Back up, compare, and manage network device configurations. Detect unauthorised changes, run configlets across multiple devices, and maintain a full configuration history from a single platform.
Network Configuration Management (NCM) in Cloudmon connects to network devices via SSH or Telnet to collect, back up, and manage their configurations. NCM operates at two levels: at the device level, where each device maintains its own backup history, change detection, and configuration comparison; and at the configlet level, where reusable command sets can be pushed across multiple devices simultaneously for bulk configuration tasks.
NCM requires devices to already be added and monitored under Network → Network Devices. SNMP is used to add and discover devices. SSH or Telnet is used by NCM to connect to devices for configuration retrieval and management.
Navigate to Network → NCM to access NCM. It is organized into three sections: Devices, a consolidated dashboard of every NCM-enabled device showing backup status and sync state at a glance; Backups, with Current Configurations, Configuration Drafts, and All Configurations views; and Configlets, with Configlets, Scheduled Tasks, and Execution History views.
| Feature | Description |
| NCM Devices | A consolidated view of every NCM-enabled device, showing backup status, baseline-vs-running sync, and startup-vs-running sync side by side, with summary tiles for Total, Up, Down, Failed, Baseline Conflicts, and Startup Conflicts. Quick actions let you enable NCM, edit settings, or trigger a backup without opening each device individually. Found at Network → NCM → Devices. |
| NCM Backup | Schedule automatic backups or trigger them on demand. Cloudmon creates a new backup version whenever a configuration change is detected, tracks whether changes are authorised, and supports rollback to any previous version via TFTP or SFTP |
| Version Comparison | Compare any two backup versions of a device side by side, with line-by-line highlighting of added, removed, and modified configuration lines. View from Network → NCM → Backups → All Configurations, or from the device's own NCM tab. |
| Change Detection and Authorisation | Cloudmon flags configuration changes made outside of Cloudmon as Unauthorised. Teams can review, approve, or reject each change, supporting change management and compliance workflows. |
| NCM Configlets | Create reusable configuration command sets and push them to one or many devices in a single operation. Supports immediate execution and scheduled deployment, with full execution history for every push. |
Before enabling NCM on a device, an SSH or Telnet credential must be created in Cloudmon. Navigate to Settings → Configurations → Credentials → Telnet/SSH and select Add. Complete the following fields:
| Field | Description |
| Name | A name for the credential. |
| Description | An optional description for the credential. |
| Username and Password | The login username and password for the device. |
| Enable Username | Username for authenticating to privileged mode on the device. Leave empty if the device does not require an enable username. |
| Enable Password Type | Select one of three options: Password (a password is required), No Password (privileged mode does not require a password), or Empty Password (the device expects a blank password entry). |
| Port | The SSH or Telnet port configured on the device. SSH defaults to 22, Telnet to 23. |
| Timeout | Connection timeout in seconds. |
Custom Prompts (Optional, required only for non‑standard devices)
| Prompt Field | Description |
| Shell Prompt | The prompt pattern indicating the device is ready to accept commands after login (e.g., ">"). |
| Login Prompt | The string the device sends to request a username (e.g., ":"). |
| Password Prompt | The string the device sends to request a password (e.g., ":"). |
| Enable Prompt | The prompt pattern after entering privileged mode (e.g., "#"). |
Note: If the device does not have an enable mode or does not require enable authentication, leave Enable Login and Enable Password fields empty, and set Enable Password Type to "No Password".
SSH or Telnet must also be enabled on the device itself and the relevant port must be reachable from the Cloudmon probe.
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
| NCM backup failing | SSH or Telnet is not reachable from the probe, or the credential is incorrect | Confirm SSH or Telnet connectivity from the probe on the correct port, and verify the credential assigned in the device NCM settings |
| Configuration showing as Unauthorised | A change was made to the device configuration outside of Cloudmon | Review the change using the version comparison tool and either accept it as the new baseline or restore the previous configuration |
| Configlet execution failing | SSH or Telnet unreachable, incorrect credential, or configlet variables not set correctly | Check the Execution History for the error detail, verify device connectivity from the probe, and confirm variable values are correct |
| Baseline vs Running, or Startup vs Running, showing Not In-Sync | The running configuration has changed since the baseline (or startup config) was set | Check the Baseline Conflicts and Startup Conflicts tiles at Network → NCM → Devices to quickly spot affected devices, then compare the current version against the baseline to review the changes |