Currnet IDS Management Platform Possibilities
IDM and IEV
IDM is a web based configuration tool. The web server resides on the sensor itself, and configures just that one sensor.
IEV is an alarm viewer that can be installed on a Windows 2000 box. It is limited to viewing alarms from a maximum of 3 sensors.
Since IDM only configures the 1 sensor, and IEV can only view alarms from 3 sensors, they are geared toward the small sensor deployments. Sensor deployments with more than 3 sensors should be using the other management products listed below which are geared to enteprise customers.
IDM and IEV are included in the 3.1 software update for the sensor appliance at no extra cost.
IDM is not supported for the IDS Module.
Unix Intrusion Detection Director
HP OpenView based viewer and GUI based configuration tool. Can be installed on Solaris, and HP-UX systems. Enteprise management for multiple sensor deployments, purchased as a separate product.
CSPM
Windows GUI based viewer and configuration tool. Latest CSPM version supporting IDS is 2.3.3i. Enteprise management for multiple sensor deployments. Originally sold as a separate product. Last I checked you could still purchase a limited license for a limited number of sensors, or you could purchase the product as part of the VMS bundle.
NOTE: VMS also ships with CSPM 3.0 which is supported on Win 2K, but does not support IDS configuration. This may have been one misunderstanding.
So keep using your current CSPM installation on windows NT.
BUT don't necessarily send back your VMS bundle just yet.
Talk to your rep first, you may want to go ahead and keep it.
The current bundle doesn't have anything new for Network IDS that you don't already have, but what it is coming out soon as part of the VMS bundle may be what you are looking for.
With your current purchase of the VMS bundle, if you did purchase the support contract for VMS, then talk to your representative about what new things are going to be added to the VMS bundle over the next few months that you would receive through your support contract without additional cost. If you didn't purchase support then send it back, or add the support contract to your purchase.
Your rep may have been mistaken and thought that the new stuff was already shipping when he had you go ahead and purchase VMS. He may have jumped the gun by a month or two in getting you to upgrade to VMS.
Unfortunately I can't discuss new revisions coming down the road on the Net Pro Forum so you will need to contact your Cisco Rep for details about the new stuff.
