Packet Tracer on ASA

The Packet Tracer application is an invaluable resource to simulate the life of a packet as it crosses each software module of the Adaptive Security Algorithm on an ASA appliance. Among other usages, it does help to determine whether the running configuration is producing the expected outcome and to identify the cause of eventual packet drops.

As documented earlier on Figure 4-12, the Packet Tracer tool is accessible from the ASDM Tools menu. Although Figure 4-15 shows how to start a simulation using the Packet Tracer mechanism, Figures 4-16 and 4-17 respectively show the results of such an activity for an allowed and a dropped packet. Details about the sequence of operations follow: