Is there such a thing as a Cisco config checker, to allow off-line editing of Cisco configs and check them before they're uploaded to the router? Preferrably something that could be used in a Web/Unix environment as a filter. If not, does anyone know of a source for a complete definition of Cisco configuration language, in some kind of standardized format, so I could possibly generate a config-checker myself? Thanks. Pete.
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Ciscoworks. It's nice and GUI - you config the router as you build a network diagram. - - James D. Wilson "non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem" William of Ockham (1285-1347/49) - -----Original Message----- From: owner-nanog@merit.edu [mailto:owner-nanog@merit.edu]On Behalf Of Pete Kruckenberg Sent: Sunday, January 03, 1999 7:30 PM To: nanog@merit.edu Subject: Cisco config checker Is there such a thing as a Cisco config checker, to allow off-line editing of Cisco configs and check them before they're uploaded to the router? Preferrably something that could be used in a Web/Unix environment as a filter. If not, does anyone know of a source for a complete definition of Cisco configuration language, in some kind of standardized format, so I could possibly generate a config-checker myself? Thanks. Pete. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP 6.0.2 Comment: Spammers are NetAbusers - Jail Them With The Other Criminals iQA/AwUBNpBvPDAufbtGOmgdEQJfogCgmfKIIm3RvpuIG0XGD09U+6oGMLIAoLVv LQONY570SnTe+kPwgRJmFEse =0ucu -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Actually What you maybe looking for is Cisco's NetSys Connectivity product (Baseliner). It has a configuration checking capability that will check router configurations off line prior to rolling them out. If connected to the Network it also has the capability of 1.) automatically harvesting router configs (with or without CiscoWorks) 2.) Test configurations and changes offline before committing them to the live network. 3.) rolling them out to routers 4.) Providing network layout diagrams (generated from configs). Graphically views of your network as configured, not as planned or discovered. 5.) Proactively monitor configuration changes. Check it out on http://www.cisco.com/warp/customer/734/baseliner/index.shtml _Thomas
-----Original Message----- From: owner-nanog@merit.edu [mailto:owner-nanog@merit.edu]On Behalf Of James D. Wilson Sent: Monday, January 04, 1999 2:35 AM To: Pete Kruckenberg; nanog@merit.edu Subject: RE: Cisco config checker
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Ciscoworks. It's nice and GUI - you config the router as you build a network diagram.
- - James D. Wilson
"non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem" William of Ockham (1285-1347/49)
- -----Original Message----- From: owner-nanog@merit.edu [mailto:owner-nanog@merit.edu]On Behalf Of Pete Kruckenberg Sent: Sunday, January 03, 1999 7:30 PM To: nanog@merit.edu Subject: Cisco config checker
Is there such a thing as a Cisco config checker, to allow off-line editing of Cisco configs and check them before they're uploaded to the router? Preferrably something that could be used in a Web/Unix environment as a filter.
If not, does anyone know of a source for a complete definition of Cisco configuration language, in some kind of standardized format, so I could possibly generate a config-checker myself?
Thanks. Pete.
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iQA/AwUBNpBvPDAufbtGOmgdEQJfogCgmfKIIm3RvpuIG0XGD09U+6oGMLIAoLVv LQONY570SnTe+kPwgRJmFEse =0ucu -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
It's amazing but I know noone who use CiscoWork in real ISP's life. A lot of people arpund tried it, no one use it. On the other hand, a lot of people does use 'ciscotalk' + 'load from the file', with autho-generated configs. What's about NetSys - if it was the constructor (library) and was not so expansive - it was an excellent product, just now it's useless fro the ISP. What does I need is something like grammar skeleton (on yacc or on perl+some special lib) and some up-to-date keeping mechanism. I (and no other ISP) need to build graphs by their IOS configs, but we need to load config from the router into the file, divide it to the structured form (by the objects and by the customers), name access lists and other objects, store this objects in the universal format, collect all objects you need if you add something new, know how to delete subintarface or how to change the number of slots in Serial0/1:22 at the CE1 card (try to do it _directly_ and you got _PANIC_ message), etc etc... Tools, not the product from some company who do not work with ISP directly. It's amazing - how do you think CISCO solved the problem _how to support TELCO_? (It's my personal opinion, never confidential). If I am correct, they are talking a lot about new _total database, LDAP, etc etc_ tools, then show something like (ALPHA(ALPHA(BETA(revision))) system, then ask TELCOM _do you want support? Pay as and we'll connect Cisco engeneer to you and he do everything himself_... And it's really the best they should do - really, TELCOM need the result, no important will it be _engeneer_ or the program... What do I mean as _STRUCTURE_? First, config consists of the objects - base part and the set of the customers, every customer refer to the INTERFACE and ROUTING_, any object can refer to _ACCESS-LIST GLOBAL::SNMP_RESTRICT_ for example, etc etc... Moreover, BGP description (for example) which is the single obkject in CISCO consist of a lot of objects (everything concerning distinct peer is distinct object_. And so on. You should build data base by IOS config, and then you should change any _data base_ (-> config -> load_config_into_IOS_) and config (load_config_into_DBA and re-link new objects to teh old names). And where does this tools exist? On Mon, 4 Jan 1999, Randy Bush wrote:
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1999 06:20:19 -0800 (PST) From: Randy Bush <randy@psg.com> To: Thomas Novak <kavon@apk.net> Cc: nanog@merit.edu Subject: RE: Cisco config checker
What you maybe looking for is Cisco's NetSys Connectivity product (Baseliner).
