Configuration management for network devices

To perform configuration management actions on network devices (such as downloading, uploading, or executing scripts), you must first enable the Configuration Management option for each device. See the following sections:

Enable configuration management

1. In the left pane of SolarWinds Observability, click Network > Devices.

2. Select one or more network devices and click the Enable Configuration Management button.

   The devices must already be managed in SolarWinds Observability.

3. Select an existing set of CLI credentials, or create a new one.

   These credentials will be used to establish Telnet or SSH sessions with the device for configuration download, configuration upload, and script execution.

4. Click Next.

   This triggers credentials validation. A toast message confirms that a request to assign credentials has been created. You can click the link in the message to track progress on the Events page.
   
   When enabling configuration management for a network device, credential validation is mandatory.

   It might take up to 2 or 3 minutes for SolarWinds Observability to complete this action. During this time, reopening the Configuration Management dialog might still show Enable Config Management as disabled, even though the enable request is already completed.

Additional options for enabling configuration management

You can access the option for enabling configuration management from multiple places, see the following examples.

Entity Explorer

1. In the left pane of SolarWinds Observability, click Explore to open the Entity Explorer.

2. Select the network devices, and click Enable Configuration Management.

3. Complete the wizard: Select credentials, have them validated, and enable configuration management.

Managed by Vendor widget on configuration management overview

1. In the left pane of SolarWinds Observability, click Network > Configuration Management.

2. In the Managed by Vendor widget, click Enable Devices.

3. Select devices and complete the wizard:  Select credentials, have them validated, and enable configuration management.

Create new CLI credentials

When you enable Configuration Management for a network device, you can create new CLI credentials by selecting the New CLI Credentials option. You must provide the following information:

• Display Name: A unique name to identify this credential set so it can be used across devices.

• Username: The login username for Telnet or SSH access.

• Password: The login password for Telnet or SSH access.

• Enable Level: Select Enable if the device requires an additional command to elevate access for configuration backups, configuration uploads, or script execution.

• Enable Mode Password: If Enable is selected, provide the password required for privileged mode.

Advanced settings:

• Execute Script Protocol: The protocol used for script execution.

• Request Config Protocol: The protocol used to initiate configuration download or upload operations.

• Transfer Config Protocol: The protocol used to transfer the configuration file during download or upload.

• Telnet Port: This port will be used for communication if any of the selected protocols use Telnet.

• SSH Port: The port to be used for communication if any of the selected protocols use SSH (SSH1, SSH2, or SSH Auto).

Update CLI credentials for configuration management

1. In the left pane of SolarWinds Observability, click Explore to open the Entity Explorer. You can also update credentials for a device from Network > Devices.

2. Select a network device that has configuration management enabled.

3. Click the vertical ellipsis () at the end of the device row, and click Configuration Management.

4. Update the credentials by selecting an existing CLI credential set or creating a new one.

5. Click Save.

   A toast message confirms that a request to update assigned credentials has been created. You can click the link in the message to track progress on the Events page.

   It might take up to 2 or 3 minutes for SolarWinds Observability to complete this action. During this time, reopening the Configuration Management dialog might still show Enable Config Management as disabled, even though the enable request is already completed.

Disable configuration management

1. In the left pane of SolarWinds Observability, click Explore to open the Entity Explorer. You can also disable Configuration Management for a device from Network > Devices.

2. Select an existing network device that currently has configuration management enabled.

3. Click the vertical ellipsis () at the end of the device row, and click Configuration Management.

4. Click Enable Config Management to deselect it.

5. Click Save.

   A toast message confirms that a request to unassign credentials has been created. You can click the link in the message to track progress on the Events page.

   It might take up to 2 or 3 minutes for SolarWinds Observability to complete this action. During this time, reopening the Configuration Management dialog might still show Enable Config Management as disabled, even though the enable request is already completed.

View devices with configuration management enabled

You can filter devices in the Entity Explorer or from the Network > Devices page based on their configuration management status:

• To show devices with configuration management enabled, enter the following in the search bar:

  hcoCliPollingEnabled:true

• To show devices without configuration m

It might take up to 2 to 3 minutes for the SolarWinds Observability interface to reflect the changes. During this time, the information shown in this filter might not accurately reflect the device’s current status.

View configuration jobs

1. In the left pane of SolarWinds Observability, click Network > Configuration Management.

2. Scroll down and activate the Scheduled Jobs tab.

   To manage scheduled jobs, use the shortcut to Job Management.