Auditor Help: Identifying Systems

The software needs to have systems defined to connect and document. You must have access to and adequate access privileges on the systems you wish to document.

To specify a Cisco system:

  1. In the Select Systems dialog box, click the New... button.
    Specify System dialog box
  2. In the System Specification dialog box, enter the IP address or Hostname of of the system to be documented. This field is required for both SSH and Telnet connections.
  3. Check the Use SSH option if you would prefer to connect using a secure and encrypted connection for the data.
    Data is extracted from a system using either a Secure Shell (SSH) or a Telnet connection. The SSH feature enables the software to establish a secure, encrypted connection to the system. If this box is not checked, the connection is established with Telnet in clear text.
    Note! Note: Only some versions of Cisco IOS software support the SSH server feature. If you have not explicitly enabled the SSH server on this system, do NOT check this box.
  4. Enter the Username.
    Systems may be configured to grant access based on username authentication. If a Telnet session to the specified system requires a username, fill in a username that is allowed access to Privileged EXEC Mode. If access to the system is not based on username authentication, leave this field blank. This field is required for an SSH session.
  5. Enter the Login Password.
    This password is sometimes referred to as the telnet password, username password, line password, or VTY password. If a Telnet session to the specified system requires a password, enter a valid password here. This field is required for an SSH session.
  6. Enter the Enable Password.
    The software requires access to Privileged EXEC Mode. If this mode is accessed via the enable EXEC command and the enable password is configured, enter the password here.
  7. Enter or select the Privilege Level from the drop-down list.
    Privilege levels may be set by the administrator to allow or deny access to specific commands. If you are restricted to a specific privilege level, enter that level; otherwise, leave this field set to 15.
    Note! Note: To successfully collect data, the privilege level must allow access to the following commands: show version, show running-config, and show startup-config.
  8. Only if modified on the system you're specifying, modify the Username Prompt, Login Password Prompt, and/or the Enable Password Prompt.
    Note! Notes:
    • Username Prompt:
      Systems may be configured with non-standard prompts. The username prompt is displayed when logging into the system. This prompt applies only to Telnet sessions. Change this value ONLY if the system is configured with a non-standard Username Prompt.
    • Login Password Prompt:
      Systems may be configured with non-standard prompts. This prompt is displayed when logging into the system to obtain a password. This prompt applies to both Telnet and SSH sessions. Change this value ONLY if the system is configured with a non-standard Login Password Prompt.
    • Enable Password Prompt:
      Systems may be configured with non-standard prompts. This prompt is displayed when logging into the system and when executing the enable EXEC command. This prompt applies to both Telnet and SSH sessions. Change this value ONLY if the system is configured with a non-standard Enable Password Prompt.
    • Connection Method:
      Systems may be configured with an alternate connection method. The Ecora default is PUTTY, but the path to a third-party solution can be entered here.
    • Arguments:
      Particularly if an alternate connection method is specified, there may be arguments necessary for Ecora to connect. Enter the correct arguments here.
  9. Check the Remove Security Info From Config Files option if you would prefer to prevent sensitive information (passwords and SNMP strings) from being recorded.
  10. Click OK.
  11. Proceed with the selecting for cisco for the report.

Note! Note: The authentication required by your system configuration dictates which of the above fields are required. The data your system requires for access must be correctly provided in the dialog box to collect data.

Note! Note: Incorrect characters, such as white space at the end of a correct prompt, prevent the software from matching the actual prompt and connecting successfully.