Components in CISCO ISE and deployment modes.

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Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine) consists of several components that work together to provide network access control and security. The main components of Cisco ISE are:

Policy Service Node (PSN): The PSN is responsible for authenticating and authorizing network devices and endpoints based on defined policies. It receives authentication requests, performs user and device profiling, applies policies, and enforces access control. It also logs events and provides detailed reporting.

Administration Node (PAN): The PAN serves as the central management and configuration node for Cisco ISE. It provides a web-based interface called the Cisco ISE GUI for administrators to configure policies, manage users and endpoints, and monitor system health. The PAN also handles certificate management, system backup, and disaster recovery.

Monitoring and Troubleshooting Nodes (MnT): The MnT nodes collect and store logs, events, and statistics generated by PSNs. They provide monitoring capabilities, real-time visibility into network activity, and historical data for analysis and troubleshooting purposes. The MnT nodes also support high availability and data replication for redundancy.

Policy Administration Point (PAP): The PAP is responsible for policy creation, management, and enforcement. It defines the rules and conditions that determine access control and authentication policies. The PAP communicates policy information to the PSNs for enforcement.

Identity Store: Cisco ISE supports integration with various identity stores, such as Active Directory, LDAP servers, and external RADIUS servers. These identity stores contain user and device information used for authentication and authorization.

Network Access Devices (NADs): NADs refer to the network devices that interact with Cisco ISE for user authentication and authorization. This includes switches, routers, wireless controllers, VPN gateways, and other devices that enforce network access policies.

Profiler: The Profiler component in Cisco ISE performs device profiling to gather information about connected endpoints. It identifies the type of device, its operating system, and other attributes to enhance network visibility and apply appropriate access policies.

Guest Services: Cisco ISE includes a built-in guest services portal that enables guest access management. It allows guests to self-register, obtain temporary network access, and facilitates sponsor-based approvals for guest access requests.

These components work together to provide centralized policy enforcement, network visibility, and access control in a Cisco ISE deployment.

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Cisco ISE offers three different deployment modes:

Standalone Deployment: In this mode, Cisco ISE operates as a standalone appliance or virtual machine. It performs all the necessary functions, such as policy enforcement, authentication, and authorization, within a single deployment. This mode is suitable for smaller networks or environments where a centralized deployment is not required.

Distributed Deployment: Distributed deployment involves the use of multiple Cisco ISE nodes working together to provide scalability, redundancy, and load balancing. The deployment includes a Primary Administration node (PAN) and one or more Policy Service Nodes (PSNs) distributed across different locations. The PAN manages the configuration and policy administration, while the PSNs handle authentication and authorization requests. This mode is suitable for larger networks that require high availability and load distribution.

Inline Deployment: The inline deployment mode allows Cisco ISE to be inserted into the data path between network devices, such as switches or routers, and the endpoints. It can be deployed in either an inline posture or a passive identity management mode. In the inline posture mode, Cisco ISE enforces security policies by actively intercepting and controlling traffic. In the passive identity management mode, Cisco ISE operates in monitoring-only mode, providing visibility into network traffic without actively blocking or redirecting it. Inline deployment is often used for network access control and threat prevention.

Each deployment mode has its own advantages and considerations, and the choice depends on the specific requirements of the network infrastructure, such as size, scalability, redundancy, and security needs.




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