NetApp Save Config Command
I think it’s very important to save a config of a good setup. Firstly it’s a great reference if you ever need to go back and refer to things, secondly it’s a great way to show what you did was actually correct and that you did configure things correctly from the start!
There is a handy tool provided within ONTAP to do entire config dumps, compares and restores. This is limited to the filers base configuration and doesn’t necessarily include areas like volume setup.
b2net-filer01> config
Usage:
config clone <filer> <remote_user>
config diff [-o <output_file>] <config_file1> [ <config_file2> ]
config dump [-f] [-v] <config_file>
config restore [-v] <config_file>
The command is very simple and straight forward. You start by dumping out the configuration from the filer. This automatically goes into /etc/configs. From here you can then clone the config if needed, or compare (diff) the config. Running diff is a very good way of comparing a config between 2 points in time, if you aren’t sure what has changed, or even if you are comparing a filer upgrade and you copy the config files between the 2 systems (checkout NetApp File Copy). And finally you can also use the restore feature, although this would probably require a reboot, and may have a knockon affect to what may or may not be required in various other config files within /etc.
Overall a very useful command. I use this most for taking backups of filer configs and comparing them between similar systems (for instance primary and DR), or even comparing configs over time.
Although NetApp provides a tool for saving and storing configs, would there be value in automating this process? I ask this question because my organisation is promoting a Network Appliance named Restorepoint which once installed on the network will automatically backup configs from NetApp, Brocade and other network equipment.
Would love to hear your views.
http://www.tadasoft.com/brochures/Restorepoint_from_TADASoft.pdf
I think it depends on the environment. For large environments it would serve not only as a good reference guide and backup tool for any major failures. I think it may also be beneficial from an auditing point of view. If you could capture when the configs were changed and provide a comparison tool, this could make troubleshooting a lot easier. Fabric changes instantly spring to mind.
Operations Manager also has the facility to take config backups across an entire estate, but is restricted to just the NetApp systems, so wouldn’t include the Brocade, Cisco or other equipment. I think a huge benefit would also be the ability to save and restore VMware configs! It looks like currently you are focusing on the connectivity side of things (fabric and network), but there is definitely room for expansion with this.