Little survey: What do people use to backup configurations ?
A while back when I was at SGI, I wrote my own scripts, using expect and tftp to backup configurations of Cisco routers. Configs then were put into rcs. Now before I am resurecting those scripts again for my current job, what are people using to backup equipment, things such as Cisco routers (26xx, 36xx, 72xx, 75xx, MSFC, RSM) and Cisco Catalyst switches (2924XL, 3548XL, 4000, 5000, 6500) ? What I am trying to archive is at least a daily backup, with again some version control to be able what changed between days. -- Regards, Ulf. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ulf Zimmermann, 1525 Pacific Ave., Alameda, CA-94501, #: 510-769-2936 Alameda Networks, Inc. | http://www.Alameda.net | Fax#: 510-521-5073
In message <20010202163447.X16465@PacHell.Pachell.net>, Ulf Zimmermann writes:
A while back when I was at SGI, I wrote my own scripts, using expect and tftp to backup configurations of Cisco routers. Configs then were put into rcs. Now before I am resurecting those scripts again for my current job, what are people using to backup equipment, things such as Cisco routers (26xx, 36xx, 72xx, 75xx, MSFC, RSM) and Cisco Catalyst switches (2924XL, 3548XL, 4000, 5000, 6500) ?
What I am trying to archive is at least a daily backup, with again some version control to be able what changed between days.
check out rancid - http://www.shrubbery.net/rancid/
On Fri, Feb 02, 2001 at 04:34:47PM -0800, Ulf Zimmermann wrote:
A while back when I was at SGI, I wrote my own scripts, using expect and tftp to backup configurations of Cisco routers. Configs then were put into rcs. Now before I am resurecting those scripts again for my current job, what are people using to backup equipment, things such as Cisco routers (26xx, 36xx, 72xx, 75xx, MSFC, RSM) and Cisco Catalyst switches (2924XL, 3548XL, 4000, 5000, 6500) ?
What I am trying to archive is at least a daily backup, with again some version control to be able what changed between days.
You're describing http://www.shrubbery.net/rancid/. -- Bill Fumerola / billf@FreeBSD.org
In the past I had a Perl script that would make SNMP calls from a server authorized for SNMP read/write access to handle the download much like you used your expect script... Jeremy T. Bouse Ulf Zimmermann was said to been seen saying:
A while back when I was at SGI, I wrote my own scripts, using expect and tftp to backup configurations of Cisco routers. Configs then were put into rcs. Now before I am resurecting those scripts again for my current job, what are people using to backup equipment, things such as Cisco routers (26xx, 36xx, 72xx, 75xx, MSFC, RSM) and Cisco Catalyst switches (2924XL, 3548XL, 4000, 5000, 6500) ?
What I am trying to archive is at least a daily backup, with again some version control to be able what changed between days.
-- ,-----------------------------------------------------------------------------, |Jeremy T. Bouse, CCNA - UnderGrid Network Services, LLC - www.UnderGrid.net | | Public PGP/GPG key available through http://wwwkeys.us.pgp.net | | If received unsigned (without requesting as such) DO NOT trust it! | | undrgrid@UnderGrid.net - NIC Whois: JB5713 - Jeremy.Bouse@UnderGrid.net | `-----------------------------------------------------------------------------'
On Fri, Feb 02, 2001 at 04:34:47PM -0800, Ulf Zimmermann wrote:
A while back when I was at SGI, I wrote my own scripts, using expect and tftp to backup configurations of Cisco routers. Configs then were put into rcs. Now before I am resurecting those scripts again for my current job, what are people using to backup equipment, things such as Cisco routers (26xx, 36xx, 72xx, 75xx, MSFC, RSM) and Cisco Catalyst switches (2924XL, 3548XL, 4000, 5000, 6500) ?
I'm using RANCID <http://www.shrubbery.net/> to handle this, and ViewCVS <http://www.lyra.org/viewcvs/> on a https+auth protected server to allow non eng types to peep the configs. Overall, I'm quite content. The only area where it falls short is its inability to show what users made what configuration changes, and precisely when. If anyone has a good means of doing this (by editing router configurations off-line, automagically and/or by hand, and then committing 'em via expect script? Tailing TAC+ command logs, and generating diffs accordingly? Something else I'm overlooking?), and is willing to share their source, I'd be most appreciative. -adam
On Fri, 2 Feb 2001, Adam Rothschild wrote:
On Fri, Feb 02, 2001 at 04:34:47PM -0800, Ulf Zimmermann wrote:
A while back when I was at SGI, I wrote my own scripts, using expect and tftp to backup configurations of Cisco routers. Configs then were put into rcs. Now before I am resurecting those scripts again for my current job, what are people using to backup equipment, things such as Cisco routers (26xx, 36xx, 72xx, 75xx, MSFC, RSM) and Cisco Catalyst switches (2924XL, 3548XL, 4000, 5000, 6500) ?
I'm using RANCID <http://www.shrubbery.net/> to handle this, and ViewCVS <http://www.lyra.org/viewcvs/> on a https+auth protected server to allow non eng types to peep the configs.
Overall, I'm quite content. The only area where it falls short is its inability to show what users made what configuration changes, and precisely when.
