CHAPTER 3 The Configurations page is your starting point for managing device configurations for network elements managed by Cisco Prime Network by using the CM tools. The following table lists the main CM GUI navigation points and what you can do from them. You can select each of these functions from the Configurations drop-down menu. All configuration management operations are performed only on devices with Communication State as Reachable and Investigation State as Operational, Partially Discovered, or Currently Unsynchronized. For a Cisco IOS device with SNMPv3 configuration, configuration management operations can be performed only if the device is configured with write permission for CISCO-CONFIG-COPY-MIB MIB group. Configuration Function Description Described in: Archive Synchronize Backup Lists all configurations stored in the CM archive. You can search for configurations using a variety of supported filters. From here, you can also add and manage labels, compare configurations, and export configurations as text files to a server. (Cisco IOS only) Lists devices that are out-of-sync, which means their running and startup configurations are not the same. From here, you can synchronize the configurations, which overwrites the startup configuration on the device with the configuration that is currently running on the device. This preserves the configuration across device reloads. Copies a current running configuration from a device to the archive, assigning the configuration a unique version number. See this topic for information on what triggers Prime Network to back up configuration files to the archive. Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive, page 3-3 Synchronizing Out-of-Sync Configurations (Cisco IOS and Cisco Nexus Only), page 3-14 Backing Up Device Configuration Files to the Archive, page 3-16 3-1
Chapter 3 Configuration Function Description Described in: Restore Change Logs Allows you to perform one of the following: Overwrite the existing running or startup configuration on the device with the file you selected from the archive. Merge the existing running or startup configuration on the device with the configuration present in the version you selected from the archive. You can also edit a configuration file before restoring it. Lists the device configuration changes made on devices in the network. Restoring a Configuration from the Archive to Devices, page 3-20 Viewing Configuration Change Logs, page 3-24 Jobs Displays a list of jobs of the user. Managing Change and Configuration Management Jobs, page 6-1 Settings Controls a variety of administration settings for CM, such as when to collect configurations and store them in the archive, when to purge configurations from the archive, the location to which configuration files can be exported, commands CM should ignore when comparing configurations, and so forth. Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1 The following topics explain how you can use Change and Configuration Management in your network. These topics do not provide details about how to manage Cisco IOS and Cisco IOS XR software. For that information, see: Cisco IOS Configuration Fundamentals Configuration Guide for any Cisco IOS release. Cisco IOS XR System Management Configuration Guide for the Cisco IOS XR device of interest. Before using CM, make sure you have performed all prerequisites listed in Configuration Management Setup Tasks, page 1-7. For information on the user access roles required to perform these activities, see User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14. CM saves messages that can be used for debugging in PRIME_NETWORK_HOME/XMP_Platform/logs/ConfigArchive.log. 3-2
Chapter 3 Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive The CM archive maintains copies of device configuration files, storing them in the Prime Network database. Configuration files are stored in readable format, as received from the device. Choose Configurations > Archives to view the contents of the archive. The Archived Configurations page lists the most recent device configuration files that are stored in the Prime Network database, based on the filter criteria specified. The total number of archives available in the Prime Network database is also displayed in the header. Figure 3-1 provides an example of the Archived Configurations page with filtered results. Devices will not be listed if they are not included in any of the assigned device scopes of the user. See User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information. Figure 3-1 Archived Configurations Page The Archived Configurations page displays the following information about each configuration file. 3-3
Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive Chapter 3 Table 3-1 Configuration Information Displayed on Archived Configurations Page Field Device Version Type Commit Id Date Changed Label Comments Context / Module Name Description Device name. Click the device name hyperlink to open a popup that displays device properties. For Cisco IOS XR devices, the device properties also include current active packages on the device. For Cisco Nexus series devices, the device properties also include active kickstart images. For descriptions of the device properties, see the Cisco Prime Network 3.8 User Guide. Version number of the archived configuration. This number is internal to Configuration Archive. A version will not have an associated configuration file under the following circumstances: The associated configuration file was deleted from the archive. The associated configuration file has not yet been copied to the archive. (Prime Network supports queueing change notifications and copying the configuration files to the archive at a later time. See Global Settings, page 7-3.) Click a version number hyperlink to launch the Device Configuration Viewer, from which you can view the contents of a configuration file. See Viewing the Contents of a Device Configuration File, page 3-6. Type of