ASCII Configuration Generator (ACG) for Nortel Switches

27th October 2008

ASCII Configuration Generator (ACG) for Nortel Switches

posted in Scripting | 435 views | Print This Post

I wrote a Perl script a long time ago to backup the binary configuration files for all our Nortel Ethernet and Ethernet Routing Switches (including BayStack 350 and 450s, Ethernet Switch 460 and 470s, Ethernet Routing Switch 4500s and Ethernet Routing Switch 5500s, Ethernet Routing Switch 1600 and 8600s along with Motoroal WS5100 and RFS7000s and HP GbE2s). The Perl script was very simple and straightforward. The problem was that the Nortel configuraiton files were binary files that we as engineers were unable to review or analyze. There were no tools (at least not that I’m aware of) that could allow us to review those configurations. If we had a question about the configuration stored in the binary file we had to restore the configuration to a mock up switch(s) in our testlab in order to be able to review the actually configuration. It seems that Nortel finally heard our cries for help and added a new feature in v3.7.x (ES460/ES470) and v5.1.x (ERS5500) software that would allow us to TFTP upload the ASCII configuration from the ACG.

There was one problem though… the SNMP OID has yet to be documented in the Nortel SNMP MIBS. I had to run a packet trace against Nortel’s Device Manager to determine the OID that Device Manager was using to initiate the manual config upload. I found that the OID was ”
1.3.6.1.4.1.45.1.6.4.4.19.0″

I took my existing script and created a new subroutine and had everything working within about 30 minutes.

Here’s some of the code I wrote;

############################################################################
# Subroutine baystack_tftp_config_ascii
#
# Purpose: use SNMP to instruct BayStack switches to TFTP upload their
# ASCII configuration file to the central TFTP server
############################################################################
sub baystack_tftp_config_ascii {

#s5AgSysTftpServerAddress
#s5AgSysAsciiConfigFilename
#s5AgSysAsciiConfigManualUpload (NOT IN THE MIBS) USE 1.3.6.1.4.1.45.1.6.4.4.19.0
# snmpset -v2c -cprivate 10.1.1.100 1.3.6.1.4.1.45.1.6.4.4.19.0 i 4

   # Declare Local Variables
   my $setresult;

   $filename = "ascii/".$filename;

   my $sess = new SNMP::Session (  DestHost  => $snmphost,
                                   Community => $community,
                                   Version   => SNMPVER );

   my $vars = new SNMP::VarList(
                        ['s5AgSysTftpServerAddress', 0, "10.1.1.20",],
                        ['s5AgSysAsciiConfigFilename', 0, $filename,] );

   my $go = new SNMP::VarList(
                        ['.1.3.6.1.4.1.45.1.6.4.4.19', 0, 4, 'INTEGER'] );

   &check_filename($filename);

   # Set TFTP source and destination strings
   $setresult = $sess->set($vars);
   if ( $sess->{ErrorStr} ) {
      print "ERROR: {BayStack} problem setting the TFTP parameters (TFTP IP, FILENAME) for $snmphost\n";
      print "ERROR: {BayStack} sess->{ErrorStr} = $sess->{ErrorStr}\n";
   }

   # Start TFTP copy
   $setresult = $sess->set($go);
   if ( $sess->{ErrorStr} ) {
      print "ERROR: {BayStack} problem setting the TFTP action bit for $snmphost\n";
      print "ERROR: {BayStack} sess->{ErrorStr} = $sess->{ErrorStr}\n";
   }

   # Pause while the TFTP copy completes
   sleep $PAUSE;

   # Check to see if the TFTP copy completed
   $setresult = $sess->get('.1.3.6.1.4.1.45.1.6.4.4.19.0');
   if ( $sess->{ErrorStr} ) {
      print "ERROR: problem checking the TFTP result for $snmphost\n";
      print "ERROR: sess->{ErrorStr} = $sess->{ErrorStr}\n";
   }