If anyone has a good means of doing this (by editing router configurations off-line, automagically and/or by hand, and then committing 'em via expect script? Tailing TAC+ command logs, and generating diffs accordingly? Something else I'm overlooking?), and is willing to share their source, I'd be most appreciative.
-adam
...Or, on the low-budget side, a former employer once had a rule: "Always conf net, never ever conf t." One of the advantages to that was, all configs were caught in our nightly backup of the tftp server. Config files were under SCCS (essentially the same thing as rcs or cvs). Matthew Devney
There was a pretty good article about auto scripting this in sysadmin magazine, perhaps 18-24 months ago.. Brian On Fri, 2 Feb 2001, Ulf Zimmermann wrote:
A while back when I was at SGI, I wrote my own scripts, using expect and tftp to backup configurations of Cisco routers. Configs then were put into rcs. Now before I am resurecting those scripts again for my current job, what are people using to backup equipment, things such as Cisco routers (26xx, 36xx, 72xx, 75xx, MSFC, RSM) and Cisco Catalyst switches (2924XL, 3548XL, 4000, 5000, 6500) ?
What I am trying to archive is at least a daily backup, with again some version control to be able what changed between days.
-- Regards, Ulf.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Ulf Zimmermann, 1525 Pacific Ave., Alameda, CA-94501, #: 510-769-2936 Alameda Networks, Inc. | http://www.Alameda.net | Fax#: 510-521-5073
Several folks mention Rancid, which is a great system for what it is meant to do, Austin deserves much kudos. Additionally, w/ expect and cvs, one can write a custom system without too much work, but with Rancid, why bother? A company called Gold Wire Technology (www.goldwiretech.com) has an excellent product called "Forumlator". It's more than just config archives; that's a small by-product of what it does. High level, it's an industrial strength policy-based configuration management system, Very impressive company and product. They cover much of the OSS requirements for active network management, ie, not alarms or trending, but activation and change-management, etc. Two "tier 1" ISPs beta-tested the SW, and I think it's shipping for revenue RSN. -alan (...who has a vested interest in Gold Wire) Thus spake Ulf Zimmermann (ulf@Alameda.net) on or about Fri, Feb 02, 2001 at 04:34:47PM -0800:
A while back when I was at SGI, I wrote my own scripts, using expect and tftp to backup configurations of Cisco routers. Configs then were put into rcs. Now before I am resurecting those scripts again for my current job, what are people using to backup equipment, things such as Cisco routers (26xx, 36xx, 72xx, 75xx, MSFC, RSM) and Cisco Catalyst switches (2924XL, 3548XL, 4000, 5000, 6500) ?
What I am trying to archive is at least a daily backup, with again some version control to be able what changed between days.
-- Regards, Ulf.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Ulf Zimmermann, 1525 Pacific Ave., Alameda, CA-94501, #: 510-769-2936 Alameda Networks, Inc. | http://www.Alameda.net | Fax#: 510-521-5073
s/Austin/John Heasley and others/g %ERROR%misplacedpointer% -a Thus spake Alan Hannan (alan@mindvision.com) on or about Sat, Feb 03, 2001 at 10:06:42AM -0600:
Several folks mention Rancid, which is a great system for what it is meant to do, Austin deserves much kudos.
Additionally, w/ expect and cvs, one can write a custom system without too much work, but with Rancid, why bother?
A company called Gold Wire Technology (www.goldwiretech.com) has an excellent product called "Forumlator". It's more than just config archives; that's a small by-product of what it does. High level, it's an industrial strength policy-based configuration management system, Very impressive company and product. They cover much of the OSS requirements for active network management, ie, not alarms or trending, but activation and change-management, etc.
Two "tier 1" ISPs beta-tested the SW, and I think it's shipping for revenue RSN.
-alan
(...who has a vested interest in Gold Wire)
Thus spake Ulf Zimmermann (ulf@Alameda.net) on or about Fri, Feb 02, 2001 at 04:34:47PM -0800:
A while back when I was at SGI, I wrote my own scripts, using expect and tftp to backup configurations of Cisco routers. Configs then were put into rcs. Now before I am resurecting those scripts again for my current job, what are people using to backup equipment, things such as Cisco routers (26xx, 36xx, 72xx, 75xx, MSFC, RSM) and Cisco Catalyst switches (2924XL, 3548XL, 4000, 5000, 6500) ?
What I am trying to archive is at least a daily backup, with again some version control to be able what changed between days.
-- Regards, Ulf.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Ulf Zimmermann, 1525 Pacific Ave., Alameda, CA-94501, #: 510-769-2936 Alameda Networks, Inc. | http://www.Alameda.net | Fax#: 510-521-5073
put into rcs. Now before I am resurecting those scripts again for my current job, what are people using to backup equipment, things such as Cisco routers (26xx, 36xx, 72xx, 75xx, MSFC, RSM) and Cisco Catalyst switches (2924XL, 3548XL, 4000, 5000, 6500) ?
I use a small program called disco that sends an SNMP write request to the router to initiate a 'write net' then receives the file via tftp. It's available at http://web.mit.edu/ktools/ and works for at least linux and solaris. kretch
participants (10)
-
Adam Rothschild -
Alan Hannan -
Alan Hannan -
Bill Fumerola -
Brian -
dsm -
James M. Kretchmar -
Jeremy T. Bouse -
mdevney＠teamsphere.com -
Ulf Zimmermann