CHAPT ER
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Cisco Intrusion Prevention System Sensor CLI Configuration Guide for IPS 7.2
OL-29168-01
11
Configuring External Product Interfaces
This chapter explains how to configure external product interfaces. It contains the following sections:
External Product Interface Notes and Caveats, page 11-1
Understanding External Product Interfaces, page 11-1
Understanding the CSA MC, page 11-2
External Product Interface Issues, page 11-3
Configuring the CSA MC to Support the IPS Interface, page 11-4
Adding External Product Interfaces and Posture ACLs, page 11-4
Troubleshooting External Product Interfaces, page 11-8

External Product Interface Notes and Caveats

The following notes and caveats apply to external product interfaces:
In Cisco IPS, you can only add interfaces to the CSA MC.
You can only enable two CSA MC interfaces.
You must add the CSAMC as a tru sted host so the sensor can communicate with it.

Understanding External Product Interfaces

Note
In Cisco IPS, you can only add interfaces to the CSA MC.
The external product interface is designed to receive and process inform ation from external security and
management products. These external security and management products collect in formation that can be
used to automatically enhance the sensor configuration information. For example, the types of
information that can be received from external products include host profiles (the ho st OS configuration,
application configuration, and security posture) and IP addresses that have been identified as causing
malicious network activity.