configuration: Cisco IOS and Cisco Nexus series devices Running or Startup Cisco IOS XR devices Running or Admin (Cisco IOS XR only) ID that identifies the last configuration change on the device. A commit ID is generated for every configuration change on the device upto a maximum of 100 configuration changes. The date and time when a configuration change was made on the device (relative to the device clock). The date and time are displayed accordingly to the local time zone settings of the client. Displays the labels, assigned (if any) to the archived configuration. Free text added (if any) to the archived version by users. For Cisco Nexus series devices, this field displays the virtual device context (VDC) name. For Cisco 7600 series devices, this field displays the module name. For other devices, this field displays N/A. From the Archived Configurations page, you can perform the following tasks, according to your user access role. (See User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information on user access roles). Searching for a Configuration File in the Archive, page 3-5 Viewing the Contents of a Device Configuration File, page 3-6 3-4
Chapter 3 Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive Labelling Configuration Files, page 3-7 Comparing Configuration Files, page 3-11 Exporting Configuration Files, page 3-13 Searching for a Configuration File in the Archive Prime Network provides a robust search tool which you can use to find saved device configuration files in the archive. Files are stored in readable format. You can add and remove filters using the - and + buttons. Filter settings are persisted until you exit the GUI session. To find configurations in the archive: Step 1 Step 2 Choose Configurations > Archives. Create a filter to search for the configurations in which you are interested. Figure 3-2 shows the filter options. Figure 3-2 Filter and Search Options in the Configuration Archive If you want to create a compound filter, configure your additional filter rules: a. Choose And or Or from the Filter drop-down list (for example, And). b. Choose a filter type (for example, Change in the last). c. Choose an operator (for example, equals). d. Enter a value (for example, 5) (search is case-sensitive and does not support wildcards). If you clicked Go, the list would be filtered to display all devices with configurations that changed in the last five days. e. Add more filter rules by clicking the + sign. For example: Element type equals Cisco 7609 If you clicked Go, the list would be filtered to display all Cisco 7609 devices with configurations that changed in the last five days. 3-5
Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive Chapter 3 If you create multiple filter rules, the operator (And or Or) that you chose for the first filter rule, will be defaulted for each subsequent filter. You can modify the operator only for the first filter rule and the subsequent filters will be displayed accordingly. Step 3 To clear the filter and perform a new search, click Clear Filter. Viewing the Contents of a Device Configuration File To view the contents of a configuration file: Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Choose Configurations > Archives. You can search for a specific configuration file as described in Searching for a Configuration File in the Archive, page 3-5. From the Archived Configurations page, click the version number hyperlink for the configuration file in which you are interested. This launches the Device Configuration Viewer with the contents of the startup, admin, or running configuration on the device based on the selected configuration type. Alternately, select a device and choose one of the following: View > Active Startup (for Cisco IOS and Cisco Nexus series devices only) Displays the latest startup configuration available on the device. View > Active Admin (for Cisco IOS XR devices only) Displays the latest admin configuration file available on the device. View >Active Running Displays the latest running configuration on the device. For devices with a large configuration, Prime Network displays the details across multiple pages with 10,000 configuration lines in each page. Use the Show or Hide hyperlink above the viewing pane to view or hide the line numbers next to the configuration lines. You can perform this operation only in the current page, if the configuration details span across multiple pages. When you are trying to view a configuration file, if there is a change in the device configuration, Prime Network initiates a backup job and creates a latest version of the device configuration file. You can view the latest version of the configuration file in the Archived Configurations page. Step 5 From the Device Configuration Viewer you can search for a string within the configuration file. See Using Special Characters in the GUI Fields, page 1-14 for more information on valid characters for the search string. If the device configuration spans across multiple pages, Prime Network searches for the string across all the pages and displays the results. 3-6
Chapter 3 Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive Labelling Configuration Files Assigning labels to configuration files is a clear, simple way to identify important configurations and convey critical information. While creating a new label, you can add a do not purge property. Any configuration using this label will not be purged from the archive. When calculating the total number of archives to see if the maximum has been reached and archives should be purged, CM does not include configurations with this label in the total (see Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1). Figure 3-3 provides an illustration of two configuration files that have labels. that the delete button is disabled for the file marked New; that is because the label named New is marked with the do not purge property. Also, note that in addition to labels, you can enter free-text comments in the Comments