Learn how to discover devices into NCM, automate & schedule configuration backups, real time change detection, & face network disasters with baseline configuration, startup-running config sync & export config.

1. Configuration backup & Disaster recovery
Free Network Configuration Manager Training – Part 1

2. Welcome to Network
Configuration Manager
training – Part 1

3. Can you hear me?
Can you see the presentation?
Please confirm by commenting on the chat panel.

4. Trainer
Hemalakshmi
Product Expert
Network Configuration Manager

5. • Manual Configuration changes
• Faulty configuration changes.
• Unplanned, unauthorized configuration changes to their network
devices
• Business needs demand frequent, quick configuration changes. Task
becomes complex when multiple administrators manage devices from
multi-vendors.
• Keeping track of configuration changes
Why is a tool needed for configuration
management?

6. NCM offers a perfect solution for all the above issues:
• Designed to automate the entire lifecycle of device configuration
management.
• Process of changing configurations, managing changes, ensuring
compliance and security are all automated.
• Helps in ensuring high levels of security in the network
What does NCM do?

7. Minimum system requirements
2.4 GHz dual-core
processor, or
equivalent
12GB RAM 50GB storage PostgreSQL/MSSQL Windows/Linux
The above given specifications are for an environment with 1000 devices. Refer: System requirements

8. Agenda
• Initial setup
• Device discovery & templates
• Credentials
• Configuration backups & upload
• Real-time change detection & change management
• Disaster recovery

9. Initial setup
- Ports & protocols
- Device template
SNMP Profile Device discovery Backup
credential

10. Pre-requisites: Ports & Protocols
Protocols:
SSH, SCP, TFTP
Ports:
69 – TFTP | 22 – SSH/SCP | 514 – Syslog
13306 – Postgres database | HTTP (80 Default web port)

11. Device template
What are device templates and what are they used for?
Device specific configuration commands :
• Configuration backup
• Configuration upload
• Enable/disable syslog change detection
• Fetching hardware information

12. Built-in device templates
Customizable device templates
Share with network admins around
the world.

13. Device discovery
SNMP Request
SysOID
SNMP Profile
V1, V2, V3
NCM Discovery
Add device & associate with
corresponding device
template
Match received
SysOID with
default/custom
SysOID
Match found
Match not
foundDevice not
added

14. Device discovery
Single device:
-IP Address
Bulk discovery:
- IP range
- CSV file import

15. ‘Device is not responding for SNMP requests’
Common causes:
The device is reachable yet not
responding:
- Incorrect SNMP read
community
- Disabled SNMP in the device
Possible error:

16. Device not added
Common causes:
Device reachable & SNMP community is correct but still device is not
getting added:
1. Device SysOID not mapped with any device template
Fix: Add sysOID to device template at SysOID finder in settings.
Possible error:
2. No default device template is available in NCM for the particular
device type
Fix: Add/clone new device template.
or Contact NCM support

17. Manual device addition
Single device
- IP Address/Hostname
- Vendor
- Device template
Bulk addition
-CSV File import
Format: <Hostname/ IP Address>,<Device Template
Name>,<Series>,<Model>

18. Inventory
list

19. Backup credential
Possible combinations of protocol for backup:
• SSH/TELNET
• SSH - TFTP / TELNET - TFTP
• SSH - SCP
• SNMP - TFTP

20. SSH / TELNET
SSH / TELNET
Device
configuration
Encrypted
configuration
stored in
database
Config
backup
commandsNCM

21. SSH/TELNET - TFTP
TFTP
Server
Config backup
commands
Config file transfer
using TFTP
Encrypted
configuration file
stored in DB
NCM
SSH/TELNET -
TFTP

22. SSH - SCP
SCP
Server
Config backup
commands
Config file transfer
using SCP
Encrypted
configuration file
stored in DB
NCM
SSH - SCP

23. SNMP - TFTP
SNMP Request for
config backup
Configuration
file transfer
using TFTP
TFTP
Server
Encrypted
configuration file
stored in DB
NCM

24. How to provide credentials?
Refer: https://download.manageengine.com/network-configuration-manager/Device-Expert-Credentials-Tutorial.pdf

25. When password &
enable password is
configured:

26. Directly going to
enable mode:
admin
#

27. Password & enable
password configured:
enable

28. Directly going to
enable mode
enable
admin

29. 3Com router
:
manager

30. Credentials are valid but
file transfer is failed
Common cause:
1. TFTP or SCP servers have not been
started.
Fix: Check running status of TFTP or SCP
servers in NCM server settings. (69 & 22)
2. Timeout due to config file size
Fix: Increase backup timeout value in the
corresponding device template.
Possible error:

31. Configuration backup
• Why should you backup?
• Instant (Single & Bulk)
• Real-time change detection
• Scheduled

32. Real-time change detection
• What is it? Configuration
change made
Configuration
change made
Configuration backup
• Why is it important?
• How does it work?

