Template File Development

The advantage of a Cisco 800 Fast Step IOS template (TPL) file is the ability to use Setup to load a configuration scenario not supported by the Cisco 800 Fast Step wizard or CFG files. If you want the end user to connect a Cisco 800 series router to an ISP by using ISDN, you can use a CFG file. However, if you want the end user to use Setup to connect to the corporate network by using X.25, a WAN protocol not supported by Setup, you can use a Cisco 800 Fast Step IOS template (TPL) file.

Note In Cisco Fast Step version 2.4, Cisco 827 routers can be configured only by using the TPL files. The routers are not supported by the wizard mode or CFG files.

For example, you could develop a TPL file that prompts the end user for the IP address. Your procedure is as follows:

Step 1 Use Setup to draft the configuration.

Step 2 Save the file by using the Save File As window, selecting the Cisco IOS Format option. (This window displays as part of the sequence for developing a configuration.)

Step 3 Open the TPL file in a text editor.

Note The format required in the first line in the Cisco 800 Fast Step IOS template (TPL) file is "! Cisco Fast Step Template." This allows Setup to verify that the file is a Cisco 800 Fast Step IOS template (TPL) file. The line is entered automatically when you save the file. Do not delete or modify this line.

Step 4 Change the data to be entered to an end-user prompt as described in the "TPL End-User Prompts" section.

Step 5 Add IP stack configuration flags as needed to your template file. This process is described in the "TPL IP Stack Configuration Flags" section.

Step 6 Place the TPL files in the appropriate location as described in the "Making a Custom Cisco 800 Fast Step CD-ROM" section in the "Custom Software Installation" chapter.

Step 7 Ship Cisco 800 Fast Step software, including the TPL files to the end users with instructions. The instructions should direct the end user to run Setup, choose the appropriate TPL file, and enter the IP address at the prompt.

TPL IP Stack Configuration Flags

Cisco 800 Fast Step version 2.4 and higher supports IP stack configuration flags. The flags are as follows:

! SetForceStaticAddressOnPCAlways=0
! ForceStaticIPAddress=
! ForceStaticIPMask=
! SetForceDHCPClinetOnPCAlways=0

The identifier must be present in the header of the TPL file. For example:

! Cisco Fast Step Template
!
! SetForceStaticAddressOnPCAlways=0
! ForceStaticIPAddress=
! ForceStaticIPMask=
! SetForceDHCPClientOnPCAlways=0

IP Stack Configuration Flag Descriptions

The flags and their functions are as described in this section.

! SetForceStaticAddressOnPCAlways=

If this flag value is set to 1, the PC is set to a static IP address and mask according to the values given in the flags ForceStaticIPAddress and ForceStaticIPMask. The PC is set to these static addresses before trying to connect to the router.

If this flag value is set to 0, the IP address of the PC on which Cisco 800 Fast Step is running remains unchanged.

! ForceStaticIPAddress=

This flag value indicates the IP address that is set on the PC before Cisco 800 Fast Step tries to connect to the router. The value is considered only when the SetForceStaticAddressOnPCAlways flag value is set to 1.

! ForceStaticIPMask=

This flag value indicates the IP mask that is set on the PC before the Cisco 800 Fast Step tries to connect to the router. The value is considered only when the SetForceStaticAddressOnPCAlways flag is set to 1.

! SetForceDHCPClientOnPCAlways=0

If this flag value is set to 1, the PC is set as a DHCP client by Cisco 800 Fast Step after the router has been configured.

If this flag value is set to 0, the PC IP stack is untouched.

TPL End-User Prompts

The TPL file begins with the statement, "! Cisco Fast Step Template" to distinguish it as a Cisco 800 Fast Step IOS template (TPL) file. The variables used to prompt the end user follow, placed in the sequence that you want the prompts to appear. Additional configuration parameters are also listed and use the same syntax the end user would use if the end user were entering the commands at a command-line prompt. Any text that is not a variable or a recognized command is ignored.

