Cisco NCM Installation, Configuration and Administration (NCM)

The course consists of theory and hands-on exercises using local or remote lab facilities. The lab is structured to fit lecture topics and to run throughout the 3-day class in both morning and afternoon sessions.
The training will provide attendees with the skills and knowledge to be confident using Cisco NCM. The training will be technical, focusing on the features, key benefits and underlying theory.

Course Objectives
The objectives of the course are to give operational and support staff a good understanding of the installation, configuration and administration of NCM 1.4. This includes the adding of devices and access methods, provisioning of devices, using templates and scripts, managing policies and reports and user access and workflows.
The student will learn about automated configuration management, network compliance and change and configuration management.


Prerequisites
· Cisco CCNA Skills
· Understanding of Cisco Network Devices, Configurations and Compliance
· TCP/IP & SNMP
· General Network Management Skills



Who should attend
Personnel who are required to understand and support the functionality of NCM.
Course outlineModule 1: Introduction: This module provides a welcome to the course and explains administration and housekeeping for the course.
Module 2: NCM Architecture: This module describes the concepts, features and System Architecture of the Cisco Network Compliance Manager.
· HP + Cisco Suite for Business Service Automation
· Key Features of NCM
· Tier Architecture
· NCM Detailed Architecture
· NCM Processes and Drivers
· How NCM captures, checks and pushes configuration changes
Module 3: Installation and Planning: This module helps you identify the implementation requirements for installing the NCM system and explains the NCM best practices.
· Software, hardware and network requirements
· Installation Procedures
o License Files
o Installing on Windows
o Installing on Solaris
o Setting up Admin Settings
o Adding Devices
· Syslog Messaging
· Customer Environments
· Device Access Methods and Firewalls
· User Authentication
o Windows AD, TACACS, SecureID, RADIUS
· Additional Installation Topics
o API, Integration, Custom Fields, Security and Miscellaneous
· Installation Best Practices
· Installation for High Availability
· LAB: Planning for a NCM Installation
Module 4: Device Access Methods and Groups: This module explains device access methods, identifies connection methods and transfer protocols, differentiates between device and parent groups and between sites, partitions and realms. It identifies the major task types and shows how to create, manage and perform device tasks.
· Access Methods
· Device Groups
· Realm, Site, Core
· Views and Partitions
· Tasks Overview and Interaction with Network Devices
· Tasks: Creating, Displaying, Scheduling, Running and Tracking
· LAB: Advanced Device Management and Tasks
Module 5: Adding Devices: This module explains the device discovery process, how to add devices and edit, view, deploy and compare configurations.
· Device Management Overview
· Adding Devices
· Detecting Network Devices
· Discovering Device Drivers
· Searching for Devices
· Viewing Device Details
· LAB: Adding Devices
Module 6: Diagnosing Device Imports: This module explains how to identify, diagnose, isolate and resolve specific device problems.
· Common Cisco Device Problems
· Unix Based Devices
· Nortel Devices
· Baystack Devices
· General Device Troubleshooting
Module 7: Templates and Provisioning: This module provides an overview of Device Templates and Bare Metal Provisioning.
· Device Templates
· Bare Metal Provisioning
Module 8: Scripting and ACLS: This module will show you how to create, edit and review templates and scripts, explaining the difference between simple and advanced scripts and explains ACLs.
· Command Scripting Overview
· Creating a Script from a Template
· Creating Expect Scripts from Telnet/SSH Sessions
· Using Variables in Scripts
· ACLs Overview
· Limitations in Managing ACLs with NCM
· Creating, Running and Editing ACL Scripts
· LAB: Scripting and ACLs.
Module 9: Software Images and CLI: This module explains how to manage software images and how to use the CLI to manage network devices.
· Software Images Overview
· Cisco SWIM
o Adding CCO Login
o Software Image Management
o OS Analysis
o Downloading Image
o Admin Settings
· Updating Device Software and Deploying the Software Image
· Using the CLI
· LAB: Deploying Software Images and using CLI
Module 10: Managing Policies: This module looks at the compliance life cycle, managing configuration policies and export/import of configuration policies.
· Policy Compliance Overview
· The Policies Menu
· Creating a New Configuration Policy
· Importing/Exporting Policies
· Verifying and Testing Compliance
· Using the Cisco Network (TON)
· LAB: Managing Policies.
Module 11: Managing Reports: This module details the different reports supported in Cisco NCM, explaining the use of the statistics dashboard and how to search for reports.
· Reports Overview
· Displaying and Creating User and System Reports
· Network, Device and Best Practices Reports
· Statistics Dashboard
· Diagram reports and Saving Diagrams
· LAB: Managing Reports
Module 12: Authorising User Access:
This module explains how to plan for users, access and authorisation, differentiating between roles and permission and how to create and edit user accounts and groups.
· User Accounts Basics
· Viewing Users and Logged on Users
· User Groups, Roles and Permissions
· Changing User Roles
· Limiting Group Access to Devices
· Auto-created Users
· LAB: Managing Users, Access and Authentication
Module 13: Workflows
This module explains the workflow process and also how to create, edit and run workflows.
· Workflow Overview
· Creating a Workflow - 8 Steps
· Managing Workflow Approval Rules
· LAB: Workflow
Module 14: Managing Server Health
This module shows how to check the server status, explains data pruning, configuring event notification and response rules and how to troubleshoot with logs.
· Server Monitoring Overview
· Default Server Monitoring Settings and Configuration
· Viewing System Status
· Configuring for Data Pruning
Module 15: Event Notification and Response Rules:
This module provides an overview of event notification and response rules, and configuring logging and debug levels.
· Event Notification Overview
· Configuring and Creating Event Notification and Response Rules
· Notification Failures
· Step for Reporting Problems to Support
· Configuring Logging and Debug Level
· LAB: Event Notification Rules

Module 16: Administrative Settings
This module explains the NCM server administrative settings and how to configure and manage the NCM server administrative settings.
· Admin Settings
o Configuration Management and Change Detection Settings
o Change User Identification Settings
o Start up/Running and ACLs Settings
o Device Access Settings
o Server Settings
o Workflow Settings
o User Interface and Telnet/SSH Settings
o Reporting Settings
· Starting and Stopping System Events
Module 17: NCM APIs
This module explains the NCM API architecture, the structure of APIs and shows how to create simple Java/Pearl code based on the NCM API and how to use the Web Services API with NCM.
· NCM API
· NCM API Architecture
· Installing Perl API Packages and Installing Manually
· Testing the API
· Installing JAVA API Packages
· Run Script in API
· Using Perl API in Advanced Scripts
· Java Message Services Connector
· Using SOAP Web Services API in Other Programming Language

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