higher. Use the show running config command to check that the speed is set to 115200/bps.

For More Information

For more information on configuring an unnumbered IP address interface, see Using an Unnumbered IP Address Interface.

Opening and Closing a Session


Note You must initialize AIM-IPS (run the setup command) from router. After networking is configured, SSH and Telnet are available.


Use the service-module ids-sensor slot/port session command to establish a session from AIM-IPS to the module. Press Ctrl-Shift-6, then x, to return a session prompt to a router prompt, that is, to go from the AIM-IPS prompt back to the router prompt. Press Enter on a blank line to go back to the session prompt, which is also the router prompt. You should only suspend a session to the router if you will be returning to the session after executing router commands. If you do not plan on returning to the AIM-IPS session, you should close the session rather than suspend it.

When you close a session, you are logged completely out of the AIM-IPS CLI and a new session connection requires a username and password to log in. A suspended session leaves you logged in to the CLI. When you connect with the session command, you can go back to the same CLI without having to provide your username and password.


Note Telnet clients vary. In some cases, you may have to press Ctrl-6 + x. The control character is specified as ^^, Ctrl-^, or ASCII value 30 (hex 1E).



Caution If you use the disconnect command to leave the session, the session remains running. The open session can be exploited by someone wanting to take advantage of a connection that is still in place.

To open and close sessions to AIM-IPS, follow these steps:


Step 1 Log in to the router.

Step 2 Check the status of AIM-IPS to make sure it is running:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/0 status
Service Module is Cisco IDS-Sensor0/0
Service Module supports session via TTY line 322
Service Module is in Steady state
Getting status from the Service Module, please wait..
Cisco Systems Intrusion Prevention System Network Module
  Software version:  6.0(0.527)E0.1
  Model:             AIM-IPS
  Memory:            443508 KB
  Mgmt IP addr:      10.89.148.196
  Mgmt web ports:    443
  Mgmt TLS enabled:  true


router#

Step 3 Open a session from the router to AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/0 session
Trying 10.89.148.196, 2322 ... Open

Step 4 Exit, or suspend and close the module session.

a. sensor# exit



Note If you are in submodes of the IPS CLI, you must exit all submodes. Type exit until the sensor login prompt appears.


Failing to close a session properly makes it possible for others to exploit a connection that is still in place. Remember to type exit at the router# prompt to close the Cisco IOS session completely.

b. To suspend and close the session to AIM-IPS, press Ctrl-Shift and press 6. Release all keys, and then press x.


Note When you are finished with a session, you need to return to the router to establish the association between a session (the IPS application) and the router interfaces you want to monitor.


Step 5 Disconnect from the router:

router# disconnect

Step 6 Press Enter to confirm the disconnection:

router# Closing connection to 10.89.148.196 [confirm] <Enter>


For More Information

For the procedure for using the setup command to initialize AIM-IPS, see Initializing AIM-IPS, page 3-19.

Displaying the Status of AIM-IPS

Use the service-module ids-sensor slot/port status command in privileged EXEC mode to display the status and statistics of AIM-IPS.

To display the status of AIM-IPS, follow these steps:


Step 1 Log in to the router.

Step 2 Enter privileged EXEC mode on the router:

router> enable

Step 3 Display the status of AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/0 status
Service Module is Cisco IDS-Sensor0/0
Service Module supports session via TTY line 322
Service Module is in Steady state
Service Module is in fail close
Cisco Systems Intrusion Prevention System Network Module
  Software version:  6.0(0.527)E0.1
  Model:             AIM-IPS
  Memory:            443508 KB
  Mgmt IP addr:      10.89.148.196
  Mgmt web ports:    443
  Mgmt TLS enabled:  true


router#


Rebooting, Resetting, and Shutting Down AIM-IPS

This section describes when and how AIM-IPS shuts down. It contains the following topics:

AIM-IPS Status Monitoring

Rebooting, Resetting, and Shutting Down AIM-IPS

AIM-IPS Status Monitoring

AIM-IPS uses RBCP to monitor its status. RBCP is monitored by the main application on AIM-IPS, not by SensorApp. If the main application on AIM-IPS fails, the RBCP heartbeat responses do not return from AIM-IPS. When the router determines that AIM-IPS has failed, a reload command is issued through RBCP to reboot the Linux kernel on AIM-IPS. In the period during the attempt to bring AIM-IPS back up, the router works in the mode determined by the failover operation configured.

In some cases, SensorApp may stop processing, but the main application on AIM-IPS continues to process RBCP packets. In this case, packets are processed according to the bypass settings set for AIM-IPS by the IPS CLI or IDM.

There are two situations in which AIM-IPS shuts down:

A hardware or software error forces it to fail. The router can detect this through the loss of the RBCP heartbeat.

Reload or shutdown command.

For More Information

For more information on SensorApp, see SensorApp, page A-22.

For more information on software bypass, see Configuring Inline Bypass Mode, page 5-34.

