CiscoView Device Manager 1.1 does not work on a Catalyst 6500 with Supervisor 32 or Supervisor 720 that runs Cisco IOS Software Release 12.2(18)SXF

[TCC_2]

Core issue

CiscoView Device Manager (CVDM) for the Cisco Catalyst 6500 series switch resides in the switch and manages several Layer 2 and Layer 3 features for a single chassis.

A task-based tool, CVDM eases the initial setup and deployment of end-to-end services across modules with the offer of configuration templates based on recommended practices. It further enhances the user-friendliness of the Cisco Catalyst 6500 series through graphical representation of the VLAN, and provides a single launch point for multiple module managers.

CVDM is a free application with a small footprint that easily can be downloaded and installed on the Supervisor Engine Flash memory.

In a scenario, after the successful installation of the CiscoView Device manager for the Catalyst 6500, the system displays a dialog box with the java.lang.NullPointerException error message with an OK button after CiscoView Device Manager (CVDM-C6500) is clicked. When OK is clicked, the application disappears.

For Supervisor 720, the issue is due to the software bug, which is documented in Cisco bug ID CSCsc10956.

Resolution

The CVDM is not supported on the Supervisor 32 engine.

With Supervisor 720, the workaround is to downgrade the Cisco IOS  Software Release to 12.2(18)SXD3 which can be downloaded from Cisco Downloads.

Refer to CiscoView Device Manager Version 1.1 for more information.

Note: CVDM-C6500 requires 2.7 MB of free Flash memory on the Supervisor Engine.

[gglynn]

You know, I'm really annoyed about this. CVDM and Embedded CiscoView on the 6500 were useful, and now that Cisco has dropped support for them, the only option for GUI management on a 6500 is full-blown CiscoView, which is only available as a component of full-blown CiscoWorks LMS, which comes in a minimum license quantity of 100 managed devices for $10,000. This is obviously overkill for an organization with just one or two 6500 units.  To add insult to injury, rather than fix the referenced bug CSCsc10956 for the Sup720, at least, Cisco decided just to hide the bug from Bug Toolkit instead.

Cisco should either add full support for the 6500 to Cisco Network Assistant (like the 4500 series), or bring back CVDM and embedded CiscoView, IMHO (and make them work with the Sup32 while they're at it).