Table of Contents
Change Audit Services
Defining and Running an Exceptions Summary Report
Creating Application-Specific Change Record Reports
Change Audit Services
Change Audit Services provides a change logging service to Essentials applications and enables you to filter and generate summary and detailed change reports on the data stored in the centralized log, view all records, and set up periods of time to monitor network changes. This chapter describes several typical scenarios:
- Defining and running an exceptions summary
- Using Change Audit to run reports about Software Management, Inventory, and Device Configuration change records
- Generating reports on all events
- Deleting change log data
For more detailed information on Change Audit Services, refer to the online help.
You can use Change Audit to
- Monitor your software image distribution and download history events from Software Management
- Software Management automatically sends change record data to the Change Audit log summary and the details tables.
- Track any configuration file changes
- Device Configuration automatically sends data on configuration file changes to the Change Audit log.
- Monitor inventory additions, deletions, or changes
- Track specific events or monitor any and all changes in your network inventory from the Change Audit Log or Details tables.
- Track network changes during core business hours
- Network failures are often caused by changes that occur during core business hours. For example, a device fails due to an incompatible configuration file or image problem. Setting up an exceptions profile to monitor specific hours during the work week enables you to run exceptions summary reports that provide details on any network changes during your specified time periods.
Change Audit Process
Figure 8-1 illustrates a typical workflow in which Essentials applications log change records to the Change Audit application. The Change Audit log tables (summary and details) store the data and display it based on reports you specify.
Figure 8-1: Change Audit Logging Workflow
Defining and Running an Exceptions Summary Report
An exceptions summary report contains change records that occurred during a specific time period. The report is based on an exceptions profile you set up. The exceptions summary report lets you see if any changes were made to the network during the blackout period. This report makes it easier to track a network problem since it is focused on specific time periods of interest.
Scenario: You want to set up a period of time between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays when no network changes can occur. To monitor this moratorium on network changes, you set up an exceptions summary so that in the future you can review exception summary reports.
Defining Your Exceptions Summary
Step 1 Your login determines whether you can use this option. Log in to receive access to Change Audit options.
Step 2 Select Admin > Change Audit > Define Exceptions Summary.
The Change Audit Services --- Define Exceptions dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-1.)
Figure 8-2: Change Audit Services --- Define Exceptions Dialog Box
Step 3 Select a timeframe and day for each of your exceptions periods, then click Finish.
The default exceptions periods that appear on the Define Exceptions dialog box are set to Sunday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can enter any time period or choose the defaults.
A confirmation dialog box appears explaining that your profile has been saved. Use Task > Exceptions Summary to view your report.
Running the Exceptions Summary Report
Step 1 After data has been collected, select Tasks > Change Audit > Exceptions Summary to run your report.
The Change Audit Services --- View Exceptions dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-2.)
Figure 8-3: Change Audit Services --- View Exceptions Dialog Box
Step 2 Select one or more of the defined exceptions by clicking the check box to the right of your exception, then click Finish to generate your report.
The exceptions summary report displays any activity that occurred during this period of time. If no activity occurred, the report is blank.
Step 3 If available, select any highlighted columns to access the application details.
Step 4 To save the report to a CSV formatted file:
- Select CSV Format from the drop-down list box, then click Save As. A dialog box prompts you to pick an application or save the file.
- Click Save File. A dialog box supplies the default filename xxxx.pl.
- Change the default filename extension to .csv, then click Save.
Step 5 Click Finish to return to the Filter Options dialog box or select another option from the navigation tree.
Creating Application-Specific Change Record Reports
Change Audit lets you track application-specific changes in your network. By searching the Change Audit log, you can track inventory, software management, or configuration changes using specific filters. After you set one or more filters, you can run a summary report to view the application-specific data.
If no changes were made, an empty report appears.
Tracking Configuration Change Records
Scenario: You want to check which devices have had configuration file changes over the last week and who made those changes.
Step 1 Select Tasks > Change Audit > Change Summary.
The Change Audit Services --- Filter Options dialog box appears.
Step 2 Select all network devices, then click Next.
The Change Audit Services --- Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-4.)
Figure 8-4: Change Audit Services --- Filter Options Dialog Box
Step 3 Select Application Name, then click Next.
The Application Name list appears.
Step 4 Select Configuration Manager, then click Finish.
The Change Audit Services --- Simple Filter Report appears.
Step 5 If available, select any links to access the application details.
Step 6 Save the report if desired.
Tracking Software Management Change Records
Scenario: You want a list of the inventory changes from the California branch office that have occurred during the last month.
Step 1 Select Tasks > Change Audit > Search Change Audit.
The Change Audit Services --- Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-5.)
Figure 8-5: Change Audit Services --- Filter Options
Step 2 Select the device filter and click Next.
Step 3 Select the device view of the California branch office, then click Next.
The Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-6.)
Figure 8-6: Change Audit Services --- Filter Options
Step 4 In the Application field, select Inventory Manager; in the Category field, select Inventory; then select a date range. For this scenario, select Last Month, then click Finish.
The Change Audit Services --- Multiple Filter report appears.
Step 5 If available, select any highlighted columns to view application details.
Tracking Inventory Change Records
Scenario: A device failed at 5 a.m. You need to find out what changes were made to this device (if any) after midnight.
Step 1 Select Tasks > Change Audit > Search Change Audit.
The Filter Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-5.)
Step 2 Select the device filter and click Next.
Step 3 Select the device, then click Next.
The Filter Options dialog box appears.
Step 4 Select a custom date range from midnight last night to 6 a.m. (See Figure 8-7.)
Figure 8-7: Selecting a Custom Date Range
Step 5 Click Finish.
The Multiple Filtered report appears.
Step 6 If available, select links to access application details.
Log Maintenance
Over time, the Change Audit log can become filled with data about old change records. You should remove some of these records to save disk space.
You should maintain history reports for at least a year. Before deleting any change records, create a report that documents all changes made in Essentials for a given time period, then delete the records.
Backing up the database also backs up the Change Audit tables.
Generating a Report on All Change Records
Scenario: You want to create a historical look at the network changes before deleting the change records.
Step 1 Select Tasks > Change Audit > All Changes.
The View All Records report appears.
Step 2 If available, select any highlighted columns to access the application details.
Step 3 Save the report to a CSV formatted file:
- Select CSV Format from the drop-down list box, then click Save As. A dialog box prompts you to pick an application or save the file.
- Click Save File. A dialog box supplies the default filename xxxx.pl. to save to.
- Change the default filename extension to .csv, then click Save.
Deleting Change Records
Delete Change History deletes Change Audit stored data from the Change Audit log summary tables and the application-specific details tables.
Scenario: You want to delete change record data from a specific date range (the time period prior to the last six months).
Step 1 If you have not already performed the Tasks > Change Audit > All Changes report, then do so and save the report using the Save As option. This will be your historical backup.
Step 2 Select Admin > Change Audit > Delete Change History.
The Change Audit Services --- Purge Options dialog box appears. (See Figure 8-8)
Figure 8-8: Change Audit Services --- Purge Options
Step 3 Select the filtering options, then click Next.
The selected records are deleted and a confirmation message appears.