ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager - Introduction

Contents

Overview

Analysis by numerous IT experts have time and again revealed that the commonest cause for most Network outages is faulty configuration changes. In this age of the Internet, IT applications dominate almost all aspects of business enterprises. To cater to various business needs, network administrators carry out frequent configuration changes to network devices. Every single change to a network device configuration carries with it the risk of creating a network outage, security issues and even performance degradation. The problem becomes still more complex when there are multiple devices from multiple vendors and multiple administrators manage the network and carryout changes. Unplanned changes make the network vulnerable for unexpected outages.

Besides, the network administrator is fraught with the challenge of keeping track of all the happenings in the network devices - who did what and when. In mission critical environments, network downtime, even for a few minutes, might prove to be costly. When a configuration error occurs in the network, it becomes a cumbersome task to identify the exact cause and initiate corrective action. Network administrators indeed face a daunting task when it comes to effectively doing the Network Change and Configuration Management!

 

Network Configuration Manager - a simple and elegant solution

ManageEngine Network Configuration Manager offers a simple, comprehensive and elegant solution for easy Network Change and Configuration Management (NCCM). It offers multi-vendor network device configuration, continuous monitoring of configuration changes, notifications on respective changes, detailed operation audit and trails, easy and safe recovery to trusted configurations, automation of configuration tasks and insightful reporting.

Network Configuration Manager can manage network devices such as switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, integrated access devices etc., from multiple vendors. It discovers network devices, builds up an inventory database and allows IT administrators to take control of configuring the devices from a central console. The web-based administrator console provides the User Interface to perform all the configuration operations. Additionally, it can be accessed from anywhere using any standard web browser.

 

Features

  • Multi-vendor configuration for switches, routers, firewalls and other devices

  • Real-time configuration tracking and change notification

  • Effective Change Management Policies

  • Quick restoration to trusted configurations through a few simple steps

  • Templates for commonly used configurations

  • Automation of important device configuration tasks

  • Encrypted storage of device configuration in database

  • Contextual, side-by-side comparison of altered configuration

  • Provision for searching devices and configuration

  • Examining device configurations for compliance to a defined set of criteria/rules

  • Comprehensive Audit Trails

  • Auto discovery and manual addition of network devices

  • Detailed reports on inventory and configuration changes

  • User friendly, web based user interface

 

Working with Network Configuration Manager

To work with Network Configuration Manager, you need to start the Network Configuration Manager server and connect to the Web Interface. To know how to start the server and connect the Web Interface, refer to the next topic.

 


 

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