A variable must be enclosed in < > (less-than and greater-than characters) to be differentiated from the rest of the template. The syntax for the variable is as follows:

<variablename, "prompt", variabletype, "groupprompt">

for example:

enable password <ENABLE_PASSWORD, "Enter the Enable Password", String, "Passwords">

The text outside of the <> characters is considered a comment and is therefore ignored. The variable fields are described in Table 3-1.
Table 3-1: Cisco Fast Step IOS Template Fields

Field Description

Variable Name
Name used to refer to variable on subsequent uses. Can be up to 50 characters. Use upper-case characters to differentiate variable names from the IOS commands. The < or > (less-than and greater-than characters) cannot be used.

Prompt
Prompt displayed when the Cisco 800 Fast Step IOS template (TPL) is run in Cisco 800 Fast Step. Must be enclosed in " (quotes) if the prompt contains spaces. Keep the string short to avoid scrolling the prompt.

Variable Type
Type of entry field.

String allows any character string to be entered.

IPAddress prompts for a dotted-decimal IP address.

IPXAddress prompts for a hexadecimal IPX address.

Group Prompt
Header used to bundle a group of prompts. Must be enclosed in " (quotes) if the prompt contains spaces. Keep the string short to avoid scrolling the prompt.

Field	Description
Variable Name	Name used to refer to variable on subsequent uses. Can be up to 50 characters. Use upper-case characters to differentiate variable names from the IOS commands. The < or > (less-than and greater-than characters) cannot be used.
Prompt	Prompt displayed when the Cisco 800 Fast Step IOS template (TPL) is run in Cisco 800 Fast Step. Must be enclosed in " (quotes) if the prompt contains spaces. Keep the string short to avoid scrolling the prompt.
Variable Type	Type of entry field. String allows any character string to be entered. IPAddress prompts for a dotted-decimal IP address. IPXAddress prompts for a hexadecimal IPX address.
Group Prompt	Header used to bundle a group of prompts. Must be enclosed in " (quotes) if the prompt contains spaces. Keep the string short to avoid scrolling the prompt.

Example TPL File

This example uses a TPL file to configure a large number of ISDN routers differing only by IP address and user name. The Cisco 800 Fast Step IOS template (TPL) prompts the end user for a user name and Ethernet IP address. In this case, the template is placed on a server where you maintain the template, changing the command-line parameters to match network changes. The end user simply downloads the template, loads it into Setup, and responds to the prompts.

! Cisco Fast Step Template
!
no service pad
service timestamp debug uptime
service timestamp log uptime
service password-encryption
service linenumber
!
hostname testhost
clock timezone GMT 0
!
enable secret secret
enable password password
!
username <USERNAME, "Username of ISDN Router", String, "Username">-isdn password x123abcd
isdn switch-type basic-net3
isdn tei-neg first
!
interface Ethernet0
ip address <E0_IP, "IP Address for Ethernet", IPAddress, "IP Addresses">
ip helper-address 144.254.44.12
!
interface BRI 0
ip unnumbered e0
encapsulation ppp
bandwidth 128
dialer idle-timeout 90
dialer wait-for-carrier-time 100
dialer map ip 171.68.125.229 name <USERNAME>-isdn 01818319036
!
dialer hold-queue 20
dialer load-threshold 80
dialer-group 1
ppp authentication chap
ppp multilink
!
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 171.68.125.229
access-list 101 deny tcp any any eq 123
access-list 101 deny udp any any eq ntp
access-list 101 deny udp any any eq 20
access-list 101 deny igmp any any
access-list 101 permit ip any any
 
dialer-list 1 list 101
!
line con 0
exec-timeout 0 0
password xxx123
login
line vty 0 4
password xxx123
login
!
end

Once entered, the values of the variables can be reused. For example:

username <USERNAME, "Username of ISDN Router", String, "Username">-isdn password x123abcd
...
dialer map ip 171.68.125.229 name <USERNAME>-isdn 01818319036

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