Documentation forNetwork Configuration Manager
Managing network configurations is a key capability of SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted (formerly Hybrid Cloud Observability) and is available in the Advanced edition. Network Configuration Manager (NCM) is also available in a standalone module.

Specify the storage settings for binary configs

If you have devices whose configurations files are in a binary format instead of a plain text format (for example, F5 BIG-IP load balancers), you can use NCM to back up these binary config files. (Binary config files cannot be opened and read or edited in a text editor.)

Check out this SolarWinds Lab bit about binary config files in NCM (0:1:47 long, published April 27, 2018).

NCM stores binary configuration files that you download on a network share. If you will be managing device configurations that are in binary format, you must first specify the network share that you want NCM to use.

NCM cannot be used to edit or compare binary configuration files.

  1. If you have not already done so, specify credentials to give NCM write access to the network share.
  2. Click Settings > All Settings in the menu bar.
  3. Under Product Specific Settings section, click NCM Settings.
  4. Under Config Settings, click Binary Config Storage Settings.

  5. Enter the path to the network share (for example: \\MYLAB-SERVERNAME-01\binarystorage).

    The NCM server must be in the same domain as the network share system.

  6. Enter the credentials required to access the network share.
  7. To validate the connection before submitting your settings, click Validate.
  8. Click Submit.