5-14
Cisco ASA 5500 Series Configuration Guide using the CLI
Chapter5 Configuring Multiple Context Mode
Default Settings
Model Guidelines
Does not support the ASA 5505.
Unsupported Features
Multiple context mode does not support the following features:
Dynamic routing protocols
Security contexts support only static routes. You cannot enable OSPF, RIP, or EIGRP in multiple
context mode.
VPN
Multicast routing
Threat Detection
Phone Proxy
QoS
Unified Communications
Additional Guidelines
The context mode (single or multiple) is not stored in the configuration file, even though it does endure
reboots. If you need to copy your configuration to another device, set the mode on the new device to
match.
Default Settings
By default, the ASA is in single context mode.
Configuring Multiple Contexts
This section describes how to configure multiple context mode, and includes the following topics:
Task Flow for Configuring Multiple Context Mode, page5-14
Enabling or Disabling Multiple Context Mode, page5-15
Configuring a Class for Resource Management, page5-16
Configuring a Security Context, page5-18
Automatically Assigning MAC Addresses to Context Interfaces, page5-22

Task Flow for Configuring Multiple Context Mode

To configure multiple context mode, perform the following steps:
Step1 Enable multiple context mode. See the “Enabling or Disabling Multiple Context Mode” section on
page 5-15.
Step2 (Optional) Configure classes for resource management. See the “Configuring a Class for Resource
Management” section on page 5-16.