Automated Router and Switch Backup

Today's companies are growing in a steady pace, with more and more network devices added to the network it is very important to keep track of and monitor the status of devices. Even though the wireless evolution has come, it all depends on the wired connections to supply a continuous connection to the rest of the world. This thesis explores, tests and informs about creating a functional system that automatically creates backups of configuration files from network devices and how to troubleshoot networking problems and maintain a network to keep it in good shape. Even though many companies have manual backups of router and switch configurations, the possibility to have this part automated should be desired by most companies. It can open up for the administrators in the company to have more time over to help the employees that are experiencing problems at the same time as the automated system eliminates the possible errors that a human can cause. Of course one can see it the other way, that it takes away manual labor for the employees, but it is just a small part of the job yet it is so very important that making this service automated is a good choice for a company. Integrity is proven by the means of backups and by the option to see the difference between the previous backups and the most recent. The three of us have worked as a group to do all tests and to write the documentation. After working with a couple of companies it is clear that well functional backup systems of network devices are not as common as it should be. Companies that do take backups of the network devices often do this manually. When seeing this it makes sense to use a reliable system that uses revision handling so it is easy to see the recent changes made to the devices. The results ended up in a working automated backup system for routers and switches. The automated system is running Debian and connects to all the routers and switches in the network to collect the configuration files with the help of rancid. The thesis also explains the functions of concepts such as disaster recovery and different maintenance models