Adding Cisco switches without CLI credentials

[Gurminder]

I appreciate this will be a very unpopular method of using Cisco Catalyst but it may be our only option at this stage of our deployment.

We have a managed switch estate and while they have provided us with read only SNMP details that we can use to pull information from the switch for other monitoring systems, is it possible to also add switches to Cisco Catalyst only using SNMP credentials and skipping CLI as we are not being granted those (even read only CLI).

I know that with CLI unconfigured, there will be very little we can do but we are mostly going to use Cisco Catalyst for monitoring at this stage.

Thoughts please. Many thanks.

G.

[Leo Laohoo]

DNAC needs credentials to manage the switch so there goes the idea. 

Anyway, why bother deploying managed switch?  

[Gurminder]

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I can't comment on that. Those are contracts in place from before my time here. And yes it seems there are a lot of frustrations relating to that. That aside, if we don't want to use Cisco Catalyst to make changes, rather just view, am I right in saying we still won't be able to do that without CLI credentials?

[Leo Laohoo · Accepted solution]

Depends on the config of the switch. 

I mean, if the switch is going to only have one VLAN only, then any unmanaged switch is perfect for the job.