Re: Network Configuration Management Practices

[Joe Shen <joe_hznm () yahoo com sg>]

There has been some public available software for
backing up Cisco router configuration. 

The backup is  not in CVS but in plain file. 

Joe


 --- Alexei Roudnev <alex () relcom net> wrote:  
> Hmm, there are many approaches, starting with _what
> is primary_ (in Moscow's
> ISP files was primary, in enterprise here configs
> are primary).
>
> In my case, I use some hard rules:
> - no matter what is primary, configurations should
> be stored into CVS or
> simular system, and made available (for network
> engineers) on the internal
> web (with restricted access);
> - system should collect all changes automatically
> (or update configs from
> files automatically), make diffs and send change
> reports.
> - In any case, I must be able to see real
> configuration and see all changes,
> applying for last few weeks, without telnetting to
> the box.
>
> Without such things, I am blind ( I feel myself
> blind, when I come to the
> new network, and they have not such things in their
> system, making changes
> _on live servers_ and making 'telnet' to evaluate
> configuration).
>
> Few tools (opensource and commercial) allows to
> automate this job.
>
> One more thing. We tried to review _proposed
> changes_ and _changed applied_.
> Practice showed, that it is impossible to see errors
> in proposed updates,
> even if 3 - 4 engineers review it (not design flaws,
> but syntac and
> semantics errors), so we did not got many use from
> pre-change reviews
> (except design ones). But we got extremely high
> profit from post-change
> reviews (verifying, what really changed on the
> router / firewall after
> maintanance window) - it allows to see some unwanted
> changes and avoid few
> possible service disruptions.
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Scott Weeks" <surfer () mauigateway com>
> To: "Carl W.Kalbfleisch" <c.kalbfleisch () comcast net>
> Cc: <nanog () merit edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2004 3:08 PM
> Subject: Re: Network Configuration Management
> Practices
>
>
> > On Tue, 14 Sep 2004, Carl W.Kalbfleisch wrote:
> >
> > : I am doing some independent research on Network
> Configuration
> > : Management Practices. I am trying to get
> information from service
> > : providers and enterprises on how they handle
> this function. I have the
> > : following specific questions:
> > :
> > : 1) What configuration issues most affect the
> performance and
> > : reliability of your network?
> >
> >
> > Fingers...  >;-)
> >
> > scott
>
>  

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