Configuration Change Notification and Logging

The Configuration Change Notification and Logging (Config Log Archive) feature allows the tracking of configuration changes entered on a per-session and per-user basis by implementing an archive function. This archive saves configuration logs that track each configuration command that is applied, who applied the command, the parser return code (PRC) for the command, and the time the command was applied. This feature also adds a notification mechanism that sends asynchronous notifications to registered applications whenever the configuration log changes.

Before the introduction of the Configuration Change Notification and Logging feature, the only way to determine if the Cisco software configuration had changed was to save a copy of the running and startup configurations to a local computer and do a line-by-line comparison. This comparison method can identify changes that occurred, but does not specify the sequence in which the changes occurred, or the person responsible for the changes.

Finding Feature Information

Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest caveats and feature information, see Bug Search Tool and the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the feature information table.

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/​go/​cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

Restrictions for Configuration Change Notification and Logging

  • Only complete commands input in a configuration mode are logged.

  • Commands that are part of a configuration file applied with the copy command are not logged.

Information About Configuration Change Notification and Logging

Configuration Log

The Configuration Change Notification and Logging feature tracks changes made to the Cisco software running configuration by maintaining a configuration log. This configuration log tracks changes initiated only through the CLI or HTTP. Only complete commands that result in the invocation of action routines are logged. The following types of entries are not logged:

  • Commands that result in a syntax error message

  • Partial commands that invoke the device help system

For each configuration command that is executed, the following information is logged:

  • The command that was executed

  • The configuration mode in which the command was executed

  • The name of the user that executed the command

  • The time at which the command was executed

  • A configuration change sequence number

  • Parser return codes for the command

You can display information from the configuration log by using the show archive log config command, with the exception of the parser return codes, which are for use by internal Cisco applications only.

Configuration Change Notifications and Config Change Logging

You can configure the Configuration Change and Notification Logging feature to send notification of configuration changes to the software system logging (syslog) process. Syslog notifications allow monitoring of the configuration log information without performing polling and information gathering tasks.

The Configuration Change Notification and Logging feature allows the tracking of configuration changes entered by users on a per-session and per-user basis. This tool allows administrators to track any configuration change made to the software running configuration, and identify the user that made that change.

Config Logger Enhancements for EAL4+ Certification

The Config Logger Enhancements for EAL4+ Certification feature ensures that the logging process meets the requirements set forth in the Conformance to Common Criteria, Evaluation Assurance Level 4+ (EAL4+) Firewall Protection Profiles. These enhancements include changes to meet the following requirements:

  • If you change any logging parameters, those changes are logged. This is effected by the sending of a syslog message for each change to the running configuration from a copy operation (for example, copy source running-config).

  • Modifications to the group of administrative users are logged; failure attempts for access to privileged EXEC mode (“enable” mode) are logged.


Note

EAL Certification is not claimed by Cisco. These enhancements provide the groundwork for future certification.

The logging actions described above are disabled by default. To enable these logging characteristics, perform the task described in the “Configuring the Configuration Change Notification and Logging Feature” section in the "Configuration Change Notification and Logging" feature module.

How to Configure Configuration Change Notification and Logging

Configuring Configuration Change Notification and Logging

SUMMARY STEPS

    1.    enable

    2.    configure terminal

    3.    archive

    4.    log config

    5.    logging enable

    6.    logging size entries

    7.    hidekeys

    8.    notify syslog

    9.    end


DETAILED STEPS
     Command or ActionPurpose
    Step 1 enable


    Example:
    Device> enable
     

    Enables privileged EXEC mode.

    • Enter your password if prompted.

     
    Step 2 configure terminal


    Example:
    Device# configure terminal
     

    Enters global configuration mode.

     
    Step 3 archive


    Example:
    Device(config)# archive
     

    Enters archive configuration mode.

     
    Step 4 log config


    Example:
    Device(config-archive)# log config
     

    Enters configuration change logger configuration mode.

     
    Step 5 logging enable


    Example:
    Device(config-archive-log-config)# logging enable
     

    Enables the logging of configuration changes.

