[Asterisk-Users] Re: Re: OT: saving/restoring sipura config

[John Todd]

At 4:31 PM -0700 on 7/14/04, Randy Bush wrote:
>  >>> Sorry for this OT but I bet someone here knows if there is a way to
>>>>  save a Sipura 2000 current config and restoring it after a reset.
>>>>
>>>  hard as this is to believe, there isn't.  major bummer, eh?
>>>
>>  I believe the Sipura SPA-2000 can be provisioned via files on a TFTP
>>  server, which would act as a backup should the box die.  I haven't set
>>  this up but will do when I get a chance.
>
>kinda, sorta.  see spc tool.
>
>but that begs the question.  many of us, especially those from
>the large scale internet provisioning world expect to be able
>to get, by secure means (e.g. ssh), the config from a device in
>a processable format, maintain archives, cvs, diff, generate
>new configs, ... and upload them back to the devices.  see, for
>example, <https://www.shrubbery.net/rancid/>, for an open
>source downloader, differ, archiver many of us use.
>
>randy

Most consumer-grade devices these days have one-way configuration 
tools, for various reasons.  This may be good or bad depending on 
your perspective.  Getting a config file out of an FXO/FXS type SIP 
device in a [Cisco IOS,Morningstar,Juniper,etc] manner is very rare.

Typically, these types of devices have a two-tier approach: a "basic" 
configuration, which has the basic data (IP address, gateway, 
provisioning server address) and then the "advanced" configuration, 
which may contain a lot more stuff.  The second tier is sometimes 
password protected, sometimes not.

The problem with SIP devices is that they are different from routing 
hardware as they are typically managed by someone other than the 
person who has their hands on the device, and often that relationship 
is adversarial ("I want to use my Vonage unlimited account for my 
Asterisk server!")

Getting configurations _out_ of such devices in bulk has never been a 
priority with designers of such gear.  I can speak to this from 
first-hand discussions with many of the vendors of this equipment, as 
well as considering it myself.  A web interface for prodding and 
changing is about as good as you'll be able to get, and even that may 
not have some of the ultra-obscure features that the ASCII or binary 
configuration file will contain, and it will certainly be impossible 
to wrest the password out of it.  (Though I will note to any budding 
hardware designers out there that if I get another box that cannot be 
reset to factory defaults by simple terminal boot sequence or reset 
button, I will throw it at their heads at high speed.  Hello, Cisco 
ATA-186 designers!)

The reason that one would want to download configs out of a device is 
typically for archiving, or because there are other people 
configuring the device outside of an automated system's control.  I 
suspect most SIP providers or even PBX operators don't have that high 
on their agenda - they manage the configurations centrally, and 
push/pull them to the devices.  "Unique" or "wild" configurations are 
things to be overwritten, not archived.  (sorry, you may disagree, 
but I think that would be a minority opinion, especially when you 
speak with developers about contracts with 200,000 devices)

These devices are simply not as clever, nor as accessible as routing 
gear.  Think of these devices as telemetry devices, and you'll be in 
a better mindset for understanding their shortcomings.  As long as 
they can fetch the right config file (be it ASCII or binary) then 
they're good to go.

JT