Setup Cisco Security Device Manager (SDM)

Here are the things to configure for accessing a router through Security Device Manager (SDM)

3 things are mandatory to access a router from the SDM interface:

1: Create user accounts

2: enable HTTP / HTTP server

3: Configure the HTTP server to use the LOCAL database

Here are the commands to carry out the task mentioned above:

1: In GLOBAL CONFIGURATION MODE enter the command:

username privilege 15 secret

This command will create an user with the username you provide with the privilege level of 15 which is the highest level to manage a Cisco router and the encrypter password. For example:

username meadmin privilege 15 password Cisc0123

2: Enable the HTTP / HTTPS server

ip http server OR ip http secure-server

This command will enable the HTTP server on the Cisco router. This is required as the SDM manages the Cisco router on HTTP/HTTPS protocol. The first command will enable an HTTP server and the second, as it suggest, will enable the secure HTTP server. It is advisable to configure the HTTPS server

3: Configure the HTTP server to use LOCAL database

ip http authentication local

This command ensures that the users need to enter the username and password whenever they try to login to the router on the HTTP port . This also helps in keeping track of what changes were done by a particular user on the router.