   # If TFTP failed output error message
   if ($setresult != 1) {
        while ($setresult == 2) {
           print "DEBUG: config upload status = $setresult (waiting)\n" if (DEBUG);
           sleep $PAUSE;
           $setresult = $sess->get('.1.3.6.1.4.1.45.1.6.4.4.19.0');
        } #end while
   } #end if $test ne "success"

   # If the upload command failed let's try again
   if ($setresult == 3) {

      print "DEBUG: initial command returned $setresult\n" if (DEBUG);
      print "DEBUG: lets try the upload command again\n" if (DEBUG);

      # Let's pause here for a few seconds since the previous command failed
      sleep $PAUSE;

      # Start TFTP copy
      $setresult = $sess->set($go);
      if ( $sess->{ErrorStr} ) {
         print "ERROR: problem setting the TFTP action bit for $snmphost\n";
         print "ERROR: sess->{ErrorStr} = $sess->{ErrorStr}\n";
      }

      # Pause while the TFTP copy completes
      sleep $PAUSE;

      # Check to see if the TFTP copy completed
      $setresult = $sess->get('.1.3.6.1.4.1.45.1.6.4.4.19.0');
         if ( $sess->{ErrorStr} ) {
            print "ERROR: problem checking the TFTP result for $snmphost\n";
            print "ERROR: sess->{ErrorStr} = $sess->{ErrorStr}\n";
      }

      # If TFTP failed output error message
      if ($setresult != 1) {
         while ($setresult == 2) {
            print "DEBUG: config upload status = $setresult (waiting)\n" if (DEBUG);
            sleep $PAUSE;
            $setresult = $sess->get('.1.3.6.1.4.1.45.1.6.4.4.19.0');
         } #end while
      } #end if
   } #end if

   if ($setresult != 1) {
      print "DEBUG: $snmphost config upload *FAILED*!\n";
      print SENDMAIL "ERROR:$snmphost ($sysObjectID) config (ASCII) upload *FAILED*!
\n";
   } elsif ($setresult == 1) {
      print SENDMAIL "$snmphost ($sysObjectID) was successful (ASCII)
\n";
      print "DEBUG: $snmphost ($sysObjectID) was successful (ASCII)\n";
   } else {
      print "DEBUG: unknown error return = $setresult (ASCII)" if (DEBUG);
   } #end if

   print "DEBUG: upload config file results = $setresult (ASCII)\n" if (DEBUG);

   return 1;

} #end sub baystack_tftp_config_ascii

Cheers!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 27th, 2008 at 10:00 pm and is filed under Scripting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On October 30th, 2008, Swamy Goundar said:

Thanks for script Michael. We have a few 5500’s in our labs and this new feature in 5.1 to download the configuration files in Ascii format is quite handy.

Do you know of any way to upload an ascii configuration file back up to the 5500 as sometimes we like to test out a config file across different firmware versions after modifying this by hand.

Its really limiting compared to the cisco ios.

Thanks,

2 On October 30th, 2008, Michael McNamara said:

Hi Swamy,

I would agree with you that Cisco IOS is much more friendly in this (any many other) areas. There is a feature available to download an ASCII configuration file to the switch via TFTP.

Have another look at the screenshot of Device Manager I used in the article above and you’ll see the option called “AsciiConfigManualDownload“. There’s also a CLI equivalent;

5530-24TFD# copy tftp config filename address unit all

Thanks for the comment!

3 On October 31st, 2008, Curtis said:

Don’t always depend on the ASCII config on a 55xx to be the same as the binary. I have found that there can be commands not included in the ASCII output. I have a CR that is supposed to be included in 5.1.3 for an OSPF cost command that does not get reflected in the ASCII config.

4 On October 31st, 2008, Michael McNamara said:

Hi Curtis,

As usual you are very correct… this applies to all Ethernet Switch and Ethernet Routing Switches with the exception of the 1600 and 8600 switches.

Thanks for the comment!