Introducing the ASDM Startup Wizard

The ASDM Startup Wizard is an easy-to-use tool that steps you through the procedures necessary to get your firewall functional. It provides the configurations necessary for both Internet connectivity and protection for your network resources. The wizard queries you for all items pertinent to the configuration of your firewall, including the following:

• Inside IP addresses

• Outside IP addresses

• Default gateway

• Domain name

• Public services

• Network address translations

• Firewall name

• Access passwords

• Interface options

• Inside addressing options (DHCP)

Before you begin, take a look at Table 5-1, which defines the network terms used in the preceding list.

Table 5-1. Networking Terminology

Terminology	Definition
Inside IP address	The IP address of the inside interface of your firewall, which connects to your internal network.
Outside IP address	The IP address of the outside interface of your firewall, which connects to your service provider for Internet connectivity. This address is provided by your service provider.
Default gateway	The next-hop IP address of your firewall outside interface. This is provided by your service provider.
Domain name	This is optional. If you are providing public services, you need to identify a domain name for those services. Either your ISP or a web registration service provides your domain name.
Public services	These are services that you are providing to other people over the Internet. Common public services are web servers, mail servers, or DNS servers. You can elect not to manage your own services and have your ISP manage the services for you.
Network address translation	This feature enables you to use private addresses inside your network and still obtain Internet access.
Access passwords	This password allows you privileged access to your firewall.
Inside addressing options (DHCP, static)	These are IP addresses that you assign to devices on the inside of your firewall. You have two options for configuring your inside hosts with IP addresses: You can manually set up each address on each PC, or you can use DHCP on the ASA/PIX Security Appliance to assign addresses for you.