Using the Save Configuration and Restore Configuration Features

Saving the Configuration---Overview and Purpose

Guidelines for Saving Node Configuration Data

Saving Node Configuration Data

Restoring the Configuration---Overview and Purpose

Guidelines for Restoring Configuration Data

Restoring the Configuration File

Using the Save Configuration and Restore Configuration Features

This chapter describes how to use the ViewRunner Save Configuration and Restore Configuration features. The Save Configuration procedure provides a backup of the node configuration data. The Restore Configuration procedure provides a way to recover from a corrupted or replaced system controller module or to replicate a standard configuration on a Cisco 6100 Series system. Saving your configuration also allows you to quickly recover your configuration after downloading updated Cisco 6100 Series system software (see "Updating Cisco 6100 Series System Software").

This chapter includes the following sections:

Note All provisioning and configuration information for the Cisco 6100 Series system is stored in NVRAM.

See Table 1-1 for a summary of the compatibility among Cisco 6100 Series systems and ViewRunner releases. Refer to the Release Notes for ViewRunner for Windows Release 3.0.0 for the latest information about which Cisco 6100 Series system releases are supported.

Caution Saving the configuration of the Cisco 6100 Series system does not disrupt service. Restoring the Cisco 6100 configuration resets the system, which causes a temporary loss of service.

The following sections provide an overview and describe the purpose of saving configuration NVRAM, list the guidelines for saving the node software, and provide instructions.

Saving the Configuration---Overview and Purpose

The Save Configuration process saves software images and relationships to module hardware and system configuration parameters that are stored in nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM).

Guidelines for Saving Node Configuration Data

Consider the following guidelines before you save node configuration data:

ViewRunner selects the correct file format for each release version of the system controller module.
The Save Configuration command writes the software version number of the system controller module (9561-000-30, for example) into the file to identify the Management Information Base (MIB) content level of the file.
If any errors occur during the save, ViewRunner ends the operation and generates the following error message:

An error was encountered, check the ViewRunner Log View and try again.

Caution Do not edit the saved .NSS file. Cisco cannot be responsible for problems that can occur if you manually edit this file. Use the Save Configuration wizard; it is designed to keep you from making mistakes and to prevent system outages.

Saving Node Configuration Data

To save NVRAM to a file using the Save Configuration wizard, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Choose Save Configuration from the File menu on the ViewRunner menu bar, shown in Figure 7-1.

Figure 7-1: File Menu---Save Configuration Option

The Save As dialog box opens, shown in Figure 7-2.

Figure 7-2: Save As Dialog Box

Step 2 Choose the drive and folder where you want to save the configuration file.

Do this by using the down arrow in the Save in field (see Figure 7-2).

Step 3 Specify the name for the file in the File Name field.

The filename must have an .NSS extension. The filename system.NSS is the default.

Step 4 Click Save.

The Save Configuration wizard copies the entire system controller module NVRAM configuration (including the software images) to a file with an .NSS extension. You can restore that file later to the same node or to another node.

Step 5 Read the Save Configuration dialog boxes carefully (see Figure 7-3).

Figure 7-3: Save Configuration Dialog Box 1 of 4

Step 6 Click Next to continue.

The next Save Configuration dialog box opens (see Figure 7-4).

Figure 7-4: Save Configuration Dialog Box 2 of 4

Step 7 Click Next for the system to rediscover the system controller module image and assure the most up-to-date configuration.

Step 8 Or, if you are sure you want to skip this step, click next to Skip re-discovery.

Step 9 Click Next to continue with the saving the configuration.

Caution Do not edit the file. If you edit the file, you risk corrupting the configuration.

The Save Configuration dialog boxes inform you of the progress of the save configuration process, shown in Figure 7-5.

Figure 7-5: Save Configuration Dialog Box 3 of 4

When the save process is complete, a message appears at the bottom of the dialog box, shown in Figure 7-6.

Figure 7-6: Save Configuration Dialog Box 4 of 4

Step 10 Click Finish.

Note See the customer premises equipment (CPE) product documentation for procedures on how to save NVRAM configurations for those devices. Refer to "Sample Feature Compatibility Matrix File," for CPE product documentation information.

Restoring the Configuration---Overview and Purpose

Choosing Restore Configuration from the File menu restores the software release that was running on the Cisco 6100 Series system at the time you saved it, and restores the chassis, module, port, subscriber, pool, and service-provisioning information at the time of save. If you restore configuration data from one node to another node that is running a different software version, the restore changes the software version of that node.

Guidelines for Restoring Configuration Data

Consider the following guidelines before you restore your configuration:

The restore process applies both the software images and the configurations that are contained in the saved .NSS file to a Cisco 6100 Series system. For this reason, you can use the restore configuration process to restore a backup of a node to itself.

You would restore a backup of a node to itself for the following reasons:

To recover from a system failure.
To revert to an earlier configuration.
To apply a template Cisco 6100 Series system configuration to several Cisco 6100 Series systems.

