[rancid] Reverse RANCID

[James Bensley]

On 12 February 2015 at 08:13, James Andrewartha
<jandrewartha at ccgs.wa.edu.au> wrote:
> On 11/02/15 20:02, James Bensley wrote:
>> I know I can push config using the RANCID CLI wrapper scripts but I'm
>> wondering if anyone has done this before to extend RANCID to also run
>> "show" style commands and interogated the output to make checks to
>> valid the success of the change, and also if anyone has made a web
>> interface already (other than the CVS types for RANCID's normal
>> purpose of backing up rather than pushing config) ?
>
> Notch/Mr CLI/PUNC/netmunge might be up your alley:
> https://code.google.com/p/notch/


That is a rather cool tool, and that is the kind of think I am thinking off.

What I am imagining in my head is something like a list of actions to
be execute that you can define along with an IP/hostname to perform
the action on and some login credentials for that specific action.

An example would be selecting the action "perform a CLI check" and
them supplied a command to show the number of routes received by a
neighbour. Giving the IP of RouterA. Then add this to the action queue
as the first action.

Next I would add an action to the action queue "upload some config" to
RouterB and supply RouterB's IP address and username/password.

Finally a third action to "perform a CLI check" is added to the action
queue again to check on RouterA it is still receiving the same number
of routes from RouterB. Actions could have pass/fail criteria too, if
the value is lt/eq/gt etc its a pass or faill, and sub-action could be
defined.

Set a start time of midnight and go to bed.

That is again a slightly simplified view of what I am proposing but it
doesn't seem like rocket science to me, nor to build in safegaurds?

Kind regards,
James.