field. Figure 3-3 Archived Configurations Page Showing Archives with Labels These topics explain how to label configurations that are stored in the archive. Users must have Configurator privileges to manage labels; see User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information on user access roles. Managing the Label Catalog and Label Properties, page 3-7 Assigning and Unassigning Labels from Configuration Files, page 3-9 Searching for Labeled Configurations, page 3-11 Managing the Label Catalog and Label Properties Whenever a label is created, it is added to a label catalog. The label catalog is a central location from which you can view the properties of all labels, and add, edit, or delete labels. Changes you make in the label catalog are applied to all configurations using that label. In other words, if you delete a label from the label catalog, the label is unassigned from all configuration files that use it. If you edit a label in the label catalog, it is changed for all configuration files that use it. If you add a label to the label catalog, it is available for use by all configurations. If you want to remove a label from a configuration file, you should unassign it, not delete it from the label catalog. See Assigning and Unassigning Labels from Configuration Files, page 3-9. 3-7
Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive Chapter 3 To use the label catalog: Step 1 Step 2 Choose Configurations > Archives. In the Archived Configurations page, choose Labels > Manage. The Manage Labels dialog box opens and displays the contents of the label catalog, as shown in Figure 3-4. Figure 3-4 Manage Labels Dialog Box Step 3 To add a label and optionally mark it as do not purge: a. In the Manage Labels dialog box, click Add. The Add Label dialog box opens. b. Provide a name and description. The label name entered must be unique. See Using Special Characters in the GUI Fields, page 1-14 for more information on valid characters for the label name and description. c. If you want to prevent configurations that use this label from ever being deleted, check the Do not purge Configurations with this Label check box. d. Click OK to add the new label to the label catalog. The No Purge option is automatically enabled if you have selected the Do not purge Configurations with this Label option for the label. However, you can modify the label details as required. When you assign the label to an existing configuration, the delete configuration function will be disabled. e. Click Save All to save the label details. Click Undo All to undo the recent changes before saving. f. Click OK. 3-8
Chapter 3 Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive Step 4 The new label is saved to the label catalog and can be assigned to configurations. (See Assigning and Unassigning Labels from Configuration Files, page 3-9). To edit a label: a. In the Manage Labels dialog box, make your desired changes. Changes you make will be applied to all configurations that are currently using the label. b. Click Save All to save the label details and then click OK. Click Undo All to undo the recent changes before saving. Step 5 To delete a label: This procedure deletes a label from the label catalog and from all configuration files using the label. If you only want to remove a label from a file, use the procedure in Assigning and Unassigning Labels from Configuration Files, page 3-9. a. In the Manage Labels dialog box, click the delete icon (red X) to the right of the labels you want to remove. b. Click OK. If the label is being used by any configurations in the archive, Prime Network will display a warning message. You can still proceed with the operation, but the label will be removed from both the label catalog and all configurations using the label. The label is removed from the label catalog. Assigning and Unassigning Labels from Configuration Files When you assign a label to a configuration, the label is displayed when other users view the file. If the label is marked do not purge, users are prevented from deleting the file (the delete icon is disabled). To delete a configuration file with a do not purge label, you must first unassign the label from the file. To assign labels to configuration files: Step 1 Step 2 Choose Configurations > Archives. Select the configuration file (or files) and choose Labels > Assign. The Assign Labels dialog box opens. Figure 3-5 shows an example of the Assign Labels dialog box. The Select Available Labels section shows all labels that were created and are available to be assigned to devices. the icon to the left of the label named New; this indicates that the New label is marked with the do not purge attribute. 3-9
Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive Chapter 3 Figure 3-5 Assign Labels Dialog Box Configurations marked as do not purge do not contribute to the total allowed number of archives for a device. For information on the maximum number of archives allowed per devices, see Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1. Step 3 Step 4 Choose the labels to be assigned using either of these methods: Choose a hyperlinked label from the Select Available Labels area. Create a new label by filling out the Label and Description field and clicking the Add button in the Add a New Label and Assign section. Click OK in the Assign Labels dialog box to confirm your changes. The Archives page is refreshed and displays the configurations with the newly assigned labels. If a configuration file is assigned a label that is marked do not purge, the delete icon is disabled. 3-10
