Network Administrators Survival Guide

The all-in-one practical guide to supporting your Cisco network

• Provides detailed tips for using freeware and open-source tools readily available from the Internet, including the reasons behind choosing a particular tool
• Refer to a single source for common Cisco network administration issues
• Dedicated section for network security aids administrators in effectively dealing with security issues
• Deploy fully functional RADIUS and TACACS+ for servers for controlling access to Cisco devices
• Deploy Linux- and Windows-based syslog servers to centrally collect syslog information generated by Cisco devices
• Deploy Linux- and Windows-based network monitoring systems to monitor interface traffic through Cisco devices including routers, switches, VPN concentrators, and Cisco PIX® firewalls
• Use the trending feature of network monitoring systems for long-term network analysis and capacity planning
• Automatically detect and report configuration changes on Cisco IOS® Software-based devices and Cisco PIX firewalls
• Deploy Cisco-based VPNs in mixed environments using Linux- and Windows-based VPN servers
  Network Administrators Survival Guide solves many common network administration problems by providing administrators with an all-in-one practical guide to supporting Cisco® networks using freeware tools. It is a single reference source that explains particular issues, their significance for administrators, and the installation and configuration process for the tools. The solutions are Cisco centric and provide detail not available in generic online information. Network Administrators Survival Guide emphasizes solutions for network managers and administrators of small to medium-sized businesses and enterprises.

Each chapter is broadly based on a network administration function, starting with an overview of the topic, followed by the methodology involved to accomplish that function. This includes the tools available, why they are the right choice, and their installation, configuration, and usage methods. For any given function, Network Administrators Survival Guide covers both Windows- and Linux-based tools as appropriate. Most of the Windows-based tools offer the advantage of GUI for ease of use, whereas the Linux-based tools are command-line based and can be used in automated scripts. Both are significant for network administrators.

Based on author Anand Deveriya's extensive field experience, this practical guide to maintaining Cisco networks will save you significant time and money. Any network administrator-beginner or advanced-will find this book useful. The solutions to practical aspects of network administration make Network Administrators Survival Guide a must-have reference for supporting your Cisco network.

Autorentext

Anand Deveriya, CCIE® No. 10401, is a senior network engineer with NEC Unified Solutions, where he designs and deploys secure, scalable, and redundant networks using Cisco technology and products. In his various networking roles, he has devised solutions for many of the network administration challenges noted throughout this book. Anand was a technical editor for CCIE Security Exam Certification Guide, published by Cisco Press.

Inhalt

Part I Basic Network Administration

Chapter 1 Cisco Device Installation

Introduction

Connecting to Cisco Devices for Configuration

Local Connection Using a Console Interface

Remote Connection Using Telnet

Automating Tasks Using Macros

Securing Remote Connections to Cisco Devices Using Secure Shell (SSH)

Cisco Device Configuration for SSH

SSH Client Installation

Configuring Cisco Devices Using GUI Tools

HTTP Interface for IOS-Based Devices

PIX Device Manager

Security Device Manager

Other GUI Tools for Configuring Cisco Devices

Managing System Files

File Management Using a TFTP Server

Configuring Cisco Devices to Use TFTP

Using an FTP Server for File Management

Summary

Chapter 2 Basic Network Connectivity

Basics of Network Monitoring Tools: ping and traceroute

Verifying Network Connectivity Using traceroute

Case Study: Using ping and traceroute to Isolate a BGP Meltdown Emergency

Observation

Conclusions

Actions

Advanced Network Connectivity Testing Tools

Using whois Lookup for Domain Registration Information

Using nslookup to Find DNS Information

Using netstat for Port and Connection Information

Using the MS Windows-Based netstat Command

Using the arp Command to Trace Layer 2 Issues

Summary

Chapter 3 Access Control

Overview of AAA Technology

TACACS+

RADIUS

RADIUS and TACACS+ Comparison

Using TACACS+ for AAA

Deploying a Linux-Based TACACS+ Server

Configuring Cisco Routers for TACACS+

Configuring a Cisco Switch for TACACS+

Configuring Cisco PIX Firewalls for TACACS+

Configuring a Cisco VPN Concentrator for TACACS+

Using RADIUS for AAA

Deploying a Linux-Based RADIUS Server

Configuring a Microsoft IAS Server as a RADIUS Server

Configuring a Cisco Router for RADIUS

Configuring a Cisco Switch for RADIUS

Configuring Cisco PIX Firewalls for RADIUS

Commercial Products

Summary

Chapter 4 Using Syslog

Overview of Syslog

Deploying Syslog Servers

Deploying the Default Syslog Daemon

Deploying a Linux-Based Syslog-ng Server

Configuring a Windows-Based Syslog Server

Securing Syslog Servers

Configuring Cisco Devices to Use a Syslog Server

Configuring Cisco Routers for Syslog

Configuring a Cisco Switch for Syslog

Configuring a Cisco PIX Firewall for Syslog

Configuring a Cisco VPN Concentrator for Syslog

Commercial Cisco Products

Summary

Part II Network Management Systems (NMS)

Chapter 5 Monitoring Network Availability

Network-Monitoring Fundamentals

Network-Monitoring Terms

Network-Monitoring Techniques

Deploying a Network-Monitoring System

Deploying a Linux-Based Big Brother Network-Monitoring System

Deploying a Windows-Based Big Brother Network-Monitoring System

Deploying Nagios for Linux-Based Network Monitoring

Adding Redundancy and Security to Network-Monitoring Systems

Commercial Cisco Products

Summary

Chapter 6 Network Performance Monitoring

Performance-Monitoring Overview

Deploying Network Performance-Monitoring Tools

Deploying a Linux-Based Performance-Monitoring System-MRTG

Deploying a Windows-Based Performance-Monitoring System-MRTG

Performance and Scalability Enhancements

RRDTool

Cricket

Deploying a Windows-Based Performance-Monitoring System-Cacti

Configuring Cisco Devices for Performance Monitoring

Enabling the SNMP Agent on Cisco Routers

Enabling the SNMP Agent on Cisco Switches

Enabling the SNMP Agent on a Cisco PIX Firewall

Enabling the SNMP Agent on Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrators

Securing SNMP

Commercial Cisco Offerings

Summary

Part III Security

Chapter 7 Network Security Testing

Network Security Testing Overview

Bootable CD-ROM-Based Tool Kits

Network Scanners

Nmap Scanner

Nessus Scanner

Packet Analyzers

Preparing the Network

Using Packet Analyzers

Summary

Chapter 8 Router and Switch Security

Router and Switch Security Overview

Securing Cisco Routers

Best Practice Recommendations

Summary

Chapter 9 Intrusion Detection System (IDS)

IDS Overview

IDS Classification

IDS Placement

IDS Tools

Snort

Rancid

IDS Sensors Using Common Cisco Devices

Router IDSs

PIX IDSs

Commercial Cisco Products

Summary

Chapter 10 Virtual Private Networks (VPN)

VPN Overview

IPSec Overview

Linux-Based VPNs

OpenSWAN

Interoperating OpenSWAN with Cisco IOS

Interoperating OpenSWAN with a Cisco PIX Firewall

Interoperating OpenSWAN with a Cisco…