Cisco ISE Interview Questions and Answers
Introduction to Cisco ISE
Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) is a next-generation platform for identity, access control, and policy enforcement. It integrates network access control with security features like endpoint profiling, posture assessment, and guest access. ISE helps enterprises manage and enforce security policies across wired, wireless, and VPN connections.
1. What is Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine)?
Answer:
Cisco ISE is a network security solution that enables the creation and enforcement of security policies for devices accessing the network. It supports wired, wireless, and VPN users and provides capabilities like endpoint authentication, posture assessment, guest access management, and profiling. ISE simplifies identity management across a variety of devices and applications.
2. What are the different types of personas in Cisco ISE?
Answer:
Cisco ISE supports the following personas:
Policy Administration Node (PAN): Handles system-wide configuration and policy management.
Monitoring Node (MnT): Responsible for logging and report generation.
Policy Services Node (PSN): Acts as the RADIUS server and handles network requests, providing services like network access, posture, and guest provisioning.
These personas can be deployed on a single device or distributed across multiple devices for scalability and redundancy.
3. Explain the different personas in detail.
Answer:
Policy Administration Node (PAN):
Used for system configuration and policy management.
Changes made here are pushed to all other nodes.
Can be deployed as standalone, primary, or secondary.
Monitoring Node (MnT):
Centralized logging and reporting.
Stores all events within the ISE system.
Generates reports for device and user activity.
Policy Services Node (PSN):
Processes network requests via RADIUS.
Provides network access, posture assessment, guest access, and client provisioning.
Supports distributed setups to handle high loads.
4. How can Cisco ISE be deployed?
Answer:
Cisco ISE can be deployed on:
Physical Appliances:
Supported models: SNS 3400 (EOL), SNS 3500, SNS 3600.
Virtual Machines:
Compatible with VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V environments.
5. What is the main objective of Cisco ISE?
Answer:
The primary goal of Cisco ISE is to authenticate and authorize users/devices trying to access the network. Based on the compliance and posture of the endpoint, it determines the level of access allowed, ensuring secure network operations.
6. What is the difference between Cisco ISE and ACS?
Answer:
Cisco ACS (Access Control Server):
Focused on authenticating users for network devices and VPNs.
Does not support Network Access Control (NAC) features.
Cisco ISE:
A comprehensive NAC solution with advanced capabilities like endpoint profiling, posture assessment, and guest access.
Next-generation solution replacing ACS.
7. What are the different types of Cisco ISE deployments?
Answer:
Cisco ISE supports three deployment types:
Standalone Deployment:
All personas (PAN, MnT, PSN) run on a single node.
Suitable for small setups or labs.
Hybrid Deployment:
PAN and MnT are combined on a single node, while PSNs are deployed separately.
Offers moderate scalability and redundancy.
Distributed Deployment:
Personas are distributed across multiple nodes.
Highly scalable and supports large enterprise environments.
8. What is a Standalone Deployment in Cisco ISE?
Answer:
Standalone Deployment involves a single ISE node that runs all three personas: PAN, MnT, and PSN. This setup is ideal for small environments but lacks redundancy and scalability.
9. What is a Hybrid Deployment in Cisco ISE?
Answer:
Hybrid Deployment involves having PAN and MnT on a single node, with dedicated PSNs handling RADIUS requests. This setup provides moderate scalability and separates the workload between nodes.
10. What is the difference between Standalone and Distributed Deployment?
Answer:
Standalone Deployment:
All personas run on one node.
Suitable for small-scale environments.
No redundancy.
Distributed Deployment:
Personas are spread across multiple nodes.
Supports large environments.
Offers scalability and redundancy.
11. What are the key features of Cisco ISE?
Answer:
Centralized policy management.
Endpoint profiling and posture assessment.
Guest access management.
Network visibility and device tracking.
Integration with third-party solutions for enhanced security.
12. How does Cisco ISE enforce network access policies?
Answer:
Cisco ISE uses RADIUS and TACACS+ protocols to authenticate and authorize users/devices. Based on policies configured in the PAN, it evaluates factors like user identity, device posture, and compliance before granting access.
13. Can Cisco ISE integrate with Active Directory?
Answer:
Yes, Cisco ISE integrates seamlessly with Active Directory (AD) to authenticate users and devices. It uses AD for user identity, group membership, and policy enforcement.
14. What are the supported methods for endpoint profiling in Cisco ISE?
Answer:
Cisco ISE uses multiple methods to profile endpoints:
DHCP Snooping.
RADIUS Accounting.
Network Device Sensors.
SNMP Traps.
Device Fingerprinting.
15. What is Guest Access in Cisco ISE?
Answer:
Guest Access enables secure, temporary access for guests using customizable portals. ISE ensures that guest access remains isolated from critical network resources.