Backup/Restore

The Configuration Manager Backup/Restore Screen displays a list of all backups that currently exist on the server. The screen is used to backup configuration files for AOS Devices and Stellar APs. It is also used to schedule regular backups, edit a Configuration Backup File (boot.cfg), delete a backup from the OmniVista Server, and export/view backup files. Backups can be used to restore configuration files to the AOS devices from which they were originally taken. You can also compare Configuration Backup Files on the same device or different devices, and view a summary of all backup and restore operations.

Note: You can backup AOS Devices and APs; however, you cannot restore a configuration to an AP.

Note: If you delete a device from OmniVista Cirrus, any backups for the device are automatically deleted from the Backup/Restore Screen.

Note: OmniVista supports the Multiple Working Directories Feature available on OS6900 Switches. When performing Configuration-Only Backup on these devices, only the configuration files in the current running directory are backed up instead of the hard-coded “working” directory, in addition to the Certified Directory. The running directory can be any user-specified directory, including the Working Directory.

Performing a Backup

Click on the Backup button at the top of the screen to launch the Backup Wizard. Complete the screens as described below to backup one or more network devices. When you have completed all of the screens, click on the Backup button at the bottom of the screen to initiate the backup.

Backup Method

Select an option to choose a device selection method:

• Backup by Devices - To select specific AOS Devices from a list of discovered devices.
• Backup by Maps - To select a map(s) to backup all devices in the map(s). This option is used to backup all devices in the selected map(s). You cannot backup selected devices. To backup select devices, select the Backup By Devices option. Note that if some devices in a map are not on-line, a dialog box will pop up warning you of the condition. Click Yes to continue the backup. Click Cancel to cancel the backup. Also note that if a map contains AOS Devices and Stellar APs, the Stellar APs will not be backed up. Stellar APs can only be backed up by AP Group.
• Backup by AP Groups - To backup Stellar AP Series Devices. Stellar AP Series Devices are backed up by AP Group. All of the APs in the group will be backed up. When the backup is complete, the backup files for each AP will appear in the Backup Files List on the Backup Screen.

Note: If you are backing up more than 50 devices, it is recommended that you use the Backup by Maps option instead of creating one backup for each device.

Click on the Next button to go to the Device Selection Screen.

Device Selection

The options on this screen will depend on the Backup Method selected above.

• Backup by Devices - Select the AOS Device(s) you want to backup and click on the Next button to go to the Configuration Screen.
• Backup by Maps - Select the map(s) containing the devices you want to back up. Click on the Next button to go to the Configuration Screen.
• Backup by AP Groups - Select the AP Group(s) you want to backup and click on the Next button to go to the Configuration Screen.

Configuration

This screen is used to configure the type of backup performed and to schedule regular backups.

Backup Type

Pre-filled with "Configuration Only". A Configuration Only Backup backs up all configuration-related files in all directories (including user credentials, banner, time zone, etc.). If are performing a Configuration Only backup, you will not have the option of selecting directories since all configuration-related files in all directories are backed up. However, on AOS Devices you will have the option to include/exclude Security Files from the backup for security reasons. Note that Image files are managed using the Device Catalog Screen in the Discovery application.

Include Security Files (AOS Devices Only)

In a "Configuration Only" Backup, you do not have the option of selecting directories since all configuration-related files in all directories are backed up. However, on AOS devices you can exclude Security Files from the backup for security reasons. By default, Security Files are included in the backup. If you do not want to include Security Files in the backup, set the Include Security Files slider to "Off".

Description

Enter an optional description for the backup.

Schedule Setting

Enable the Schedule Setting option and complete the fields as described below to schedule a single or recurring backup. You can click on the View Scheduler button at the top of the Backup/Restore Screen to view a list of Scheduled Jobs, and to edit a user-configured job.

• Start At - Select the time when you want to begin the scheduled backup (e.g., 12:00 AM).
• Recurrence Pattern - Select the interval for a recurring backup.
  • Daily - Backup will occur on the schedule day at the configured "Start At" time. By default, the backup will occur every day ("Every 1 Day"). You can customize it by clicking on the "Every 1 Day" field and entering a number (Range = 1 - 30 days). For example, you could configure a Daily Backup to occur every 2 days if you want it to occur every other day.
  • Weekly - Backup will occur once a week on the selected day at the configured "Start At" time. Select the day of the week on which you want the backup to occur. The backup will occur every week on that day at the configured "Start At" time. You can select more than one day to perform weekly backups on multiple days of the week.
  • Monthly - Backup will occur monthly on the configured day at the configured "Start At" time. Select the first radio button to schedule the backup for a specific day of the month, and for a specific number of months. By default, the backup will occur on the first day of every month ("Day 1 of every 1 Month"). However, you can customize it. For example, you could schedule the backup for the 15th day every other month ("Day 15 of every 2 Months").
  • Every Weekday - Backup will occur every weekday at the configured "Start At" time.
• Range of Recurrence - Select the start and end date, if applicable, for the scheduled backup.
  • Start Date - Enter the start date for the scheduled backup. The scheduled backup will begin on that date at the configured "Start At" time.
  • End Date - Select "End by" to enter an end date for the backup. Select "No end date" to continue the backup indefinitely.