of all these cute GUI products, which understands configs used by real ISPs on real routers with current ISP images? when last i looked, the answer was the null set.
randy
Aleksei Roudnev, Network Operations Center, Relcom, Moscow (+7 095) 194-19-95 (Network Operations Center Hot Line),(+7 095) 239-10-10, N 13729 (pager) (+7 095) 196-72-12 (Support), (+7 095) 194-33-28 (Fax)
for two+ years, i have been asking cisco for a simple text-based tool that can take two configs and generate the command set to get from the first to the second. i.e. a semantic differ. as syntax (and occasionally semantics) changes release to release, a version of the code would have to come with each image set. note that this would go a way to compete with the really nice behavior of gated-like systems, e.g. juniper, which, when given a new configuration, does not thrash all your bgp sessions etc., but slides smoothly to the new state. randy
for two+ years, i have been asking cisco for a simple text-based tool that can take two configs and generate the command set to get from the first to the second. i.e. a semantic differ.
We have such tool (I estimate it as _ALPHA_), our neighbour RELARN have another example of this tool (simple but faster). I think there is a lot of such tools written everywhere _for internal usage_ and withouth documentation.
as syntax (and occasionally semantics) changes release to release, a version of the code would have to come with each image set.
It's the dream... -:) If all Cisco's managers stop to be managers and remember their young years when they was (if was) small ISP's systadmins and so on, then... -:).
note that this would go a way to compete with the really nice behavior of gated-like systems, e.g. juniper, which, when given a new configuration, does not thrash all your bgp sessions etc., but slides smoothly to the new state.
Don't remind me GATED, please -:(... strict language, well defined syntax... I does use it to learn students... But how can I explain such command (for example): async default routing or something more terrible...? On the other hand, it's a lot of pleasant in IOS's behaviour... Happy New Year, btw.
randy
Aleksei Roudnev, Network Operations Center, Relcom, Moscow (+7 095) 194-19-95 (Network Operations Center Hot Line),(+7 095) 239-10-10, N 13729 (pager) (+7 095) 196-72-12 (Support), (+7 095) 194-33-28 (Fax)
Randy Bush wrote:
of all these cute GUI products, which understands configs used by real ISPs on real routers with current ISP images? when last i looked, the answer was the null set.
I can believe that. I've rarely seen any "fancy GUI" software package for anything that had some real guts under the hood. I'm planning to put together my own system to build configs from our customer database (and other stuff). Since it would be a constructed config, once the code is debugged, I'd tend to trust it (as opposed to a config manually edited each time). So I would not need something that merely checks the config for errors. Now what I could use, is a program (Unix based) that will do the reload of the configuration smartly, correctly undoing anything that is not in the new config, such as deleting old static routes, can make the config go in service without disruptions (reset lines that change, but do not reset those that do not change, for example), and also save and verify the saved config. This program would have to know how to get the existing config and compare the configs to apply the differences. Additional smarts like knowing not to leave itself without a valid static route (e.g. add new one before deleting old one) would be great. A "verify only" mode that simply tells me what would need to be done to make a new config be in service would also be great. GUI just gets in the way of real work. -- -- *-----------------------------* Phil Howard KA9WGN * -- -- | Inturnet, Inc. | Director of Internet Services | -- -- | Business Internet Solutions | eng at intur.net | -- -- *-----------------------------* philh at intur.net * --
We have cisco config analyser (it built the object tree) but it's not more than BETA. I have idea to write good self-edicated analyser but this idea is discussed only now. Anyway, any sources (library on the PERL, I think) helping to build such checkers and analysers will be appresiated. It's not too difficult to built such analyser, but it's nessesary to keep config data base up-to-date because IOS changes every day... THis analyser was written by Julia Pasynkova, you can ask her by e-mail (julp@relcom.EU.net) - the ideas was of me and of her, and the code (on the PERL) was written by her. But I think it's model only because it does not use external data base we can to keep up-to-date. Unfortunately, our attempts to search such tools resulted to nothing. On Sun, 3 Jan 1999, Pete Kruckenberg wrote:
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1999 22:29:58 -0700 (MST) From: Pete Kruckenberg <pete@kruckenberg.com> To: nanog@merit.edu Subject: Cisco config checker
Is there such a thing as a Cisco config checker, to allow off-line editing of Cisco configs and check them before they're uploaded to the router? Preferrably something that could be used in a Web/Unix environment as a filter.
