Backup and Restore of Firmware and Configuration

Backup and restore are important functions in any network environment. In the case of network management, both firmware and NE configuration are high value items. The firmware version on a given NE is subject to change as new features and technologies are added. It is important to be able to back up the existing version of firmware, allowing for it to be reapplied if required. One application for this would be firmware redistribution as part of disaster recovery, such as a lightning strike.

Configuring NEs is also an increasingly nontrivial task as more and more technologies and protocols are packed into devices. Once the NEs have been configured and are operational, it is important to be able to back up the settings ”often called a configuration database. As for the firmware case, the configuration details can then be restored if necessary. In providing the backup and restore capabilities, equipment vendors can use protocols such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP).

NNM Backup and Restore

NNM provides a backup facility that allows a snapshot to be taken of the topology and maps. These are frozen during the time it takes to copy the data into a backup directory. After this, normal service ensues. At no point during this process do the alarm handling and data collection procedures stop.