Restoring an .NSS file to a Cisco 6100 Series system that is loaded with the same software images in the .NSS file does not result in a software upgrade. In this case, only the Cisco 6100 Series system configurations are restored. This scenario is always the case when you are saving a file from one node and restoring it to the same node, if you have not downloaded any new software between the save and the restore.
If the .NSS file that you are restoring contains images that differ from those stored on the system controller module, you must retrieve new images from the TFTP IP address. ViewRunner retrieves new images using the TFTP path that you enter in the Restore Configuration wizard. You have an opportunity to do this in the Restore Configuration dialog box 2 of 5---Image Location for TFTP Transfer, shown in Figure 7-7. The complete sequence of Restore Configuration dialog boxes are included later in this section.

Figure 7-7: Restore Configuration Dialog Box---Image Location for TFTP Transfer

Note If either the images or the TFTP server is unavailable, the restore operation fails.

If ViewRunner can locate new images, the restore operation either upgrades or downgrades the images in the Cisco 6100 Series system to match those in the .NSS file. If only some of the images in the .NSS file match the Cisco 6100 Series system images, ViewRunner uses TFTP to retrieve only those images that differ and then updates them on the Cisco 6100 Series system.
Because the operation restores the Cisco 6100 Series system images before it restores the configuration, no SNMP errors should occur. The system controller module image is the same as the system controller module image that was present when you saved the file.

Caution Do not edit the saved .NSS file. Cisco cannot be responsible for problems that can occur if you manually edit this file. Use the Save Configuration wizard; it is designed to prevent you from making mistakes and to prevent system outages.

Restoring the Configuration File

To restore the configuration file using the Restore Configuration wizard, follow these steps:

Step 1 Choose Restore Configuration from the File menu on the ViewRunner toolbar as shown in Figure 7-8.

Figure 7-8: File Menu---Restore Configuration Option

Note The Restore Configuration wizard restores the NVRAM with the configuration that you saved to an .NSS file.

Step 2 Choose the drive and folder (directory) where you saved the .NSS configuration file by using the down arrow in the Look In field on the Open dialog box (see Figure 7-9).

Figure 7-9: Open Dialog Box

Step 3 Select the name of the file that you want to use to restore the configuration.

Note The Restore wizard automatically restores any subtend mapping information that you saved in the .NSS file. Only ViewRunner for HP OpenView uses the subtend information because only ViewRunner for HP OpenView shows subtend maps.

Step 4 Click Open.

The Restore Configuration dialog box 1 of 5 opens, shown in Figure 7-10.

Figure 7-10: Restore Configuration Dialog Box 1 of 5

Step 5 Carefully read the warnings on this dialog box.

Step 6 Click Next to continue.

The Restore Configuration dialog box 2 of 5 shown in Figure 7-11 opens.

Figure 7-11: Restore Configuration Dialog Box 2 of 5

Step 7 Read the information under Image Location for TFTP Transfer, and then select either Local TFTP Server (this PC) or Remote TFTP Server (for example, a Unix server or NT server).

Note The local server is the PC that is currently executing ViewRunner. In this case, ViewRunner uses its own TFTP server to transfer the files. The remote server is the TFTP server on the remote computer.

Step 8 Enter the IP address in the TFTP Server IP Address field.

Step 9 Enter the path for the image file that you want to use in the TFTP Server Image Path field.

If you select Local TFTP Server, the TFTP Server IP Address field automatically displays the IP address (read-only); the TFTP Server Image Path field automatically displays the default location for the images, c:\Program Files\Cisco.

a. Click Browse to locate the images directory if it is not in c:\Program Files\Cisco.

b. Click Search to locate the subdirectory that contains the correct images.

: For example, c6100-3.0.0, where 3.0.0 is the 6100 version. When you click Search, the system searches all subdirectories that are listed below the directory that displays in the TFTP Server Image Path field until it finds the complete set of images.

Note If either the images or the TFTP server is not available, the restore operation fails.

Step 10 Click Next to continue.

The Restore Configuration dialog box 3 of 5, shown in Figure 7-12, opens. This dialog box alerts you that you are starting to restore the configuration and that you cannot interrupt or undo this process.

Figure 7-12: Restore Configuration Dialog Box 3 of 5

Note ViewRunner verifies that the files are in the path of the TFTP server that you selected before it allows you to continue.

Step 11 Select Restore System Name if you want to restore the MIB-II system mib variable for a system name.

If you saved the .NSS file from the same node that you are restoring, you probably want to select this option. If you saved the .NSS file from a node that differs from the one you are restoring, you probably want to deselect this option. For example, if you are making a backup and recovery, you want to select this field. If you are restoring an .NSS file to multiple nodes as a provisioning template, you would not want all of those nodes to have the same name. In that case, you would deselect this field.

Step 12 Click Next to continue.

The Restore Configuration dialog box 4 of 5, shown in Figure 7-13, continues to display the progress of the restore process.

Figure 7-13: Restore Configuration Dialog Box 4 of 5

Step 13 Click Next to continue through the dialog boxes that display the progress of the restore process.

The final Restore Configuration dialog box, 5 of 5, displays a message to inform you that you must now rediscover the 6100, as shown in Figure 7-14.

Figure 7-14: Restore Configuration Dialog Box 5 of 5

Step 14 Click Finish to automatically rediscover the Cisco 6100 Series system.

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