33. Syslog listener
How does it
work?

34. We don’t support Enable Change Detection for
this device.
Common cause:
NCM doesn’t support syslog for the
particular model.
- Fix: Enable syslog by connecting to
the device and executing the
enable syslog commands manually.
or
Contact NCM support.
Possible error:

35. Change detection is enabled but change is not
detected
Common cause:
When the device & NCM support syslog,
- Mismatched ports
- Check NCM syslog server running status in NCM server settings
Possible error:

36. Scheduled backup
• Routine everyday backups
• Monthly / Weekly / Daily / Hourly / Once

37. Schedule failure
Common causes:
1. Overall schedule execution time is exceeded 5 mins
Fix: Increase execution time in system properties.
2. More than 500 devices being scheduled at one go
3. Less than 1/2 hour time difference between the scheduled run times
4. Particular device credentials incorrect.

38. Backup failure
Common causes:
1. Credentials are changed or invalid.
2. Ports blocked or TFTP/SCP server not started
• Check port 69 & 22 (TFTP & SCP) in NCM server settings
3. Huge config file
• Fix: Change the timeout settings in the corresponding device template.
4. Unsupported backup commands
• Edit the commands in device template or create a new device
template by cloning the closest template.

39. Change management
• Change tracking, versioning & history
• Compare configurations

40. Change tracking, versioning, & history
• View all changes made in a device
• Automatic configuration versioning
• Know the who, when & what of each change
• Know the historical change trend of a device
• View the number of modified, deleted & added config lines

41. Compare configurations
• Compare different versions of same
device
• Compare different devices configurations
• View colour coded differences: added,
modified & deleted

42. Disaster recovery
What’s a disaster in networks?
• A network outage
• A security breach
• Performance degradation of
business critical services and
applications

43. How to be prepared?
• Baseline configuration
• Startup/running sync
• Change notification & rollback
• Export configuration | Upload draft

44. Baseline configuration
• What is it?
• Why is it important?
• How to use it in times of disaster?

45. ‘We don’t support upload feature for this device’
Common causes:
• TELNET/SSH protocol doesn’t support upload
• Fix: Edit the credential and Change the protocol from
SSH, TELNET to SSH - TFTP, SSH - SCP , TELNET -TFTP
depending the devices.
• When SCP/TFTP protocol is used:
• Device vendor supports but NCM device template
doesn’t have upload commands for the specific device.
• Fix: Clone/create a new device template with
suitable SCP/TFTP commands
or Contact NCM support
Possible error:

46. ‘Upload failure’
Common causes:
1. Command timeout
Fix: Change timeout in device template command settings for the device type.
2. Based on the protocol, check the running status of TFTP & SCP
servers in Server Settings.
Possible error:

47. Startup/running sync
• Why is it important?
• Loss of changes made in running
configuration during device reboot
• How NCM helps?
• Detects conflict
• Sync configurations

48. ‘Change happens, but startup-running conflict is not
detected by NCM in real-time.’
Common cause:
Disabled real-time change detection.
Fix:
- Enable change detection if syslog is supported.
- If syslog is not supported, the startup-running conflict will be detected
and reported after the next successful schedule backup or manual backup
operation.
Possible error:

49. Change notification & roll back
Configure change notifications
• Email
• SNMP Trap for change event
• Trouble ticket
• Generate syslog message for change event
Associate notification profile to devices/device groups.
• Roll back
To previous version
To baseline version

50. Export config
• Readable format
• Local/shared storage
• Schedule

51. Part 2 on 11.30AM EST | 30th January
Automation, notification, compliance & reports
Agenda:
• Scheduling configuration tasks
• CLI Configlets
• Compliance (PCI and others)
• Role based Access control (change approval)
• Notification & Alerts
• Reports

52. Let’s keep in touch!
hemalakshmi.b@manageengine.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHLusaahd4nS9esD3xBVeUQ
https://forums.manageengine.com/network-configuration-manager