[c-nsp] Tracking config changes

[Jeff Fitzwater]

We heavily comment our configs and back them up in RCS file  (mostly 6500s).   There are also commands that are more clearly understood when entered as a multiple single CLIs, but then show up in config as a summarized single entry.  There is also the ACL entries which get optimized and are not in the order they were entered.     

Doesn't RANCID only compare the current running to a saved running config.    So in our case we still have to keep a commented file history around.



Not sure what the best solution is, and in our case mistakes can be made.



Jeff Fitzwater
OIT Network & Communications Systems
Princeton University

On May 24, 2010, at 12:53 , Jeff Rooney wrote:

> +1 Rancid
> 
> Jeff Rooney
> jtrooney at nexdlevel.com
> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, May 24, 2010 at 11:38 AM, Bill Blackford
> <BBlackford at nwresd.k12.or.us> wrote:
>> Rancid
>> 
>> http://www.shrubbery.net/rancid/
>> 
>> -b
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: cisco-nsp-bounces at puck.nether.net [mailto:cisco-nsp-bounces at puck.nether.net] On Behalf Of Mike
>> Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 9:34 AM
>> To: 'Cisco-nsp'
>> Subject: [c-nsp] Tracking config changes
>> 
>> Hi Gang,
>> 
>>    In my smallish network I am guilty sometimes of using cli to make
>> cisco switch and router config changes, and sometimes I have been known
>> to forget to 'wr mem' when I'm sure it's what I want. The reasons for
>> this vary, but I want to be better than this disaster waiting for a
>> power outage or other event to force a reset, losing something that
>> could potentially be important that I may forget about later. I know
>> there are approaches to this in larger envionments using config version
>> control systems and such, but I think I want something simpler to at
>> least notify me when/if I have a 'running config' that has been modified
>> from the 'startup config' and not committed to nvram.
>> 
>>    One approach I might think of would be to poll the devices on my
>> normal snmp schedule and include a check for the last date of
>> configuration change. I could easilly throw an alert if it's been more
>> than an hour since the last config change/write to memory, but I don't
>> know which variables I would poll for that. A secondary idea might also
>> be to download the configs and commit them to cvs anytime a change is
>> detected, but some here might think this is backwards and that configs
>> should only be uploaded? What do you other service provider folks do?
>> 
>> Mike-
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