Chapter 3 Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive To unassign a label from a configuration: When you unassign a label from a configuration, the label still remains in the label catalog. To delete a label from the label catalog (and from all configurations that use that label), use the procedure in Managing the Label Catalog and Label Properties, page 3-7. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Choose Configurations > Archives. Choose the file (or files) that contain the label you want to unassign. Choose Labels > Assign to open the Assign Labels dialog box. a. In the Assigned Labels section, locate the label you want to unassign and click the delete icon (red X) next to it. b. Confirm that you want to unassign the label by clicking Yes, and click OK to close the Assign Labels dialog box. The Archives page is refreshed and displays the device without the label. Searching for Labeled Configurations To search for all configurations that use a specific label: Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Choose Configurations > Archives. In the Filter area, do the following: a. Choose Label from the Configuration Type drop-down list. The equals operator populates the equals field. b. Enter part of the label name in the text box. An example would be: Label equals Temporary Click Go. Prime Network displays all configurations that are assigned that label. Comparing Configuration Files Prime Network allows you to compare two configuration files that are saved in the archive and display them side by side, highlighting configuration differences and allowing you to move between them. You can compare any types of configurations as long as they run on the same operating system. However, you cannot compare a Cisco IOS configuration with Cisco IOS XR configuration. The following are typical scenarios for using the compare function: Compare the latest and next-to-latest configuration to see the most recent change. Compare Cisco IOS running and startup configurations to see how they are out of sync. Compare the configurations on two different devices to find out how they are different. 3-11
Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive Chapter 3 You can list the commands that have to be excluded while comparing configurations. Prime Network excludes a small set of commands by default, such as the NTP clock rate (which constantly changes on a managed network element but is not considered a configuration change). You can change the excluded commands list as described in Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1. Users must have Configurator privileges to compare an archive with its latest configuration or to view the latest configuration. Devices are listed only if they are in the assigned device scopes of a user. See User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information. To compare configurations: Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Choose Configurations > Archives. Locate the archives you want to compare. You can click the Version hyperlink next to a device to open the Device Configuration Viewer and quickly view the contents of the configuration file. You can choose to do the following: Select different versions of the same device and choose Compare > Selected Archives. Select different devices and choose Compare > Selected Archives. Select a Cisco IOS device and choose Compare > To Active Startup or Compare > To Active Running. You can compare a running version with the latest startup version or vice versa. You can also compare the latest and next-to-latest running or startup configurations to see the most recent changes. However, a message is displayed if the selected running or startup version is the latest configuration. For Cisco IOS XR devices, select a running configuration and choose Compare > To Active Running or select an admin configuration and choose Compare > To Active Admin. However, a message is displayed if the selected running or startup version is the latest configuration. For Cisco IOS XR devices, you cannot compare an admin configuration with a startup configuration or vice versa. Step 4 You can view the comparison results in the Compare Configurations dialog box where the files are displayed side by side, as shown in Figure 3-6. For devices with a large configuration, Prime Network displays the details across multiple pages with 10,000 configuration lines in each page. Step 5 Use the Show or Hide hyperlink at the top right corner to view or hide the line numbers next to the configuration lines. You can perform this operation only in the current page, if the configuration details span across multiple pages. 3-12
Chapter 3 Managing and Comparing Configurations in the Archive Figure 3-6 Compare Configurations Dialog Box Additions, deletions, and excluded commands are color-coded. From here, you can: Click Show All Lines or Only Differences to display the entire file contents or just the differences between the two files. Click Previous Diff or Next Diff to jump forward or backward to the previous or next difference between the two files in the current page. Click the arrow buttons or enter the page number to jump forward or backward to view the file contents that are running across pages. All the above operations such as Show All Lines or Only Differences, and Previous Diff or Next Diff are performed only on the current page, if the configuration details span across multiple pages. Step 6 Click OK to close the Compare Configurations dialog box. When you are trying to compare configuration files, if there is a change in the device configuration, Prime Network initiates a backup job and creates a latest version of the device configuration file. You can view the latest version of the configuration file in the Archived Configurations page. Exporting Configuration Files You can export configurations as a.cfg (configuration) file. The files are exported to an FTP or SFTP server that is specified on the Configuration Management Settings page. To check the settings, see Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1. Configuration files are saved using the following format: devicename-configurationtype-version-configchangetimestamp.cfg 3-13