Rebooting, Resetting, and Shutting Down AIM-IPS


Caution When you reload the router, AIM-IPS also reloads. To ensure that there is no loss of data on AIM-IPS, make sure you shut down the module using the shutdown command before you use the reload command to reboot the router.

Use the service-module ids-sensor slot/port [reload | reset |shutdown] command in privileged EXEC mode to reboot, reset, and shut down AIM-IPS.

To reboot, reset, and shut down AIM-IPS, follow these steps:


Step 1 Log in to the router.

Step 2 Enter privileged EXEC mode on the router:

router> enable

Step 3 To gracefully halt and reboot the operating system on AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/0 reload
Do you want to proceed with the reload? [confirm]

Step 4 To reset the hardware on AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/0 reset
Use reset only to recover from shutdown or failed state
Warning: May lose data on the NVRAM, nonvolatile file system or unsaved configuration! 

Do you want to reset?[confirm]


Note AIM-IPS has a compact flash device that functions as a permanent storage device rather than a hard-disk drive.



Caution Data loss occurs only if you issue the reset command without first shutting down AIM-IPS. You can use the reset command safely in other situations.

Step 5 To shut down applications running on AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/0 shutdown
Trying 10.10.10.1, 2129 . . . Open
%SERVICEMODULE-5-SHUTDOWN2:Service module IDS-Sensor1/0 shutdown complete


Enabling and Disabling Heartbeat Reset

Use the service-module ids-sensor slot/port heartbeat reset [enable | disable] command in privileged EXEC mode to reset the heartbeat of AIM-IPS.

When AIM-IPS is booted in failsafe mode or is undergoing an upgrade, you can use the service-module ids heartbeat-reset command to prevent a reboot during the process. If you leave the heartbeat reset enabled during an upgrade, you may lose the AIM-IPS heartbeat.

When the AIM-IPS heartbeat is lost, the router applies a fail-open or fail-close configuration option to AIM-IPS and stops sending traffic to AIM-IPS, and sets AIM-IPS to error state. The router performs a hardware reset on AIM-IPS and monitors AIM-IPS until the heartbeat is reestablished.


Note Disabling the heartbeat reset prevents the router from resetting the module during system image installation if the process takes too long.


To reset the heartbeat of AIM-IPS, follow these steps:


Step 1 Log in to the router.

Step 2 Enter privileged EXEC mode on the router:

router> enable

Step 3 Verify the status of heartbeat reset:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/1 status
Service Module is Cisco IDS-Sensor 0/1
Service Module supports session via TTY line 194
Service Module heartbeat-reset is enabled

Step 4 To disable the heartbeat on AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/1 heartbeat-reset disable

Step 5 To reenable the heartbeat on AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/1 heartbeat-reset enable


New and Modified Commands

This section describes the following new and modified Cisco IOS commands, and specific commands that are used to configure AIM-IPS.


Note All other Cisco IOS software commands are documented in the Cisco IOS Release 12.4(15)XY command reference at Cisco.com, http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6441/index.html.


This section contains the following topics:

interface ids-sensor

interface interface

service-module ids-sensor

interface ids-sensor

To configure the IPS sensor interface and enter config-if mode, use the interface ids-sensor command in config mode.

To specify how the router handles traffic inspection during a module failure, use the service-module command in config-if mode.

interface ids-sensor slot/port

ip {address | unnumbered}

service-module {fail-close | fail-open}

Syntax Description

slot

Number of the router chassis slot for the module. For AIM-IPS, always use 0.

/port

Port number of the module. For AIM-IPS, specify the physical slot number where AIM-IPS is located on the router. For instance, AIM_slot.

Note The slash mark is required between the slot argument and the unit argument.

ids-sensor

The IPS interface for the sensor.

ip address

Sets the IP address of an interface.

ip unnumbered

Enables IP address processing without an explicit IP address.

service-module fail-close

The module drops all the traffic.

service-module fail-open

The module passes all the traffic through, but does not perform traffic inspection.



Caution Although there are 57 subcommands associated with the ip command, the only two supported for the modules are ip address and ip unnumbered. Enabling any of the other subcommands can result in unpredictable behavior.

Command Defaults

Command Modes

Config

Config-if

Command History

Release
Modification

12.4(15)XY

This command was introduced.


Usage Guidelines

The interface ids-sensor slot/port command lets you enter config-if mode and configure the IPS sensor slot and port. On AIM-IPS, the slot value is 0 and the port number value is specified by identifying the physical location where the module is installed on the router.

