Specifications

How to Compare Archives
Inventory Manager lets you compare two different archives for the same device and monitor any changes in
device attributes. Inventory Manager compares archives using a set group of attributes that were saved when
the archive was performed. The values for these attributes are displayed in a table with any differences
between the values flagged by a yellow Diff icon . Use the Select Archive Versions to Compare window to
select the configurations you want to compare, and the Compare Archives window to view the comparison
results.
Access the Select Archive to Compare window from the Archive Mgmt tab or Network Elements tab:
Archive Mgmt tab −− select an archive, version, or configuration in the left−panel tab or
right−panel Details View and select Tools > Compare Archives from the menu bar (or use the
right−click menu option).
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Network Elements tab −− with a device or device group selected in the left−panel tab, select
an archive version in the right−panel Archives tab and select Tools > Compare Archives from
the menu bar (or use the right−click menu option).
•
The Select Archive Versions to Compare window opens.
TIP: If you select two archive versions in the right−panel Archives tab or Details View tab and
select Tools > Compare Archives, the Compare Archives window opens directly, bypassing
the Select Archive Versions to Compare window. In this case, you can skip step 2 and
proceed to step 3.
1.
The Select Archive Versions to Compare window displays two Archive trees (identical to the Archive
tree in your Archive Mgmt tab). Expand the folders as necessary to select the two archive versions or
configurations you wish to compare. You can compare two individual configurations for the same
device, or you can compare two different archive versions (although the versions should share
common devices). Click the Compare button.
2.
The Compare Archives window opens to display the results of the comparison. The smaller Summary
table at the top of the window displays each device included in the comparison. Any differences
between the two versions will be flagged by a yellow Diff icon . If there are many devices being
compared, a progress bar will indicate the progress of the operation. You can stop the compare
operation by pressing the Abort Compare button.
3.
Once the compare operation is complete, select the device in the Summary table whose comparison
results you wish to see. The results are displayed in the Comparison Results table.
4.
To select two new archive versions or configuration files to compare, click the Change button to
return to the Select Archive to Compare window.
5.
Use the table options and tools to find, filter, sort, print, and export information in a table and customize table
settings. You can access the Table Tools through a right−mouse click on a column heading or anywhere in the
table body, or by clicking the Table Tools button in the upper left corner of the table (if you have the
row count column displayed). For more information, see Table Tools.
In addition, the following right−click menu options are available only for archives that include device
configuration data:
View Configuration File −− Opens the Configuration File Viewer and displays the archived config
file of the selected device. This option is only available when there are no differences between the two
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How to Compare Archives 71