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Change Audit Services provides a change logging service to Essentials applications and enables you to filter and generate summary and detailed change reports on the data stored in the centralized log, view all records, and set up periods of time to monitor network changes. This chapter describes several typical scenarios:
For more detailed information on Change Audit Services, refer to the online help.
You can use Change Audit to
Figure 8-1 illustrates a typical workflow in which Essentials applications log change records to the Change Audit application. The Change Audit log tables (summary and details) store the data and display it based on reports you specify.
An exceptions summary report contains change records that occurred during a specific time period. The report is based on an exceptions profile you set up. The exceptions summary report lets you see if any changes were made to the network during the blackout period. This report makes it easier to track a network problem since it is focused on specific time periods of interest.
Scenario: You want to set up a period of time between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays when no network changes can occur. To monitor this moratorium on network changes, you set up an exceptions summary so that in the future you can review exception summary reports.
Step 1 Your login determines whether you can use this option. Log in to receive access to Change Audit options.
Step 2 Select Admin > Change Audit > Define Exceptions Summary.
The Change Audit Services --- Define Exceptions dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-1.)
Step 3 Select a timeframe and day for each of your exceptions periods, then click Finish.
The default exceptions periods that appear on the Define Exceptions dialog box are set to Sunday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can enter any time period or choose the defaults.
A confirmation dialog box appears explaining that your profile has been saved. Use Task > Exceptions Summary to view your report.
Step 1 After data has been collected, select Tasks > Change Audit > Exceptions Summary to run your report.
The Change Audit Services --- View Exceptions dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-2.)
Step 2 Select one or more of the defined exceptions by clicking the check box to the right of your exception, then click Finish to generate your report.
The exceptions summary report displays any activity that occurred during this period of time. If no activity occurred, the report is blank.
Step 3 If available, select any highlighted columns to access the application details.
Step 4 To save the report to a CSV formatted file:
Step 5 Click Finish to return to the Filter Options dialog box or select another option from the navigation tree.
Change Audit lets you track application-specific changes in your network. By searching the Change Audit log, you can track inventory, software management, or configuration changes using specific filters. After you set one or more filters, you can run a summary report to view the application-specific data.
If no changes were made, an empty report appears.
Scenario: You want to check which devices have had configuration file changes over the last week and who made those changes.
Step 1 Select Tasks > Change Audit > Change Summary.
The Change Audit Services --- Filter Options dialog box appears.
Step 2 Select all network devices, then click Next.
The Change Audit Services --- Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-4.)
Step 3 Select Application Name, then click Next.
The Application Name list appears.
Step 4 Select Configuration Manager, then click Finish.
The Change Audit Services --- Simple Filter Report appears.
Step 5 If available, select any links to access the application details.
Step 6 Save the report if desired.
Scenario: You want a list of the inventory changes from the California branch office that have occurred during the last month.
Step 1 Select Tasks > Change Audit > Search Change Audit.
The Change Audit Services --- Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-5.)
Step 2 Select the device filter and click Next.
Step 3 Select the device view of the California branch office, then click Next.
The Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-6.)
Step 4 In the Application field, select Inventory Manager; in the Category field, select Inventory; then select a date range. For this scenario, select Last Month, then click Finish.
The Change Audit Services --- Multiple Filter report appears.
Step 5 If available, select any highlighted columns to view application details.
Scenario: A device failed at 5 a.m. You need to find out what changes were made to this device (if any) after midnight.
Step 1 Select Tasks > Change Audit > Search Change Audit.
The Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-5.)
Step 2 Select the device filter and click Next.
Step 3 Select the device, then click Next.
The Filter Options dialog box appears.
Step 4 Select a custom date range from midnight last night to 6 a.m. (See Figure 8-7.)
Step 5 Click Finish.
The Multiple Filtered report appears.
Step 6 If available, select links to access application details.
Over time, the Change Audit log can become filled with data about old change records. You should remove some of these records to save disk space.
You should maintain history reports for at least a year. Before deleting any change records, create a report that documents all changes made in Essentials for a given time period, then delete the records.
Backing up the database also backs up the Change Audit tables.
Scenario: You want to create a historical look at the network changes before deleting the change records.
Step 1 Select Tasks > Change Audit > All Changes.
The View All Records report appears.
Step 2 If available, select any highlighted columns to access the application details.
Step 3 Save the report to a CSV formatted file:
Delete Change History deletes Change Audit stored data from the Change Audit log summary tables and the application-specific details tables.
Scenario: You want to delete change record data from a specific date range (the time period prior to the last six months).
Step 1 If you have not already performed the Tasks > Change Audit > All Changes report, then do so and save the report using the Save As option. This will be your historical backup.
Step 2 Select Admin > Change Audit > Delete Change History.
The Change Audit Services --- Purge Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-8)
Step 3 Select the filtering options, then click Next.
The selected records are deleted and a confirmation message appears.
Posted: Thu Sep 30 10:24:39 PDT 1999
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