    • Logging of configuration changes is disabled by default.

     
    Step 6 logging size entries


    Example:
    Device(config-archive-log-config)# logging size 200
     

    (Optional) Specifies the maximum number of entries retained in the configuration log.

    • Valid values for the entries argument range from 1 to 1000. The default value is 100 entries.

    • When the configuration log is full, the oldest entry is deleted every time a new entry is added.

    Note   

    If a new log size is specified that is smaller than the current log size, the oldest log entries are immediately purged until the new log size is satisfied, regardless of the age of the log entries.

     
    Step 7 hidekeys


    Example:
    Device(config-archive-log-config)# hidekeys
     

    (Optional) Suppresses the display of password information in configuration log files.

    Note   

    Enabling the hidekeys command increases security by preventing password information from being displayed in configuration log files.

     
    Step 8 notify syslog


    Example:
    Device(config-archive-log-config)# notify syslog
     

    (Optional) Enables the sending of notifications of configuration changes to a remote syslog.

     
    Step 9 end


    Example:
    Device(config-archive-log-config)# end
     

    Returns to privileged EXEC mode.

     

    Displaying Configuration Log Entries and Statistics

    Perform this task to display entries from the configuration log or statistics about the memory usage of the configuration log. You can enter the commands in any order.

    To display configuration log entries and to monitor the memory usage of the configuration log, the Configuration Change Notification and Logging feature provides the show archive log config command.

    SUMMARY STEPS

      1.    enable

      2.    show archive log config number [end-number]

      3.    show archive log config all provisioning

      4.    show archive log config statistics

      5.    exit


    DETAILED STEPS
      Step 1   enable

      Use this command to enable privileged EXEC mode. Enter your password if prompted. For example:



      Example:
      Device> enable
      Step 2   show archive log config number [end-number]

      Use this command to display configuration log entries by record numbers. If you specify a record number for the optional end-number argument, all log entries with record numbers in the range from the value entered for the number argument through the end-number argument are displayed. For example: 

      Device# show archive log config 1 2

idx   sess   user@line        Logged command
 1     1     user1@console    logging enable
 2     1     user1@console    logging size 200


      Example:

      This example displays configuration log entry numbers 1 and 2. The range for the number and end-number arguments is 1 to 2147483647.

      Step 3   show archive log config all provisioning

      Use this command to display all configuration log files as they would appear in a configuration file rather than in tabular format. For example:



      Example:
      Device# show archive log config all provisioning

archive
 log config
  logging enable
  logging size 200

      This display also shows the commands used to change configuration modes, which are required to correctly apply the logged commands.

      Step 4   show archive log config statistics

      Use this command to display memory usage information for the configuration. For example:



      Example:
      Device# show archive log config statistics

Config Log Session Info:
   Number of sessions being tracked: 1
   Memory being held: 3910 bytes
   Total memory allocated for session tracking: 3910 bytes
   Total memory freed from session tracking: 0 bytes
Config Log log-queue Info:
   Number of entries in the log-queue: 3
   Memory being held in the log-queue: 671 bytes
   Total memory allocated for log entries: 671 bytes
   Total memory freed from log entries:: 0 bytes
      Step 5   exit

      Use this command to exit to user EXEC mode. For example:



      Example:
      Device# exit
Device>

      Clearing Configuration Log Entries

      Entries from the configuration log can be cleared in one of two ways. The size of the configuration log can be reduced by using the logging size command, or the configuration log can be disabled and then reenabled with the logging enable command.

      Clearing the Configuration Log by Resetting the Log Size

      This task shows how to clear the configuration log by reducing the log size to 1, then resetting the log size to the desired value, by entering the logging size command twice.

      SUMMARY STEPS

        1.    enable

        2.    configure terminal

        3.    archive

        4.    log config

        5.    logging size entries

        6.    logging size entries

        7.    end


      DETAILED STEPS
         Command or ActionPurpose
        Step 1 enable


        Example:
        Device> enable
         

        Enables privileged EXEC mode.

        • Enter your password if prompted.

