Alan Frayer, CNE, CNI, CIW CI, Net+, MCP

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Q. What is configuration management, and why is it important to network management?

A. Network managers who do not follow any configuration management procedures, do not know how their various machines are configured or what software exists on their networks. As our networks grow faster than our ability to staff the network management teams, properly documenting the configuration of our networks becomes that much more important.

Managing the configuration of a network consists of two task categories. First, you should obtain and document the existing configuration, then you will need to track changes to that configuration. This second step is even more important down the road, when adjustments need to be made to systems where changes have occurred.

Obtaining and documenting a network’s configuration

Documenting a network is a daunting challenge at the best of times. This is one of those tasks where you may need to remind yourself that the longer you put it off, the harder it becomes. The job can be made easier with the assistance of automated methods of data collection, but you will still have to fill the gaps.

You can learn most of what you need about a network’s configuration by preparing and maintaining these documents:

Logical network maps
Physical network maps
Addressing databases (both physical and network addresses)
Directory Service (NDS) records
Asset management records
Physical inventories
Software licensing packages

Tracking network configuration changes

It isn’t enough to determine a network’s configuration. You must also continue to track changes made to that configuration, or in good time the data you’ve worked so hard to collect will become worthless. Given the choice of maintaining existing documentation and replacing wortke this ongoing exercise easier, you may want to create a change log, where you record any changes you make to og to the permanent record, but maintain the change log entry, as it will give a dated history of changes made along the way to the network’s current configuration.

Be alert for changes occurring without your permission or knowledge. It’s been said that our networks would never fail, if it wasn’t for the need to allow people to use them. Network users frequently make their own configuration changes, or install their own programs, without checking with you first. You need to periodically double-check your documentation, in case changes have occurred without your knowledge.

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