Review

The Review Screen enables you to review your backup configuration before initiating/scheduling the backup. If necessary, click on the Back button to make changes to the configuration. When you have verified the backup configuration, click on the Backup button to initiate/schedule the backup.

Note: If the CLI/FTP username and password for a device was not previously defined to OmniVista, you will be prompted to enter them before the backup can proceed.

Editing a Configuration Backup File

You can edit the contents of a Configuration Only Backup File (boot.cfg file). This edited file is stored on the OmniVista Server and displayed in the Backup Table Description as "User-Modified Configuration File". Select a Configuration Only Backup file in the Backup Table and click on the Edit icon. In the Select boot.cfg in drop-down menu, select the directory of the file you want to edit (working or certified) and click on the Get button. The contents of the file will appear in the File Content area. Edit the file and click on the Apply button.

Deleting a Backup

Select the backup(s) you want to delete and click on the Delete icon. Click OK at the confirmation prompt.

Exporting/Viewing Backup Files

You can export and view the contents of the files in a backup. Click on a backup in the Backup Table to view the files contained in the backup. Select the file(s) you want to export. Click on the Export button at the top of the table, then click on Save to save the selected file(s) as a Zip File in your Download folder. To view the contents of a backup file, extract the file(s) and click a file to display the contents.

Note: You cannot export .img files. These files should be downloaded from the ALE Business Portal. If you select a .img file when exporting files, the Export button will be de-activated.

Backup Information

The Backup Table displays basic information about backups stored on the OmniVista Server. Click on a backup to view detailed backup file information. By default, information about all backups store on the server is displayed. However, you can use the ""View Criteria" function to customize the display. Click on the "View Criteria" drop-down and select filters as described below. When you have selected all of your filters, click on the X in the upper-right corner of the window to close the window and view the filtered display.

• Filter By
  • All - Displays information for all managed devices.
  • Map - Displays information for devices in the selected map.
  • Device - Displays information for selected devices.
    • By Using Switch Picker - Click on the EDIT button to bring up a switch picker to select devices. Click OK to return to the Summary View Screen.
    • By Using Topology - Click on the EDIT button to bring up the Topology application to select devices. Click OK to return to the Summary View Screen.
    • By Using Quick Select - Click on the EDIT button and select a device(s) from the drop-down list.
• Show Backups - Select whether you want to view all backups for the selected device(s) or just the latest backup. By default "Only the Latest One of Each Device" is selected.
• Time Range - By default, the "Last One Week" radio button is selected. To view backups from a specific time range, select the "Custom" radio button and configure the time range.

Basic Information

• Device Name - The user-configured name of the device.
• Device Address - The IP address of the device that was backed up.
• Device Type - The device/model type (e.g., OS6860E-24).
• Date - The date and time that the backup was initiated.
• Backup Type - The type of backup performed. The Backup type can be Full Backup (both configuration files and image files were backed up), Configuration Only (only configuration files were backed up), or Image Only (only image files were backed up).
• Version - The software version of the backup files (e.g., 8.4.1.193.R01).
• Description - The user-configured description for the backup, if applicable.

Detailed Information

• Name - The name of the individual file that was backed up and is currently stored on the OmniVista Server.
• Directory - The directory where the file was stored on the device (e.g., /flash/certified).
• Version - The firmware version of the file.
• Description - Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise provided description of the file.
• Date - The date the file was loaded into the device.
• File Size - The size of the file, in bytes.
• File Check Sum - The backup file checksum value.

Important Facts About Back Ups

The following sections provide important points to keep in mind when performing a back up on any device and APs.

