Keep copies of a network device's config on its equipment page: take one before a change and one after, compare any two to see what the change did, and download one to roll back from. Configs hold passwords and keys, so they are encrypted and shown like secrets.

Overview

Once the Vault is on, a Config backups panel appears on equipment of these built in types:

• Firewall
• Router
• Switch
• Wireless access point
• Console server
• Network device

Copies are pasted or uploaded by people. TekStacks does not pull configs from devices.

The newest copy shows first, with when it was saved, who saved it, its size, its note, and the change it was taken for. Each device keeps the number of copies an Admin sets under Vault settings (10 unless changed). Saving one more deletes the oldest. This is not version control: there are no branches and no history beyond the copies kept.

Requirements

• Role: See secrets and config backups to show, download and compare copies. Add, edit and delete secrets and config backups to save them. Admin, Manager and Technician have both by default.

Save a copy

1. Open the switch, router, firewall or other network equipment.
2. In the Config backups panel, click Save a copy.
3. Paste the running config into Config, or choose its file under Or upload the file (a text file up to 2 MB).
4. Add a Note, such as "Before the VLAN 40 change".
5. If the copy is for a recorded change, pick it under For a change, then choose Before the change or After the change under Taken.
6. Click Submit.

Show or download a copy

1. Beside a copy, click Show to read it on the page, or Download to save it as a text file named after the equipment's tag and the time it was saved.
2. Click Close to put a shown copy away.

The first time, Confirm it is you asks for your password or a passkey, as when showing a secret. See Secrets.

Compare two copies

1. Tick the boxes beside two copies.
2. Click Compare the two.

What changed between the two copies reads from the older copy to the newer one. Added lines start with + and are green; removed lines start with - and are red.

Changes and config copies

A copy saved For a change shows "Before" or "After" and the change's title on the device's page, linked to the change. The change record lists its Config copies in turn, with each device and when the copy was taken, for people who can see config backups. See Change management.

Notes

Note: Every time a copy is shown or downloaded is recorded. Saving a copy is written to the equipment's history as "Config backup saved".

Note: When your company uses its own key, saving, showing and comparing need a trusted browser.

Note: The panel appears only on the built in types above. Equipment of a type your company added does not get one.

Troubleshooting

"Paste the config or upload a text file." The form was empty, or the file was not plain text.

There is no Config backups panel on a switch. Check that the Vault is on, that the equipment's type is one of the types above, and that your role has one of the Vault permissions.

A copy I saved is gone. Each device keeps only the number of copies set under Vault settings. Saving one more deletes the oldest.

FAQ

Can TekStacks fetch the config from the device for me? No. Paste it or upload the file.

Who can change how many copies are kept? An Admin, under Administration, Vault settings, Config copies kept per device. See Turning on the Vault.