Introduction

One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of network management is the failure to backup network device configurations. Sadly it is only viewed as being a priority after disaster strikes. Fortunately there is a Linux / Unix open source package called Rancid that can get the job done automatically for most devices that have command prompt method for configuration.

The product can be downloaded from the rancid website and has the added advantage of automatically archiving the older configuration versions in a Concurrent Versions System (CVS). This tutorial will show you how to quickly install and configure it for your network backup needs.

Rancid Installation

Under Fedora Linux, installation is relatively easy, but there are a large number of simple steps to follow. Let's begin:

1. Rancid uses the expect programming language to operate which you will have to install in advance. Use the rpm command with the -q qualifier to determine whether you have expect installed. In this case, it isn't so the yum command is used to do so.

[root@bigboy tmp]# rpm -q expect
package expect is not installed
[root@bigboy rancid-2.3.2a2]# yum -y install expect
Repository updates-released already added, not adding again
Repository base already added, not adding again
Setting up Install Process
...
...
...
[root@bigboy rancid-2.3.2a2]#