Replacing a failed network device can be stressful because of the potential downtime and cost to your organization. Too often, replacing a failed device takes too long because you don’t have a backup of the configuration files. For critical devices the configuration files can be very difficult and time consuming to accurately recreate.

To assess your risk, ask yourself these questions:

• Is the person who built the original device configuration still around?
• Do you have current configuration backups (and can you find the right one)?
• Do you have all of the documentation needed to rebuild the route and protocol configurations?
• How long would it take you to recreate a new config “trial-and-error”?

Most admins make their best attempt to backup device configurations. But too often the process is ad hoc and not closely managed. Consequently, in a crunch many find their configuration backups are not current or can’t be located. A Network Configuration Manager makes replacing a failed device less stressful because it simplifies the entire process of:

To learn more about how SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) can help and to download a free copy of NCM with a 30-day license, click to download.