Working with RANCID - Cisco Config Differ

For those of you with a need for backup of your network devices (such as routers and switches) and if you have absolutely no budget (but alot of time) then you may want to consider RANCID by Shrubbery Networks (available at http://www.shrubbery.net/rancid/). It is an open-source product that runs on Linux or Solaris.

I installed RANCID on top of Fedora 11, and was able to finally get it to work. The major problem I had with this package is the absolutely AWFUL documentation provided... you really have to sift through the readme to get what the hell they are trying to say. Even some of the better install tutorials were either out of date or not well written for the admin who just wants a simple step-by-step guide.

So, I compiled a word doc with the steps I took to configure Rancid for my work environment. You may grab it at the link provided...

http://www.njcomputerguys.com/rancid.doc

Hopefully it will save some people from pulling their hair out.

UPDATE - administrator Steve Smith contributed his experience working
with Rancid on Fedora 15...

http://njcomputerguys.com/RancidConfigFedora15.doc

SHUTDOWN button in Vista and Win7

One of the most ridiculous things Microsoft did with Vista
and Windows 7 was the idea of having the shutdown button
and start menu shutdown selection both default to SLEEP.

This has caused enormous frustration for users who actually
want to do a hard reset of their computers to clear a
problem... as SLEEP only puts them back to the point they
started.

Change this by adjusting power options in control panel.
Select the power mode you are currently using, choose
advanced selections, and change the settings for POWER
BUTTONS AND LID, POWER BUTTON ACTION to choose SHUTDOWN.

Wireless B and security

If you have a wireless B router and enable security, you may have
an issue with stability of your connections. In these instances,
I would suggest disabling security or replacing the router.

I found this issue with older B Linksys and Netgear routers.