In this session, you'll learn how to discover devices into Network Configuration Manager using device templates, proper ways of adding credentials, configuration backup's and its importance, and disaster recovery.

2. Welcome to free Network Configuration Manager training session

3. Trainer
Hemalakshmi
Product Expert
ITOM - Network Configuration Manager

4. Training schedule
Week Module Date Schedule Status
1st Configuration backup and Disaster
recovery
Mar 12th 11.30 am EDT In progress
2nd Configlets, compliance, RBAC, and
reports
Mar 19th 11:30am EDT Upcoming
https://www.manageengine.com/itom/free-training/network-configuration-
manager.html

5. Configuration backup & Disaster recovery
Part 1

6. Why is a tool needed for configuration
management?
Minimize configuration errors
Detect changes in real time
Roll back to trusted configuration
Stay compliant to your policies and standards
Streamline the maintenance process

7. What does NCM do?
Network
Configuratio
n Manager
Configuration
rollback
Configuration
comparison
Real time
change detection
Change review
and approval
mechanism
Remote firmware
upgrade
Job
scheduling
User based
access
Policy compliance
verification

8. Agenda
• Requirements for installing Network Configuration Manager
• Device discovery & templates
• Credentials
• Configuration backups & upload
• Real-time change detection & change management
• Disaster recovery

9. 2 GHz dual-core
processor
4 GB RAM 10 GB storage • PostgreSQL
• MSSQL
Windows/Linux
The above given specifications are for an environment with 50 devices. Refer: System requirements
Prerequisites - Minimum System requirement

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

11. 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

12. Device discovery
SNMP Discovery
-IP Address
- IP range
- CSV file import
Manual Addition
- IP Address/Hostname
- Vendor
- Device template
- CSV File import
Format: <Hostname/ IP Address>,<Device Template>, <Name>,<Series>,<Model>

13. ‘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 :

14. ‘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

15. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

22. When password &
enable password
is configured :

23. Directly going to
enable mode :
admin
#

24. 3Com router
:
manager

25. 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 :

26. Configuration backup
• Instant (Single & Bulk)
• Real-time change detection
• Scheduled

27. Real-time change detection
Configuration
change made
Configuration backup

28. How does it
work?

29. 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:

30. 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:

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

32. Schedule failure
Common causes:
Particular device credentials incorrect.

33. 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.

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

35. 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

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

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

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

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

40. ‘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:

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

42. ‘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:

43. ‘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:

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

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

46. Questions?