The Config Explorer page (Device Viewer –> Configuration Management –> Config Explorer) lists the configuration files NetMRI collects and archives from each discovered device. The table in the left pane lists devices based on a selected Device Group. The grouping scheme collects all switches, routers and other devices found in the network, including all virtual device contexts supported by respective devices such as Cisco ASA firewalls and Cisco Nexus 7000 switches.

Virtual device contexts are treated in the same f ashion as normal non-virtual devices, enabling viewing of configuration files for any virtual device context.

Config Explorer opens showing the Entire Network device group in the left panel. Choose any device group from the Device Group drop-down list. Choosing any device from the list in the left panel lists all configuration files for the selected device that are collected by NetMRI. Currently active running and saved configurations are identified as Current.

• NetMRI identifies earlier revisions of configuration files on any device as Archived.
• The left panel lists devices for the chosen device group, by IP address, Device Name, and Device Type (Router, Switch).
• The right panel of the Config Archive page lists all configuration files present in the file system of the chosen device.

In the right panel, NetMRI provides all listed configuration files. To view the content of a configuration file, hover over its Actions icon and select View Configuration File. In the window that opens, you can select and copy the file text. You can also export a configuration file. For more information, see Export Configuration Files. 

A flag icon in the BL column indicates that a file is a baseline configuration. The flag marks one configuration file from each device's collection as a baseline file — a verified configuration backup th at can be reinstalled to correct problems. You can designate any device configuration file as the baseline file.

You can view and compare configuration files for any network router, switch, firewall, or other network device or pair of devices.

If NetMRI detects a configuration change via Syslog, the configuration entry identifies the user(s) that made the change in the Edited By column. More than one user may make changes before NetMRI collects the configuration. Changes detected by mechanisms other than Syslog (e.g., if Syslog messaging is not bound to the appliance) show the user as "Unknown" in the Edited By column.

The Last Collected timestamp indicates the time at which the running configuration was last pulled, while timestamps of saved configurations reflect the times at which the saved configurations were found to differ from the archived version.

To view a configuration file, complete the following:

1. In the left panel, select the device group. from the drop-down list.
2. Choose a device from the table.
   A list of the configuration files residing in the current device appears in the right panel of the Archive page. One configuration file will always be flagged as the Baseline or BL configuration file (shown with a green flag). Watch the Status and Config Type values for each listed file.
   To perform a quick search, in the Search field, type at least three characters of the search term (or enter one or two characters, then click ENTER).
3. Click the View Configuration File button in the Actions column.

To collect the latest configuration files for a device, complete the following:

1. In the left panel, select the device.
2. Click Get Config. The list refreshes within a few minutes.

Set a Baseline Configuration File

To designate a configuration file as the baseline, complete the following:

1. In the right panel, click the check box for the file you want to be the baseline.
2. Click the Set Baseline button at the bottom of the page.
3. Confirm the change.

Test a Configuration File Against a Policy

To test a configuration file against one or more policies, complete the following:

1. In the Config Management –> Config Archive page, choose the Device Group if necessary.
2. Select the NetMRI.
3. Test against the policy.
4. In the Policy Selector dialog, check the policies to test against, and then click Test.

Compare Configuration Files on a Single Device

To compare two configuration files for one device, complete the following:

1. In the Config Management –> Config Archive page, choose the Device Group if necessary.
2. In the left panel, select the device.
3. Click the check boxes for the two files you want to compare.
4. Click the Compare button at the bottom of the page. The Comparing Configuration Files window opens, in which you can compare the files (see below).

Compare Configuration Files for Two Devices

To compare configuration files for two devices, complete the following:

1. In the Config Management –> Config Archive page, choose the Device Group if necessary.
2. In the left panel, select the device. 
3. Click the Compare Second Device button at the bottom of the page.
4. In the top left panel, select the first device.
5. In the top right panel, check the check box for the first device's configuration file.
6. In the bottom left panel, select the second device.
7. In the bottom right panel, check the check box for the second device's configuration.
8. Click the Compare button at the bottom of the page. The Comparing Configuration Files window appears.

Export Configuration Files

To export selected configuration files, complete the following:

1. In the Config Management –> Config Archive page, choose the Device Group if necessary.
2. In the left panel, select the device. NetMRI.
3. Select the files you want to export.
4. Click Export in the lower right corner, then click Export Selected.
5. Confirm the export. The system packages the file(s).
6. Save the archive.

For more information, see Bulk Exporting Configuration Files.

Checking for Syntax Errors

The Errors page (Device Viewer –> Configuration Management section –> Errors) lists possible syntax errors in configuration files associated with the device . If no configuration file errors appear for the selected device, the Device Viewer shows a No Data To Display message.

To view an error log, in the Error list, click the log you want to view, and then click the View button.