Synchronizing Out-of-Sync Configurations (Cisco IOS and Cisco Nexus Only) Chapter 3 For example, the following file would contain the 18th version of a running configuration for the device named 7200-5, saved on March 27, 2010 at 2:40:30 P.M: 7200-5-RUNNING_CONFIG-18-2010327144030.cfg Users must have Configurator privileges to export configuration files. See User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information. Before You Begin Make sure an export location and the required credentials are configured on the Configuration Management Settings page as described in Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1. The specified FTP or SFTP server must have sufficient free space to accommodate the exported configurations. Also, the destination subdirectory on the FTP or SFTP server must have the required permissions. To export configuration files: Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Choose Configurations > Archives. Locate the archives you want to export. You can click the Version hyperlink next to a device to open the Device Configuration Viewer and quickly view the contents of the configuration file. Click Export. The Export window opens. Set the desired schedule and enter the e-mail ID(s) to which to send a notification after the scheduled export job is complete. For two or more users, enter a comma-separated list of e-mail IDs. A notification e-mail is sent based on the e-mail option specified in the Configuration Management Settings page. Before you enter the e-mail ID(s), ensure that you have set up the SMTP host and SMTP port in the Configuration Management Settings page (see Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1). The e-mail ID(s) configured in the Configuration Management Settings page, if any, will be displayed by default. You can modify the e-mail ID(s) if required. Step 5 Click OK. The export job is created and you are redirected to the Job Manager page, where you can monitor the status of the job. Synchronizing Out-of-Sync Configurations (Cisco IOS and Cisco Nexus Only) Cisco IOS and Cisco Nexus series devices contain a startup and running configuration file. The startup configuration is loaded when a device is restarted. Ongoing changes to the device are applied to the running configuration. As a result, unless the running configuration is saved as the startup configuration, upon a device restart, any changes would be lost. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the device startup and running configurations are in sync. 3-14
Chapter 3 Synchronizing Out-of-Sync Configurations (Cisco IOS and Cisco Nexus Only) Whenever a configuration file is retrieved from a device and copied to the archive, Prime Network compares the latest version of the startup configuration with the latest version of the running configuration file. If there is a mismatch, Prime Network adds the device to the list of out-of-sync devices. When Prime Network synchronizes a file, it overwrites the startup configuration on the device with the configuration that is currently running on the device. Users must have Configurator privileges to synchronize configurations; see User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information on user access roles. For Cisco Nexus series devices, CM backs up the startup and running configurations for all VDCs configured in the device. If there is a mismatch between the startup and running configurations of a VDC, CM creates an out-of-sync entry for that VDC. The synchronize operation affects only the configurations running on the device. It does not affect any configuration files that are saved in the archive. The Dashboard maintains a Configuration Sync Status pie chart that shows how many devices have out-of-sync startup and running configuration files. When you click the pie chart (or choose Configurations > Synchronize), you are directed to the Out of Sync Devices page, where Prime Network lists all of the out-of-sync devices in tabular format. The information is refreshed whenever you choose Configurations > Synchronize. If you want to view the differences between startup and running files of a device before synchronizing them, you can do so from the Synchronize page, as described in the following steps. Devices are listed only if they are in the assigned device scopes of a user. See User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information. Step 1 Choose Configurations > Synchronize. Prime Network lists all out-of-sync devices, the date and time when the device configurations were last changed, and when the files were last archived. Figure 3-7 provides an example. The date and time are displayed according to the local time zone settings of the client. 3-15
Backing Up Device Configuration Files to the Archive Chapter 3 Figure 3-7 Out of Sync Devices Page Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Click the Compare icon to launch the Compare Configuration window, which provides a side-by-side view of the two configurations and highlights the differences. Choose the network elements you want to synchronize. This directs Prime Network to overwrite the startup configuration on the device with the configuration that is currently running. Click Synchronize. The Schedule Synchronization page opens. Set the desired schedule and enter the e-mail ID(s) to which to send a notification after the scheduled synchronization job is complete. For two or more users, enter a comma-separated list of e-mail IDs. Before you enter the e-mail ID(s), ensure that you have set up the SMTP host and SMTP port in the Configuration Management Settings page (see Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1). The e-mail ID(s) configured in the Configuration Management Settings page, if any, will be displayed by default. You can modify the e-mail ID(s) if required. Step 6 Click Synchronize. Prime Network schedules the job and redirects you to the Jobs page, where you can monitor the status of the job. Backing Up Device Configuration Files to the Archive Backing up a device configuration entails getting a copy of the configuration file from the device, and copying that file to the configuration archive. As part of the backup procedures, it is compared with the latest archived version of the same type (running with running, startup with startup). A new version of the file is archived only if the two files are different. If the number of archived versions exceeds the maximum, the oldest archive is purged (according to the values on the Configuration Management Settings page; see Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1). Configurations marked with a do not purge label are not removed from the archive by the auto-purging procedures. 3-16
