The command-line interface is the default standard for configuration, the preferred method for network operators and developers. It's ASCII, it's readable and it's scriptable. In a sideways move toward standardization, some vendors have touted how similar their CLIs are to Cisco's--practical, but hardly an improvement. After 10 minutes with an Extreme or Juniper CLI, it's clear that these two vendors are on the logic train, while those emulating Cisco's CLI are hoping for a free ride.
However, CLI syntax, even logical syntax, is more easily mastered when there are only limited variations. When I don't quite remember the right syntax to configure a device, asking colleagues will give me a response variance of 1.5 times the number of colleagues. The Cisco CLI train doesn't seem like such a bad ride from that perspective, does it?
There have been halfhearted attempts by Juniper and the IETF to standardize CLI and XML interfaces for configuration, but so far none has succeeded.
Hope for SNMP
The ubiquity and consistency of SNMP are the primary ingredients for improving performance and fault management. But weak security, and last year's SNMP exploits, have further raised the FUD factor.
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