| 15.2 |  | The Cisco PIX Device Manager |
| 15.2.2 |  | PDM operating requirements |

| The following are several requirements that a PIX Security Appliance must meet in order to successfully run PDM:

- The PIX Security Appliance must have an activation key that enables Data Encryption Standard (DES) or the more secure Triple-Data Encryption Standard (3DES). PDM requires at least one encryption standard to support the SSL protocol. If the PIX Security Appliance is not enabled for encryption, a network administrator can activate the license by completing the form at the link listed below. DES is free, however 3DES must be purchased.
- Version 6.0 or greater must be installed on the PIX Security Appliance before using PDM. The PIX Security Appliance must meet all version 6.0 requirements listed in the release notes for the PIX Security Appliance version 6.0.
- The PIX Security Appliance must have at least 8 MB of Flash memory.
- The PIX Security Appliance should not have a configuration that is greater than 100 KB, or approximately 1,500 lines. Configurations over 100 KB cause PDM performance degradation.

The following are a few general guidelines for workstations running PDM:

- It is possible to run several PDM sessions on a single workstation. The maximum number of PDM sessions that can run simultaneously varies depending on the amount of workstation resources such as memory, CPU speed, and browser type.
- The time required to download the PDM applet can be greatly affected by the speed of the link between a workstation and the PIX. A minimum of 56 Kbps link speed is required, but 1.5 Mbps or higher is recommended. After the PDM applet is loaded onto a workstation, the effect of link speed on PDM operation is negligible.
- The use of virus checking software may dramatically increase the time required to start PDM. This is especially true for Netscape Communicator on any Windows platform or any browser running on Windows 2000.

If the workstation resources are running low, it may be necessary to close and re-open the browser before launching PDM.