Examples

The following example uses the interface ids-sensor command to enter config-if mode on an AIM-IPS in slot 0, port1:

router(config)# interface ids-sensor 0/1
router(config-if)#

The following example uses the interface ids-sensor command with the ip unnumbered subcommand to specify the router command and control interface:

router(config)# interface ids-sensor 0/1
router(config-if)# ip unnumbered router_command_and_control_interface
router(config-if)# 

The following example uses the service-module fail-open command to configure the module to pass all traffic through the module when the hardware fails, but not to perform traffic inspection.

router(config)# interface ids-sensor 0/0
router(config-if)# service-module fail-open 
router(config-if)#

Related Commands

Command
Description

interface GigabitEthernet slot/port

Lets you specify how the module inspects traffic.


interface interface

To enter config-if mode, configure the interface for monitoring in promiscuous or inline mode, and apply a standard or extended ACL to inline monitoring, use the interface interface_name command in config mode.

interface interface_name

ids-service-module monitoring [promiscuous | inline] access-list number

Syntax Description

interface_name

The name of the router interface to be monitored.

ids-service-module

Configures IPS on the interface.

monitoring

Specifies how the module inspects traffic

promiscuous

Specifies whether the module inspects traffic in promiscuous mode.

inline

Specifies whether the module inspects traffic in inline mode

access-list

Specifies that you are applying a numbered or extended ACL to the inspected interface.

number

Number of the ACL,


Command Defaults

Command Modes

Config

Config-if

Command History

Release
Modification

12.4(15)XY

This command was introduced.


Usage Guidelines

The interface interface_name command lets you enter config-if mode and configure the router to operate in inline or promiscuous mode for that interface.

Examples

The following example uses the interface command to enter config-if mode and configure monitoring for GigabitEthernet0/0 using ACL 101.

router(config)# interface GigabitEthernet0/0
router(config-if)# ids-service-module monitoring inline access-list 101
router(config-if)# 

Related Commands

Command
Description

interface ids-sensor

Configures the IPS interface.


service-module ids-sensor


Caution When you upgrade AIM-IPS, you must disable heartbeat reset on the router before installing an upgrade. You can reenable heartbeat reset after you complete the upgrade. If you do not disable heartbeat reset, the upgrade can fail and leave AIM-IPS in an unknown state, which may require a system reimage to recover.


Caution When you reload the router, AIM-IPS also reloads. To ensure that there is no loss of data on AIM-IPS, make sure you shut down the module using the shutdown command before you use the reload command to reboot the router.

To reboot, reset, enable console access to, shut down, and monitor the status of a module, use the service-module ids-sensor command in privileged EXEC mode.

service-module ids-sensor slot/port {heartbeat-reset [enable | disable] reload | reset | session | shutdown | status}

Syntax Description

slot

Number of the router chassis slot for the module.

For AIM-IPS, always use 0.

/port

Port number of the module.

For AIM-IPS, specify the physical slot number where AIM-IPS is located on the router. For instance, AIM_slot.

Note The slash mark is required between the slot argument and the unit argument.

heartbeat-reset

Enables or disables the heartbeat reset.

Note Disabling the heartbeat reset prevents the router from resetting the module during system image installation if the process takes too long.

reload

Performs a graceful halt and reboot of the operating system on the module.

reset

Resets the hardware on the module. This command is usually used to recover from a shutdown.

session

Enables console access to the module from the router.

shutdown

Shuts down the IPS application running on the module.

statistics

Provides module statistics.

status

Provides information about the status of the IPS software.


Defaults

Command Modes

Privileged EXEC

Command History

Release
Modification

12.4(15)XY

This command was updated to support the IPS module platform.

12.3(4)T

This command was introduced.


Usage Guidelines

If a confirmation prompt is displayed, press Enter to confirm the action or n to cancel.

Examples

The following example gracefully halts and reboots the operating system on an AIM-IPS in slot 0, port 1:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/1 reload

Do you want to proceed with reload?[confirm]

The following example resets the hardware on an AIM-IPS in slot 0, port 1. A warning is displayed.

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/1 reset

Use reset only to recover from shutdown or failed state
Warning: May lose data on the NVRAM, nonvolatile file system or unsaved configuration! 

Do you want to reset?[confirm]

The following example enables console access to AIM-IPS operating system in slot 0, port 1:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/1 session

The following example shuts down IPS applications running on the AIM-IPS in slot 0, port 1:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/1 shutdown

Trying 10.10.10.1, 2129 ... Open
%SERVICEMODULE-5-SHUTDOWN2:Service module IDS-Sensor 0/1 shutdown complete

The following example shows IPS software statistics:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/1 statistics
Module Reset Statistics:
  CLI reset count = 1
  CLI reload count = 0
  Registration request timeout reset count = 1
  Error recovery timeout reset count = 1
  Module registration count = 7

The last IOS initiated event was a cli reset at 20:18:36.038 UTC Tue Jan 16 2007

The following example shows the status of the IPS software on an AIM-IPS:

router# service-module ids-sensor 0/1 status

Service Module is Cisco IDS-Sensor0/1 
Service Module supports session via TTY line 33 
Service Module is in Steady state 
Getting status from the Service Module, please wait... 
Service Module Version information received, Major ver = 1, Minor ver= 1 

Cisco Systems Intrusion Prevention System Network Module
  Software version:  6.0(0.508)S262.0
  Model:             AIM-IPS
  Memory:            890996 KB
  Mgmt IP addr:      10.1.9.201
  Mgmt web ports:    443
  Mgmt TLS enabled:  true

Related Commands

Command
Description

ids-service-module monitoring

Enables IPS monitoring on a specified interface.