| 15.2 |  | The Cisco PIX Device Manager |
| 15.2.1 |  | PDM overview |

| PDM is a browser-based configuration tool designed to help administrators set up, configure, and monitor a Cisco PIX Security Appliance using a graphical user interface (GUI). PDM does not require extensive knowledge of the PIX Security Appliance command-line interface (CLI).

The PDM can monitor and configure one PIX Security Appliance at a time. It is possible to point the browser to more than one PIX Security Appliance and administer several PIX Security Appliances from a single workstation. A PDM can be used to create a new configuration file for the PIX Security Appliance. It can also be used to modify an existing configuration created from the PIX Security Appliance console or with Cisco Secure Policy Manager (CSPM).

PDM works with most PIX Security Appliance models and runs on a variety of platforms. PDM enables an administrator to securely configure and monitor a PIX Security Appliance remotely. Its ability to work with the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol ensures that communication with the PIX is secure. Because PDM is implemented in Java, it is able to provide robust, real-time monitoring. PDM works with PIX Security Appliance software versions 6.0 and higher and can operate on PIX Security Appliance models 501, 506E, 515E, 520, 525, and 535. PDM comes preloaded into Flash memory on new PIX Security Appliances running software versions 6.0 and higher. If a PIX Security Appliance is being upgraded from a previous version of the PIX Security Appliance, it is possible to download PDM from the Cisco Web site and then copy it to the PIX Security Appliance using TFTP.

PDM runs on Windows, Sun Solaris, and Linux platforms and requires no plug-ins or complex software installations. The PDM applet uploads to a workstation when the PIX Security Appliance is accessed from a browser.