Chapter 3 Backing Up Device Configuration Files to the Archive Whenever a Cisco IOS configuration file is backed up to the archive, Prime Network compares the new versions of the running and startup configurations. If there is a mismatch, Prime Network marks the device as out-of-sync. For Cisco IOS XR devices, backup operation includes active packages. For Cisco Nexus series devices, CM backs up the startup and running configurations for all VDCs configured in the device. If there is a mismatch between the startup and running configurations of a VDC, CM creates an out-of-sync entry for that VDC. For Cisco 7600 series devices with an ACE card, the backup operation archives running and startup configurations of the ACE card. Change and Configuration Management does not back up running configurations for Cisco IOS XR devices that are managed with non-system user credentials; because copy command is not available in the command-line interface (CLI) for non-system users. Users must have Configurator privileges to back up files to the archive; see User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information on user access roles. Methods for Backing Up Configuration Files to the Archive Table 3-2 describes the methods you can use to back up configuration files to the archive. None of these methods are enabled by default. You should choose the method that is appropriate to your network and how often changes are made to it. For more information, see Configuration Management Setup Tasks, page 1-7. Table 3-2 Methods for Archiving Configuration Files Method for Performing Archiving Description of Method For information, see: Initial Sync Manual Activates CM to perform an initial synchronization of the CM archive files with the configurations that are running on the network devices. If this setting is enabled, whenever the Prime Network gateway is restarted, CM performs this synchronization. This behavior is controlled by the Enable Initial Config sync up setting on the Configuration Management Settings page. A user-driven backup that is controlled from the Configurations > Backup page. Performing a backup from the Backup page overrides all other archive settings. You can schedule the file backup to occur immediately or according to a schedule. Any backups scheduled using this method are completely independent of any schedules for ongoing archiving. However, users can only back up devices that are within their scope, and if they have a sufficient device scope-based role. Global Settings, page 7-3 Manually Backing Up Configuration Files, page 3-19 3-17
Backing Up Device Configuration Files to the Archive Chapter 3 Table 3-2 Methods for Archiving Configuration Files (continued) Method for Performing Archiving Description of Method For information, see: Ongoing Event-Driven Backs up device files when Prime Network receives a configuration change notification. Use this method if you consider every configuration file change to be significant. This is controlled by the Enable Event-triggered Config Archive setting on the Configuration Management Settings page. For this form of backup, you can choose one of the following methods for performing the archiving: Back up the files to the archive immediately when a change is detected. Queue the changes and back up the files to the archive according to a schedule. Both of these settings are controlled from the Configuration Management Settings page. If you are using event-driven archiving, you should also make sure that exclude commands are properly configured. Exclude commands are commands that Prime Network ignores when comparing configurations, and they are controlled from the Settings page. Using this mechanism eliminates unnecessary file backups to the archive. Periodic Archives device files every 24 hours (system-defined). A new archive is created only if the newly-collected device configuration is different from the last version in the archive. Use this method if configurations change frequently and the changes are not important to you. This setting is controlled by the Enable Periodic Config Backup setting on the Configuration Management Settings page. This CM collection is independent of the Prime Network inventory collection. Global Settings, page 7-3 3-18
Chapter 3 Backing Up Device Configuration Files to the Archive Manually Backing Up Configuration Files Devices are listed only if they are in the assigned device scopes of a user. See User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information. Files are automatically backed up to the archive according to the values on the Configuration Management Settings page. To perform an on-demand backup of configuration files to the archive: Step 1 Choose Configurations > Backup. Prime Network lists all devices with the following status symbols. Symbol Description Device is available for backup. Device is not available for backup. The device is most likely in the Maintenance investigation state or the Unreachable communication state. Click the device hyperlink and open the device properties popup to see details about the device. Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Choose the devices with files you want to back up. To choose devices from a specific device group, click Select Groups. In the Device Groups page, you can view the user-defined device groups. Click the hyperlinked device group name to view the list of devices that belong to the group. See Managing User-Defined Device Groups, page 5-2 for more information on user-defined device grouping. Select the required device group in the Device Groups page and click OK. The devices that belong to the selected device group are highlighted in the Configuration Backup page. Click Backup to configure the backup schedule. Figure 3-8 shows an example of the scheduling window. Figure 3-8 Configuration Backup Scheduling Window By default, the backup is performed as soon as possible. 3-19
