Automate Network Device Configuration Backup

Network configuration backup refers to the process of copying and storing configuration settings from end devices on a network.

Network configuration backups are essential to maintaining a healthy, safe, and functional network. They can prove critical in the face of an emergency or testing by aiding in a quick configuration rollback. The config data and files stored through a network configuration backup can be used to restore a single node or device, or they can be used to restore multiple devices at the same time.

Automated network configuration backups can help keep you from having to worry you may not have a working device configuration if disaster occurs. Automating network backups of device configs also work to eliminate the human error that can occur in manual configuration backup efforts. Automation can make backups more dependable than the manual alternative, since they’re designed to eliminate the chance of an admin accidentally forgetting to back up one device configuration or another, which could leave you without the last good configuration if you suddenly need to revert back.

Network backups of configurations can prove extremely critical, so many organizations choose to use an automated network configuration backup solution to ensure they have functional and accurate device configurations they can rely on.

A network config backup tool is designed to remove the manual element of the configuration backup process and replace it with automated, scheduled backups of device configurations. You can customize the time intervals for taking config backups, so you can be confident they’re as frequent and up to date as you want. You can also specify the backup frequency for individual devices and nodes, so devices that undergo configuration changes more frequently than others can have an appropriate backup schedule.

Automating config backups can also keep you from needing to rely on scripts or having to make sure you manually back up config data regularly since you know the network configuration backup system is doing it for you.

Using a network backup solution means you can spend less time performing backups and more time on business-critical tasks. It also means you can restore your network device configurations faster in case a security vulnerability demands returning to an old configuration. The best network backup software can allow you to compare a running configuration to old configs to identify where you can make changes to improve performance.

How frequently network backups of device configurations occur is largely up to you. You should determine what frequency makes the most sense and create a network device config backup schedule to reflect that frequency. 

One common guideline you can follow is to make a config backup whenever you make a change to your system, whether adding a device, removing one, or changing a configuration. If some device configurations are changed often, you should consider setting a more frequent backup schedule for those devices to make sure you have a record of the latest config.

Network config backups are important for maintaining the security and viability of your network. Without backups of device configurations, you may be vulnerable if a disaster or error breaks or erases configs. A single unauthorized or failed configuration change can also create a new security vulnerability or network availability issue. 

When it comes to change management, it’s important to have a contingency plan in case you need to roll back to an old configuration. Network config backups can serve as a contingency plan by regularly capturing a copy of the current configuration you can return to if an error occurs when making a change or if someone makes an unauthorized change. Without the ability to roll back to a previous, good config, you may be forced to start from scratch. However, having network backups of config files can allow you to more easily revert devices to that config if needed.

All this translates into saved time, in addition to increased network security—especially when using automated network config backup software like SolarWinds Kiwi CatTools.

SolarWinds Kiwi CatTools is a network management tool and automated backup software solution that lets you customize your configuration backups to best suit your specific business needs. 

Kiwi CatTools is designed to let you create backups of individual devices, nodes, and your devices as frequently as you want. Kiwi CatTools also lets you compare backed-up configurations with your current running configuration, so you can analyze the differences between the two and find opportunities for improvements and more quickly identify security vulnerabilities. 

The Kiwi CatTools solution has two main network backup activities: the Device.Backup.Running Config activity and the Device.Backup.TFTP activity. The Device.Backup.Running Config activity makes a backup of the device’s current running configuration, which you can then compare to the configuration file currently on the disk (from the previous backup). If there are differences between the configurations, the new one is dated and stored, and it becomes the new current config. The Device.Backup.TFTP activity is much like the Device.Backup.Running Config activity except it makes a backup of a specific file.

SolarWinds Kiwi CatTools is more than just an automated network configuration backup software solution. It’s also a change management tool designed to help simplify the configuration change management process and help ensure the security and optimal performance of the network. 

Kiwi CatTools also comes with other key features in addition to its automated config backup capabilities:

• Get alerted on configuration changes: Get automatic email alerts whenever a configuration is changed within your network, so you can start tracking potential security vulnerabilities and unauthorized changes as soon as they occur.
• Generate reports on device info and configs: Kiwi CatTools comes with several out-of-the-box report options to help you easily generate reports on your device information and configurations.
• Perform bulk config changes: Apply configuration files to multiple devices at once to speed up recovery and proactive change.
• Compare and analyze device configs: Compare your current configurations with the most recently backed up config or with the startup config to easily see what’s changed. Then you can analyze the results of the comparison and make whatever changes seem fit.
• Manage devices from a single console: Kiwi CatTools comes with built-in “Activities” to help you manage and work on network devices without needing to use the Command Line Interface (CLI). With the Kiwi CatTools console, you can update a device’s banner or password, perform inter-device pings, and more.
• Get multi-vendor support: Kiwi CatTools comes with built-in support for IPv4 and IPv6 network devices from multiple vendors, including HP, Cisco, Huawei, and more.