If not, does anyone know of a source for a complete definition of Cisco configuration language, in some kind of standardized format, so I could possibly generate a config-checker myself?
Thanks. Pete.
Aleksei Roudnev, Network Operations Center, Relcom, Moscow (+7 095) 194-19-95 (Network Operations Center Hot Line),(+7 095) 239-10-10, N 13729 (pager) (+7 095) 196-72-12 (Support), (+7 095) 194-33-28 (Fax)
There are 4 commercially available products I know of that will do off-line router configurations: 1. CiscoWorks 2. Cisco ConfigMaker 3. Go Figure! (for Palm Pilots) 4. RouterAssistant The caveat here is that these products probably won't handle the "industrial strength" configuration parameters that would be required in an ISP environment and also have limited platform support. They might be worth a look, though, since some can also help with configuration management tasks. If you're interested, you can find links to them in the IOS section of my web page: http://www.clark.net/pub/rbenn/cisco.html#ios-config Randy ------------------------------------------------------------------ "Cisco Systems In A Nutshell" http://www.clark.net/pub/rbenn/cisco.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ At 10:29 PM 1/3/99 -0700, Pete Kruckenberg wrote:
Is there such a thing as a Cisco config checker, to allow off-line editing of Cisco configs and check them before they're uploaded to the router? Preferrably something that could be used in a Web/Unix environment as a filter.
If not, does anyone know of a source for a complete definition of Cisco configuration language, in some kind of standardized format, so I could possibly generate a config-checker myself?
Thanks. Pete.
Randall S. Benn http://www.clark.net/pub/rbenn (rbenn@clark.net) on January 7:
There are 4 commercially available products I know of that will do off-line router configurations:
And there are also some free ones. RtConfig (http://www.isi.edu/ra/RAToolSet) is being used to configure many small and large ISP routers. (I could not resist to advertise a "free" product.)
1. CiscoWorks 2. Cisco ConfigMaker 3. Go Figure! (for Palm Pilots) 4. RouterAssistant
The caveat here is that these products probably won't handle the "industrial strength" configuration parameters that would be required in an ISP environment and also have limited platform support. They might be worth a look, though, since some can also help with configuration management tasks.
If you're interested, you can find links to them in the IOS section of my web page: http://www.clark.net/pub/rbenn/cisco.html#ios-config
Randy
------------------------------------------------------------------ "Cisco Systems In A Nutshell" http://www.clark.net/pub/rbenn/cisco.html ------------------------------------------------------------------
At 10:29 PM 1/3/99 -0700, Pete Kruckenberg wrote:
Is there such a thing as a Cisco config checker, to allow off-line editing of Cisco configs and check them before they're uploaded to the router? Preferrably something that could be used in a Web/Unix environment as a filter.
If not, does anyone know of a source for a complete definition of Cisco configuration language, in some kind of standardized format, so I could possibly generate a config-checker myself?
Thanks. Pete.
Cengiz -- Cengiz Alaettinoglu Information Sciences Institute http://www.isi.edu/~cengiz University of Southern California
On Fri, 8 Jan 1999, Cengiz Alaettinoglu wrote:
And there are also some free ones. RtConfig (http://www.isi.edu/ra/RAToolSet) is being used to configure many small and large ISP routers.
(I could not resist to advertise a "free" product.)
Another free one is currently under development at http://www.employees.org/~stannous/gconfig.html This is a GUI based config tool that uses the GTK graphics toolkit. Since it is open source, if it doesn't do what you want, you have the option of adding features yourself. -- Michael Dillon - E-mail: michael@memra.com Check the website for my Internet World articles - http://www.memra.com
participants (9)
-
Alex P. Rudnev -
Cengiz Alaettinoglu -
James D. Wilson -
Michael Dillon -
Pete Kruckenberg -
Phil Howard -
Randall S. Benn http://www.clark.net/pub/rbenn -
Randy Bush -
Thomas Novak