Schedule regular backups of network config files

To ensure that network configs are backed up on a regular basis, NCM includes the Nightly Config Backup job, which downloads the config files for all devices every night. This job is enabled by default, so it runs automatically.

Config backups are stored in the SolarWinds Platform database and (optionally) the config archive location.

Examine the default settings of the default job to make sure they meet your needs. If necessary, you can change the defaults.

NCM also includes the Weekly Config Backup job. This job is not enabled by default. If you prefer to back up configs weekly instead of daily, you can enable this job and disable the Nightly Config Backup job. SolarWinds does not recommend enabling both jobs.

Default settings

By default, the Nightly Config Backup job:

• Runs at 2:00 AM every day

• Downloads the Running and Startup configs from all nodes

  The job runs only on devices that support the selected config types. If your devices support different config types, you can configure multiple backup jobs that target different groups of devices. For example, one job could target only Palo Alto devices and back up the Device State.

• Saves the results to a job log

• Does not send email notification when it runs

• Saves configs whether or not they changed

• Does not send notifications if configs have changed

Changing the default settings

You can change the default settings by editing the default job or by creating a copy of the job and editing the copy. Because changes to the default job cannot be reverted, SolarWinds recommends that you create a copy and edit the copy.

1. Click My Dashboards > Network Configuration > Jobs.
2. Select the Nightly Config Backup job.
3. Click Duplicate Job.
4. Specify a unique name. For example, include the name of your organization in the job name.

5. Specify when the job runs:

   • To run the job once or on a simple schedule, select Basic. Click the tab that identifies how frequently the job runs, and then specify the start time and (if needed) the day(s).

   • To create a more complex schedule, select Advanced and then use the five fields to create a CRON expression.

6. In the Comments box, include the reason for your changes, and then click Next.

7. Specify which devices this job targets, and click Next.

   • All Nodes is selected by default. Leave this selection to back up configs from all devices added to NCM.

   • If you do not want this job to run on all devices, select Dynamic Selection and specify the criteria used to select the devices.

     For example, to create a job that runs on all Palo Alto devices, select Vendor is Palo Alto Networks. You could also create a second job to run on all other devices by selecting Vendor is not Palo Alto Networks. Click View Selected Nodes to verify that your criteria targets the expected nodes.

     

   • Alternatively, you can choose Select Nodes and add specific nodes. However, you must remember to update the job definition whenever devices are added to the network.

8. Select an email notification option, and click Next. If you click Email Results, the default email notification and SMTP server settings are populated. These settings can be overridden in each job.
9. Select the configuration types you want to download, and specify whether you want to back up configs only if they have changed since the last backup.
10. If you want to be notified when a config has changed, select the send config change notifications. Then click Next.

11. Review the settings for the job, and click Finish.

    The job is enabled by default.

12. To avoid running both your custom job and the default job, disable the default job:
    1. In the Jobs List, select the Nightly Config Backup job.
    2. Click Disable.