Cisco Security Device Manager (SDM)

I was looking over the "CCNA Exam Objectives" which I obtained somewhere on the Cisco site (can't remember exactly where), and I had a question about some of the objectives.

A few of the objectives say "including: CLI/SDM" as a parenthesized side note. Do we really have to know SDM for the CCNA test? I understand it's supposed to be more intuitive than using the command line, but I don't feel like memorizing where configuration options are if I don't have to.

I don't see how SDM fits into the test format anyways. The simulation questions involve a simulated CLI. I don't believe that testing on SDM is beneficial, so hopefully that's not the case.

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Comments

jbrad95706

By including the SDM they can expect a CCNA to be able to configure some of the more advanced features of the router, and still keep the level of difficulty reasonable for an entry level certification.

wbosher

The SDM is only on the ICND1 exam, and from my experience a very small part at that (not sure if I'm allowed to say that or not). I had no experience whatsoever with SDM when I took the exam and just relied on what I had read in the Cisco Press book and seen on CBT Nuggets. I believe that anyone with basic computer skills can bluff their way through this part.

Can't remember exactly, but I think the book only dedicates a few pages to SDM with screenshots, so it is pretty easy to memorize even if you've never actually seen or used SDM.

beh

wbosher wrote: »

The SDM is only on the ICND1 exam, and from my experience a very small part at that (not sure if I'm allowed to say that or not). I had no experience whatsoever with SDM when I took the exam and just relied on what I had read in the Cisco Press book and seen on CBT Nuggets. I believe that anyone with basic computer skills can bluff their way through this part.

Can't remember exactly, but I think the book only dedicates a few pages to SDM with screenshots, so it is pretty easy to memorize even if you've never actually seen or used SDM.

Yeah, I was thinking I would be able to "wing it" regarding any SDM questions if I understand the concepts and am able to do the configuration under a CLI. Beyond that it seems as if it's just knowing where the configuration parameter is within the menus, etc.

beh

jbrad95706 wrote: »

By including the SDM they can expect a CCNA to be able to configure some of the more advanced features of the router, and still keep the level of difficulty reasonable for an entry level certification.

Are there some features only accessible through SDM, or are you saying some features are just much easier to configure through it?

Can you give some examples of the "more advanced features" that you refer to? Thanks.

wbosher

You can't do any more with the SDM than you can with the CLI. It is just simply a GUI that lets you do things in a graphical interface and click "next" instead of typing out several commands.

Very simple and if you're smart enough to be learning CCNA, you won't have any problem "winging it".

jbrad95706

beh wrote: »

Are there some features only accessible through SDM, or are you saying some features are just much easier to configure through it?

Can you give some examples of the "more advanced features" that you refer to? Thanks.

The SDM is just an easy to use front end to the CLI - anything you can do with the SDM you can do in the CLI.

By advanced features I mean advanced for an entry level certification, configuring NAT, DHCP, etc... I'm not saying you will encounter these on the exam; however, they could reasonably expect you to be able to.

At least this is the explanation I was given.

Xenz

beh wrote: »

I was looking over the "CCNA Exam Objectives" which I obtained somewhere on the Cisco site (can't remember exactly where), and I had a question about some of the objectives.

A few of the objectives say "including: CLI/SDM" as a parenthesized side note. Do we really have to know SDM for the CCNA test? I understand it's supposed to be more intuitive than using the command line, but I don't feel like memorizing where configuration options are if I don't have to.

I don't see how SDM fits into the test format anyways. The simulation questions involve a simulated CLI. I don't believe that testing on SDM is beneficial, so hopefully that's not the case.

If you can configure a linksys router through it's GUI you can do SDM config too. SDM simply is a GUI frontend for the IOS commands. I think you're pretty safe just browsing through the SDM. Just look around so you get an idea of what you can learn or configure.

No one can comment on whether SDM was on their test.

tiersten

It isn't a case of whether you'll be capable of configuring it via SDM or not since if you can do the CLI, you should be able to do SDM. What you don't want is for you to waste several minutes poking around in the various menus and options to find what you need.

wbosher

tiersten wrote: »

It isn't a case of whether you'll be capable of configuring it via SDM or not since if you can do the CLI, you should be able to do SDM. What you don't want is for you to waste several minutes poking around in the various menus and options to find what you need.

Fair call...but if you spend 10 minutes memorizing the screenshots in the Cisco Press book, you won't have a problem. There is no need to have any hands on experience with SDM to know enough to pass ICND1.

From what I understand there is no further use for SDM knowledge in more advanced Cisco exams, is that correct?

Xenz

My point was that the SDM isn't that big that you could get lost in it. It's been a while since I used it, but the first page you come upon is a status page. Clicking configure at the top brings up a menu on the left labeled clearly i.e NAT, VPN, Interfaces, Routing etc.. I'd be more aware of how to install SDM, what service needs to be running on the router, things of that nature than I would of finding my way through SDM.

mella060

It would be handy to know how to use the SDM but you most likely will never get any exam questions on it. Not for the CCNA anyway. You may need to know it for some of the stuff in CCNP exams like configuring VPNs.

I read somewhere that you see less and less of the SDM as you move up in your cisco career.

mikej412

beh wrote: »

I don't see how SDM fits into the test format anyways. The simulation questions involve a simulated CLI.

Um.... a router simulation testing on CLI configurations task may involve a simulated CLI, but a sim that involved "web access" tasks and configurations would probably have a simulated web browser and web pages. And it would probably include all the various screens so that you could waste lots of time hunting and pecking through all the menus, screens, and options -- and it would be annoyingly slow so that you'd have time to kick yourself between screen refreshes for not checking out the interface configuration options before the exam.