To CDP or not CDP???

[gsplsingr]

I have taken over the Management of a Cisco 6509 and noticed that CDP is disabled. Was this just an oversight by the previous Administrator or is there a reason not to enable CDP?

 

[baddos]

Don't run CDP on external links.... However CDP is good for internal functions.

 

[jdel]

CDP may have been turned off on the router if they did not have another cisco device as the next hop. In that case there is no reason to have CDP enabled, as it is a proprietary cisco function.

 

[gsplsingr]

We are a Cisco shop, and we have 6 Cisco switches and 1 access device hooked up to our 6509. I was trying to match the physical location of the devices (as they were stacked in cases and the serial numbers where inacessible) with their device name, serial number and ip address. Had CDP been enable I would have been able to find out the name and IP address of each connected device which would help me determine which switch was which. (Try saying that three times fast.)

 

[baddos]

CDP is also used with the Cisco VoIP phones... But if you don't use them, then they aren't necessary.

 

[vipergg]

CDP is a cisco proprietary protocol but I know all new Hewlett Packard switches also use cdp so if you have a mixed shop that uses both makers . Personally I find it an extremely important tool when you are troubleshooting a network problem . Like was said before I probably would noty turn it on facing the internet or an external ISP . Internally it is invalueable .

 

[jdel]

gsplsingr, if you are a full cisco shop then as before i agree there is no reason to not have CDP enabled, other than for an external-facing interface. might have been an oversight, or they didnt understand CDP.