Documentation forKiwi CatTools

Report.Compare.Running Startup

The Report.Compare.Running Startup activity compares the running and the startup configs of your device(s) and reports on the differences found.

To see a full list of the currently supported device types for the activity, please see the Device Matrix.

How the activity works

The activity works by first connecting to your selected devices, then issuing the commands which show the running and startup configs. These configs are saved into the ClientTemp folder while the activity is running. When the configs have been retrieved from the devices, a compare is run against the two captures and a report is generated, similar to the Report.Compare.Two files activity.

Report generation

The reporting of any differences found can be any combination of the following three reports:

  1. As with other activities the report file on the main activity tab records a history of the jobs that have been run and their result.
  2. An HTML report can be created which will allow you to see the differences between the two files next to each other in column format and is color coded.
  3. A .txt file report can be generated which shows differences in top down format.

The two file paths are capable of receiving Filename Variable parameters.

Setting up the activity for Report.Compare.Running Startup

For information on setting up activities, see Add / Edit scheduled activity details.

Activity options

Configure the options specific to this activity in the Options tab.

Alternate Startup command Enter a command which, when issued to your device, returns the startup config.
Alternate Running command Enter a command which, when issued to your device, returns the running config.
Ignore Text

Should the new file contain any lines of text that are likely to be different from the original file every time the comparison is run (such as a timestamp) and you would like to ignore these lines, they can be added here. More information is available on the Ignore Text field.

To ignore certificate self-signed changes on Cisco routers, see the block text ignore example.

HTML compare report

Specifies the folder and file name of where to store the HTML diff report.

This diff report file contains a side by side comparison of the Running and Startup configs. Changes are highlighted in different colors.

Text summary diff report Specifies the folder and file name of where to store the text based diff report. This diff report file contains a list of the changes found in the Running and Startup configs. This report is a smaller and simpler way to view the changes. Unlike the HTML report, where both the Running and Startup configs are shown in full. The text report only shows the lines that are different.
Only notify by e-mail if differences found Check this option to receive emails reporting any difference found between the startup and running configs.
Attach reports to email

Allows you to choose what level of diff reports you are sent via e-mail:

  • HTML compare report only (default)
  • Text diff report only
  • Both reports

If you want full comparison reports with highlighting, use the HTML compare report. If you just want the changes, use the text report.

If you are sending the reports via an insecure medium, such as a corporate network or internet, be aware that the HTML reports contain your full device configuration. SolarWinds recommends that you send password protected HTML reports over an insecure medium.

Zip Attachments To reduce network traffic and allow for password protection, you can choose to zip the attachments. This is the recommended and default option. It keeps the e-mail smaller and places all the files in a single attachment, which can be beneficial when you have, for example, 400 devices.
Password protect Zip file Protect your reports by adding a password to your zip file. A password protects your files over insecure mediums while in transit to your e-mail box. SolarWinds recommends using current password strength standards when creating a password for your files.