General

When performing a backup, firmware configuration files are FTPed from the device to the OmniVista Server. To gain access to the device, the FTP user name and password must to known to OmniVista. You can specify FTP user names and passwords via the Edit Discovery Manager Entry window. (See the Topology help for further information.) If you did not define FTP Logic names and passwords via the Edit Discovery Manager Entry window, and you attempt to save or restore configuration files, you will be queried for the FTP username and password for each individual device for which files are being saved or restored. If the FTP username and password are not supplied to OmniVista, the FTP process will return errors and the device will not be backed up. The process of backing up other devices will continue. Firmware is automatically copied and restored via FTP, and any errors that can occur when performing these tasks outside of OmniVista are also possible when using OmniVista.

If a backup operation fails in the middle of the backup operation (which could occur if a device goes down between the server and the target device), no files are saved on the server. If the full complement of files are not saved, any initial files that were saved are deleted from the server.

AOS Device backups include the contents of the certified directory and working directory. Only files in the flash memory of the primary MPM module are saved. No files are saved that end with .err , .dmp , /.. , or /. , as these files are either temporary or will cause problems during the FTP process due to conflict with system file names.

Important Notes: The configuration files saved are those in flash memory and are not necessarily the configuration files that the device is currently running. The files are not zipped to save disk space on the OmniVista Server. The user may perform multiple backups on the same day, if so desired.

Users should not attempt to copy configuration files saved on the OmniVista Server to other machines. The saved files contain binary configuration information, including the IP address/MAC address of the source machine, and using these files on another machine could bring the network down.

Note: SFTP will be used when a device is configured in OmniVista to use SSH. If a device is configured to use SSH in OmniVista, SSH must be enabled on the device itself.

Stellar AP Series Devices

Although you cannot perform a configuration restore on a Stellar AP, backup files of Stellar APs can be used to analyze/troubleshoot problems with APs. Stellar AP are configured at the AP Group level, however, some APs in a group may have a different configuration, if for example, a configuration failed on one device in a group. Therefore, the backup file for Stellar APs contains information for each AP in the AP Group. The file can then be used to analyze/troubleshoot problems with APs in the group.

Note: You can perform an image restore on a Stellar AP. After backing up an AP Group (Image Only or Full Backup), Select a Backup(s) in the Backup List and click on the Restore button to bring up the Restore Wizard, then click on the Restore button at the bottom of the Wizard. Note that if you click on the Backup(s) to view the files being restored, you will notice that only the image file is selected.

Performing a Restore

You can restore a configuration to the device from a previous backup. Note that you can only restore the configuration to the original device from which the backup was taken. (Backups cannot be restored to other devices, because doing so would cause mismatched IP addresses and other network problems.) Select a Backup(s) in the Backup List and click on the Restore button to bring up the Restore Wizard. Complete the screens as described below.

File Selection

The selected Backup(s) are displayed. Click on a Backup to display a list of backup files available for the restore. Select the files you want to restore to the device. Repeat for additional devices. Click Next.

AOS 6x Device(s) Only

If the selected device(s) is an AOS 6.x Switch, and you selected files only in the Certified Directory, you have the option of restoring files to the Working Directory or restoring the files to both the Working and Certified Directories. Select the Restore to Working Directory or Restore to Working & Certified Directory radio button to specify the directory(ies) to which you want the backup restored. If you select files in only the Working Directory or in both the Certified and Working Directories, you will not have this option. The files will be restored to their respective directories. Also note that this option is not available for AOS 7.x or 8.x Switches.

Note: OmniVista supports the Multiple Working Directories Feature available on OS6900 Switches and OS6860 Switches. When performing Configuration-Only or Full Backup on these devices, only the configuration or image files in the current running directory are backed up instead of the hard-coded “working” directory, in addition to the Certified Directory. The running directory can be any user-specified directory, including the Working Directory.

Configuration

For AOS Devices, select the options to be taken if the following changes are detected on the device:

• Continue to restore when chassis has changed - Select this option if you want to continue the restore even if it is found that the chassis contents, or the chassis type, has changed since the backup. If you do not enable this checkbox, the restore will not take place if the chassis has changed.
• Continue to restore when detecting new image files - Select this option if you want to continue the restore even if it is found that a new image file resides on the device (i.e., a file that was not previously backed up). If you do not enable this checkbox, the restore will not take place if a new image file is found on the device.

Click on the Restore button then click Yes at the Confirmation Prompt to initiate the restore. When the restore has successfully completed, click on the Go to Topology to Reboot Device link. The Topology application will open with the device(s) highlighted. Click on Reboot in the Device Actions area to reboot the device(s) to load the restored configuration into flash memory.

Note: You must reboot the device(s) to complete the restore operation.