Restoring a Configuration from the Archive to Devices Chapter 3 Step 6 The other schedule choices (once, periodically, weekly, and so forth) are activated when you deselect Start as Soon as Possible. Enter the e-mail ID(s) to which to send a notification after the schedule backup job is complete. For two or more users, enter a comma-separated list of e-mail IDs. A notification e-mail is sent based on the e-mail option specified in the Configuration Management Settings page. Before you enter the e-mail ID(s), ensure that you have set up the SMTP host and SMTP port in the Configuration Management Settings page (see Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1). The e-mail ID(s) configured in the Configuration Management Settings page, if any, will be displayed by default. You can modify the e-mail ID(s) if required. Step 7 Click Backup. Prime Network schedules the job and redirects you to the Jobs page, where you can monitor the status of the job. Restoring a Configuration from the Archive to Devices Prime Network performs the configuration restore operation in the following modes: Overwrite mode Prime Network overwrites the existing configuration on the device with the file you selected from the archive. The configuration on the device is restored to exactly match the archived version. Merge mode Prime Network compares the file you selected for the restore with the existing running or startup configuration on the device. If they are different, the existing running or startup configuration on the device is merged with the configuration present in the version you selected from the archive. For Cisco IOS XR devices, a restore operation basically rolls back the configuration file to a commit ID. If the commit ID associated with the archived version is not available on the device, the configuration is restored in merge mode. Prime Network uses the default restore mode (Overwrite or Merge) set up in the Configuration Management Settings page. However, you can modify the default mode while scheduling the restore operation. If you have selected the Overwrite mode, you can use the Use Merge on Failure option to restore the files in Merge mode, if Overwrite mode fails. Users must have Configurator privileges to restore configurations to devices; see User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information on user access roles. Devices are listed only if they are in the assigned device scopes of a user. See User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information. 3-20
Chapter 3 Restoring a Configuration from the Archive to Devices To restore a configuration: Step 1 Choose Configurations > Restore. Prime Network lists all configuration files in the archive. Figure 3-9 shows an example of a filtered Restore page. Figure 3-9 Configuration Restore Page Step 2 (Cisco IOS only) Specify the type of configuration files you want to restore: Running, Startup, or both. If you choose to restore to startup configuration, Prime Network will first copy the file to running configuration and then to startup configuration. Cisco IOS XR configuration files are always restored to the same type. Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Choose the configuration files you want to restore. You can click the Version hyperlink to view the contents of a file. Click Restore. The Config Restore Schedule dialog box opens. (Optional) To override the default transport protocol, you can choose it from the drop-down list. Optionally, you can also enter comments. (Optional) To override the default restore mode set up in the Configuration Management Settings page, choose an appropriate option. If you have selected Overwrite mode, you can check the Use Merge on Failure check box to restore the files in Merge mode, if Overwrite mode fails. Enter the e-mail ID(s) to which to send a notification after the scheduled restore job is complete. For two or more users, enter a comma-separated list of e-mail IDs. A notification e-mail is sent based on the e-mail option specified in the Configuration Management Settings page. Before you enter the e-mail ID(s), ensure that you have set up the SMTP host and SMTP port in the Configuration Management Settings page (see Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1). The e-mail ID(s) configured in the Configuration Management Settings page, if any, will be displayed by default. You can modify the e-mail ID(s) if required. 3-21
Restoring a Configuration from the Archive to Devices Chapter 3 Step 8 Click Restore. Prime Network schedules the job and redirects you to the Jobs page, where you can monitor the status of the job. Editing a Configuration File before Restoring it to a Device Prime Network allows you to edit a configuration file before restoring it to the device. Edited configurations are always restored in Merge mode. To edit a configuration file: Step 1 Choose Configurations > Restore. Prime Network lists all configuration files in the archive. Figure 3-9 shows an example of a filtered Restore page. Step 2 Step 3 Choose a configuration file that you want to edit. Click Edit Config. You can view the details of the selected configuration file in the Configuration Edit page as shown in Figure 3-10. Figure 3-10 Configuration Edit page 3-22