         
        Step 2 configure terminal


        Example:
        Device# configure terminal
         

        Enters global configuration mode.

         
        Step 3 archive


        Example:
        Device(config)# archive
         

        Enters archive configuration mode.

         
        Step 4 log config


        Example:
        Device(config-archive)# log config
         

        Enters configuration change logger configuration mode.

         
        Step 5 logging size entries


        Example:
        Device(config-archive-log-config)# logging size 1
         

        Specifies the maximum number of entries retained in the configuration log.

        Note   

        Setting the size of the configuration log to 1 results in all but the most recent entry being purged.

         
        Step 6 logging size entries


        Example:
        Device(config-archive-log-config)# logging size 200
         

        Specifies the maximum number of entries retained in the configuration log.

        Note   

        The size of the configuration log should be reset to the desired value after clearing the configuration log.

         
        Step 7 end


        Example:
        Device(config-archive-log-config)# end
         

        Exits to privileged EXEC mode.

         

        Clearing the Configuration Log by Disabling the Configuration Log

        SUMMARY STEPS

          1.    enable

          2.    configure terminal

          3.    archive

          4.    log config

          5.    no logging enable

          6.    logging enable

          7.    end


        DETAILED STEPS
           Command or ActionPurpose
          Step 1 enable


          Example:
          Device> enable
           

          Enables privileged EXEC mode.

          • Enter your password if prompted.

           
          Step 2 configure terminal


          Example:
          Device# configure terminal
           

          Enters global configuration mode.

           
          Step 3 archive


          Example:
          Device(config)# archive
           

          Enters archive configuration mode.

           
          Step 4 log config


          Example:
          Device(config-archive)# log config
           

          Enters configuration change logger configuration mode.

           
          Step 5 no logging enable


          Example:
          Device(config-archive-log-config)# no logging enable
           

          Disables the logging of configuration changes.

          Note   

          Disabling the configuration log results in all records being purged.

           
          Step 6 logging enable


          Example:
          Device(config-archive-log-config)# logging enable
           

          Enables the logging of configuration changes.

           
          Step 7 end


          Example:
          Device(config-archive-log-config)# end
           

          Exits to privileged EXEC mode.

           

          Configuration Examples for Configuration Change Notification and Logging

          Example: Configuring Configuration Change Notification and Logging

          The following example shows how to enable configuration logging with a maximum of 200 entries in the configuration log. In the example, security is increased by suppressing the display of password information in configuration log records with the hidekeys command, and syslog notifications are turned on with the notify syslog command. 

          configure terminal
archive
 log config
 logging enable
 logging size 200
 hidekeys
 notify syslog

          Additional References

          Related Documents

          Related Topic

          Document Title

          Cisco IOS commands

          Cisco IOS Master Command List, All Releases

          Information about managing configuration files

          “Managing Configuration Files” module in the Managing Configuration Files Configuration Guide

          Commands for managing configuration files

          Cisco IOS Configuration Fundamentals Command Reference

          Technical Assistance

          Description

          Link

          The Cisco Support and Documentation website provides online resources to download documentation, software, and tools. Use these resources to install and configure the software and to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. Access to most tools on the Cisco Support and Documentation website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password.

          http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​cisco/​web/​support/​index.html

          Feature Information for Configuration Change Notification and Logging

          The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.

          Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to . An account on Cisco.com is not required.
          Table 1 Feature Information for Configuration Change Notification and Logging

          Feature Name

          Releases

          Feature Information

          Configuration Change Notification and Logging

          Cisco IOS XE Release 3.6E

          The Configuration Change Notification and Logging (Configuration Logging) feature allows the tracking of configuration changes entered on a per-session and per-user basis by implementing a configuration log. The configuration log tracks each configuration command that is applied, who applied the command, the parser return code for the command, and the time the command was applied. This feature also adds a notification mechanism that sends asynchronous notifications to registered applications whenever the configuration log changes.

          In Cisco IOS XE Release 3.6E, this feature is supported on Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series Switches.

          The following commands were introduced or modified: archive, hidekeys, log config, logging enable, logging size, notify syslog, show archive log config.