Safire Knowledge Base

CPU usage is a term used to describe how much the processor is working. A firewall’s data plane (DP) CPU usage can vary depending on the types of tasks and firewall functions that are being performed. Firewall DP CPU usage can be monitored to see how much of the processor’s capacity is in use. Excessive DP CPU usage can be a cause for concern.

Safire uses the firewall SSH access credentials provided by users to query the DP CPU usage of the firewall under test while the test is running. Typically, when SSL decryption is enabled on the firewall, the CPU usage can surge due to the computing-intensive nature of SSL decryption.