User guide

Controlling and Provisioning Network Devices Other Device Control Tasks
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AlliedView NMS Administration Guide
5.9.3 File Comparison (Text Files)
The Configuration File Comparison feature compares and displays two text files side-by-side with their differences
highlighted. Text files can be selected for comparison from the Configuration File Management, Command Script
Management, and Device Backup/Restore applications. Any two text files from any two devices can be compared.
Note: This feature can only compare files that are created or part of Configuration File Management and Device Backup/Restore
applications. Also, this feature does not compare binary files, so backup/restore files for iMAP devices cannot be compared.
Configuration files, however, are in text format and can be compared. Finally, backup files are read-only, since they may be
needed to reconfigure a device to a previous configuration.
This feature is most useful when comparing recurring backups, since changes between backups from the same device will be
highlighted. Note that the comparison is between backup files, not the current configuration; to get a comparison between
backup files and the current configuration, the user must back up the current configuration.
During backups, the latest configuration is automatically compared to the previous backup and if any changes are detected,
the device's ConfigChanged property will be set to the time/date that the change was detected. Note that the change may
have occurred at any time between the two backups.
The following table lists the scenarios where the File Comparison feature is used and the main steps that ar performed.
Following this is an overview of the feature screens and examples.
TABLE 5-59 Scenarios for Text File Comparison
Task Application Steps
View Latest Changes MAP device
1. User navigates to a map.
2. User right-clicks on a single supported device.
3. User selects View Config Changes from the menu.
4. The latest differing backup files for the device are
displayed side-by-side with the differences highlighted.
5. The names, dates, and sizes of the files compared are also
displayed.
View Latest Changes Network Inventory
1. User navigates to the Network Inventory.
2. User right-clicks on a single supported device.
3. User selects View Config Changes from the menu.
4. The latest differing backup files for the device are
displayed side-by-side with the differences highlighted.
5. The names, dates, and sizes of the files compared are also
displayed.
View Latest Changes Device Backup/
Restore
1. User navigates to Device Backup/Restore.
2. User right-clicks on a single row.
3. User selects the Compare Files button.
4. The latest differing backup files for the device are
displayed side-by-side with their differences highlighted.
5. The names, dates, and sizes of the files compared are also
displayed.