User's Guide

Understanding the Configuration Change Management Process

Large networks can contain literally thousands of routers and switches. Each of these devices has a device configuration consisting of a load image and configuration file. For some devices, such as the 2210, the configuration also consists of a PROM image.

Nways Deployment Manager is designed to help you track and maintain device configurations for the devices in your network. Specifically, Deployment Manager supports the 2210, 2212, 2216, and 8275 Model 416 devices.

The general tasks for using Deployment Manager to work with devices are:

1. Create inventory records in the Deployment Manager database for each device type using the Update Software Inventory task. Typically, you will perform this task to obtain a list of all Load images (and PROM images if needed) from IBM web sites. These records contain information about the Load images (such as version and release) available for each device type.
2. After creating the inventory records, you will need to create device records for each of the supported devices in your network. These device records contain information about the network device, such as the IP address, SNMP read and write community names, and operator ID and password.

   When you first install Deployment Manager or when there are significant changes to your network, you can create device records by performing the Synchronize database tasks, which synchronizes the Deployment Manager database with the Nways topology database.

   You can also create a device record for a single device using the Create device task.

3. After creating device records for each device, you perform a Learn Configuration task to create a current configuration record for each device record. The configuration record that results from a Learn Configuration task has a configuration status of Active. It includes information about the configuration actually loaded in device (such as the Load Image version and release, the device ID for the device to which the configuration applies, and the status of the configuration).
4. Over time, you will want to modify configurations in a device to incorporate additional features and functions or move to a new version/release of the software. To do so, you first perform an Upgrade device task, which creates a new configuration record for the device. You can have multiple configuration records for a device (but only one configuration record with a status of Active).
5. Finally, after you have created a new configuration record for a device, you can apply it to a network device using an Update device task. When you Update a device, you actually load a new configuration into the device.

   Before, you can update the configuration in a device, you must first add the Load image, configuration files, and PROM image (if applicable) to the Deployment Manager database. You can choose to add these files to the database when you perform a Learn Configuration task or by using an Import task.

Deployment Manager provides the ability to perform many of these tasks as scheduled jobs, which allows you to determine when they will execute. In addition, Deployment Manager allows you to manage these jobs, audit network devices to verify configurations, and export configurations as needed.