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Configuration Change Management
Overview
Monitoring the changes done to the configuration
is a crucial function in Configuration Management. DeviceExpert provides
convenient change management options. Once the configuration change in
a device is detected, it is important that notifications are sent to those
responsible for change management. It also provides option to roll-back
the changes.
DeviceExpert helps in sending notifications
in four ways:
- Sending Email
- Sending SNMP Traps
- Generating trouble Tickets
- Rolling back to the previous version or the baseline
version
And these notifications can be sent whenever
there happens a change in
- Startup or Running Configuration
- Startup Configuration alone
- Running Configuration alone
How to set up Change Management?
Setting up Change Management is a simple,
three-step process:
- Provide a name for the Change Management Rule
- Choose Change Management condition
- Specify the action
Providing a name for the Change Management Rule
This step deals with just providing a name
and description for the intended change management rule. 'Change Management
Rule' here refers to the condition based on which you would like to get
the notification. As stated above, notification could be triggered when
startup and/or running configuration of a device undergoes a change. You
may provide names such as "Startup Config Changed', "Running
Config Changed". This would be of help in identifying the rule and
for reusing it for other devices later.
To provide a name,
- Go to "Inventory"
>> "All Devices" and click the name of the device
for which change management has to be enabled
- Click the tab "Change
Management"
- In the "Change
Management" GUI that opens up, click the button "New Rule"
- Enter 'Rule
Name' and 'Description'
in the respective text fields
Choosing Change Management Condition
Click any one of the radio buttons -
- Startup or Running Configuration is changed -
to send notification when either Startup or Running configuration of a
device is changed
- Running Configuration is changed - to send notification
when the Running configuration of a device is changed
- Startup Configuration is changed - to send notification
when the Startup configuration of a device is changed
Specifying the action
After defining the condition in the previous
step, you can specify any of the following three actions:
- Sending Email
- sending Email notifications to the desired recipients
- Sending SNMP
Traps - sending an SNMP v2 trap to specific host
- Generating Trouble
Tickets - generate a trouble ticket to help desk
- Rollback Configuration
- to revert to the previous configuration version or to the baseline version
Sending Email Notifications
To send email notifications to the desired
recipients (based on the change management condition specified earlier),
- Click the checkbox "Send
Email Notification"
- Enter the Email ids of the intended recipients.
If you want to send the notification to multiple recipients, enter the
ids separated by a comma. By default, the Email ids configured through
Admin >> Mail Settings page are displayed here. You may add new
Email ids if required
- Provide a subject for the notification and the
actual message in the respective fields. Here, in the subject and message
fields, you have the option to provide details such as Device Name, IP,
type of configuration that underwent change (startup/running), and who
changed the configuration
- For this purpose, DeviceExpert provides replaceable
tags -
$DEVICENAME, $DEVICEIP, $CONFIGTYPE and
$CHANGEDBY. You may use these tags to provide exact details in
the subject and message fields of the notification.
Example: $CONFIGTYPE of $DEVICENAME changed
Explanation: If the $CONFIGTYPE is "Running Configuration"
and $DEVICENAME is "Primary Router", the actual message in the
notification would be "Running Configuration of Primary Router changed".
These tags get replaced with the actual values at runtime.
- You have the option to append the configuration
diff in the message. The difference with the previous version would be
pasted in the message field. To enable this option, click "Append Configuration Difference
in Message". Click "Save".
Sending SNMP Trap
SNMP v2 traps could be sent to specific host
upon detecting a configuration change. To send SNMP trap to the desired
host (based on the change management condition specified earlier),
- Click the checkbox "Send
SNMP Trap"
- Enter hostname or ip address of the recipient.
Also, enter SNMP port and community.
Default values 162 for port and public for community
- Click "Save"
Note
The SnmpTrapOid will be .1.3.6.1.4.1.2162.100.4.1.2.1
Varbinds will include the display name of
the device whose configuration has been changed, its IP address, the type
of configuration that underwent change - startup or running and the login
name of the user who changed the configuration.