Chapter 3 Deleting Configuration Files from the Archive Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Edit the configuration lines, as required. the following: To remove any command, add no in front of the command. To update any command, add no in front of the command and then add the new command. The restore job will fail, if there are any syntax errors in the modified commands. Click Restore. The Config Restore Schedule dialog box opens. (Optional) To override the default transport protocol, you can choose it from the drop-down list. Optionally, you can also enter comments. Enter the e-mail ID(s) to which to send a notification after the scheduled restore job is complete. For two or more users, enter a comma-separated list of e-mail IDs. A notification e-mail is sent based on the e-mail option specified in the Configuration Management Settings page. Before you enter the e-mail ID(s), ensure that you have set up the SMTP host and SMTP port in the Configuration Management Settings page (see Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1). The e-mail ID(s) configured in the Configuration Management Settings page, if any, will be displayed by default. You can modify the e-mail ID(s) if required. Step 8 Click Restore. Prime Network schedules the job and redirects you to the Jobs page, where you can monitor the status of the job. To view the differences in the edited version from the original version of the configuration file, click View Diff in the Configuration Edit page. Deleting Configuration Files from the Archive Users must have Configurator or Administrator privileges to delete configurations from the archive; see User Authentication and Authorization (Access Roles and Device Scopes), page 7-14, for more information on user access roles. You cannot delete an archived file if: It is marked do not purge. Deleting it would bring the number of versions below the minimum number of versions that must be retained (as specified on the Configuration Management Settings page). To delete a configuration file from the archive: Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Choose Configurations > Archive. Choose the configuration file you want to delete. You can click the Version hyperlink to verify the contents of the configuration file. To delete a single configuration file, click the delete icon (red X) at the end of the row. If the delete icon is disabled, this means the archive is assigned a label that is marked do not purge. To delete this type of configuration, you must first unassign the label from the configuration (see Assigning and Unassigning Labels from Configuration Files, page 3-9). 3-23
Viewing Configuration Change Logs Chapter 3 Step 4 Step 5 To delete multiple configuration files, select the required files and then click the Delete button at the bottom of the page. You cannot delete the files that are assigned a label that is marked do not purge. To delete this type of configuration, you must first unassign the label from the configuration (see Assigning and Unassigning Labels from Configuration Files, page 3-9). Confirm your choice. Prime Network schedules the job and redirects you to the Jobs page, where you can monitor the status of the job. When a device is removed from Prime Network, its configuration files are also removed from the archive. Viewing Configuration Change Logs The Change Logs page displays a list of the latest device configuration changes detected by Prime Network. How Prime Network responds to these changes depends on the values on the Configuration Management Settings page. By default, Prime Network does not get new information from the device and copy it to the archive when a change occurs, but you can set it to do so. See Configuring Global Settings for Configuration Management, page 7-1. All users can view the change logs, regardless of the user access role or assigned device scopes. To view the latest changes, choose Configurations > Change Logs. Figure 3-11 provides an example. Figure 3-11 Configuration Change Logs The Configuration Change Logs page displays the following information, sorted according to the latest time stamp. The date and time stamps are displayed according to the local time zone settings of the client. Field Device Name Changed Description Device name. Click the device name hyperlink to open a popup that displays device properties. For Cisco IOS XR devices, the device properties also include current active packages on the device. For descriptions of the device properties, see the Cisco Prime Network 3.8 User Guide. Date and time when a change was made on the device (relative to the device clock). 3-24
Chapter 3 Viewing Configuration Change Logs Field User Version Commit ID Diffs Compare Description Name of the user who made the change. Version number of the archived configuration. This number is internal to Configuration Archive. A version will not have an associated configuration file under the following circumstances: The associated configuration file was deleted from the archive. The associated configuration file has not yet been copied to the archive. (Prime Network supports queueing change notifications and copying the configuration files to the archive at a later time. See Global Settings, page 7-3.) Click a version number hyperlink to launch the Device Configuration Viewer, from which you can view the contents of a configuration file. See Viewing the Contents of a Device Configuration File, page 3-6. (Cisco IOS XR only) ID that identifies the last configuration change on the device. (Cisco IOS XR only) Displays only the commands that were changed. For long text, hover the cursor over the hyperlink to display the entire contents. Launches the Compare Configuration window, which displays the entire original and changed files side by side. This data is generated only if file versions are available. Additions and deletions are color-coded. From here, you can: Click Show All Lines or Only Differences to display the entire file contents or just the differences between the two files. Click Previous Diff or Next Diff to jump forward or backward to the previous or next difference between the two files. Click the arrow buttons or enter the page number to jump forward or backward to view the file contents that are running across pages. 3-25
Viewing Configuration Change Logs Chapter 3 3-26