Refer ADVENTNET-DEVICEEXPERT-MIB present
under <DeviceExpert Home>/protocol/mibs directory |
Generating Trouble Tickets
Upon detecting changes in configuration,
you have the option to generate trouble tickets to your Help Desk. To
generate trouble tickets,
- Click the checkbox "Generate
Trouble Tickets"
- Enter the Email id of the help desk. By default,
the Help
Desk id configured through Admin >> Mail Settings page are displayed
here. You may add new Email ids if required
- Provide a subject for the notification and the
actual message in the respective fields. Here, in the subject and message
fields, you have the option to provide details such as Device Name, IP,
type of configuration that underwent change (startup/running), and who
changed the configuration
- For this purpose, DeviceExpert provides replaceable
tags -
$DEVICENAME, $DEVICEIP, $CONFIGTYPE and $CHANGEDBY. You may use these
tags to provide exact details in the subject and message fields of the
notification.
Example: $CONFIGTYPE of $DEVICENAME changed
Explanation: If the $CONFIGTYPE is "Running Configuration"
and $DEVICENAME is "Primary Router", the actual message in the
notification would be "Running Configuration of Primary Router changed".
These tags get replaced with the actual values at runtime.
- You have the option to append the configuration
diff in the message. The difference with the previous version would be
pasted in the message field. To enable this option, click "Append
Configuration Difference in Message". Click "Save"
Rollingback Configuration
Upon detecting changes in configuration,
you have the option to revert to the previous version or to the baseline
version. To revert to a configuration version,
- Click the checkbox "Rollback
Configuration"
- If you want to rollback to the previous version
- that is, the version immediately preceding the current version (the
changed version), choose "Rollback to previous version". When
you choose this option, whenever a configuration change is detected, it
will immediately be rolled back to the previous version. For example,
if a change is detected in the running configuration of a device, and
the new version number (changed one) is 7, it will be automatically rolled
back to version 6
- If you want to rollback to the baseline version
- that is, the version labeled as the best one, choose "Rollback
to version labeled baseline". When you choose this option, whenever
a configuration change is detected, it will immediately be rolled back
to the baseline version
Note: The rollback feature
is for preventing unauthorized configuration changes. So, when you have
enabled this feature for a particular device, even a well intended configuration
change will also be rolled back. So, if you want to do a genuine configuration
change, you need to disable the change management rule. |
Important Note:
- With
the completion of the above step, the rule thus created gets automatically
associated with the particular device from whose device details page it
was created.
- By
following exactly the same steps as above, rules can be created from Device
Groups page. When doing so, the rule will be automatically associated
with all the devices of the group.
- The
Change Management rule associated with a device/device group can be disassociated
anytime from the "Inventory"
>> "All Devices" >> "Change Management"
GUI.
Associating More Rules with a
Device/Group
The rules created as above can be associated
with other devices/groups. Also, a single device/group can be associated
with multiple rules.
To associate a single device with a rule/rules,
- Go to "Inventory"
>> "All Devices" and click the hostname of any
of the device
- Click the tab "Change
Management"
- In the "Change
Management" GUI that opens up, click the button "Associate Rules"
- In the page that opens up, the names of available
rules are listed. Select the rule/rules, which are to be associated with
the device
- Click "Associate".
The rule is associated with the required device
To associate a device group with a rule/rules,
- Go to the "Inventory"
>> "Device
Group". Click the name of
the required device group
- In the page that opens up, go to "Change Management"
tab and slick "Associate
Rules"
- In the page that opens up, the names of available
rules are listed
- Select the rule/rules, which are to be associated
with the device group and click "Associate".
The rule/rules are associated with the
device group. The rule applies to all devices that are part of the group
Important Note:
If a rule is modified, the change takes effect
for all the devices/groups associated with it. |
Managing Change Management Rules
Disabling, Enabling & Removing a Rule
All the change management rules created in
the application can be viewed and managed from the "Admin" tab.
You can do actions such as temporarily disabling the execution of a rule,
enabling it again later or removing the rule altogether.
To manage rules,
- Go to "Admin"
tab. Click the link "Change
Management" present under the "Device
Management" section in the LHS
- Select the rule(s) to be disabled/enabled/removed
from the list of rules and click the appropriate button
Warning:
When you click "Remove", it removes the rule permanently from
the database.
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