Adding a new CLI User to VCS

[Jannik Hochfeld]

Hi guys,

i have a simple question, is it possible to add a new user to the VCS-C and VCS-E, that has access to the CLI?

We want to build a script that only executes the xconfiguration command and saves the output to a text file. For this we wanted to create a user that has only read access in CLI.

Is there a way to do this?

Thanks Jannik

[Alok Jaiswal]

Hi Jannik,

on vcs admin page you can actually create a user which will have API access.

While creating the user you can set the option for web access to "NO" and say "yes" for API access.

and then you can use that user, but it depends what kind of script you are trying to run and what kind of API commands it will send over and on which protocol? so this are some questions we need to aware of before doing any integration.

Rgds

Alok

[Jannik Hochfeld]

The script should execute the xconfiguration command because we want to backup the configuration of the VCS via an external tool that we use for proactive monitoring. This tool can backup router configurations and we also want to use it to backup the vcs configuration.

Edit: We tried adding a user the way you described, but is has no permission to access the CLI. Is there something else to do?

[Alok Jaiswal · Accepted solution]

Hi Jannik,

yes, the user created that way can't access the CLI but will have API access. currently you can have a user which can access web but not CLI. This shall go as a feature request.

Also i would like to point that backing up the vcs using cli and running the "xconfig" command is not the recommended way of doing backup, beause it actually doesn't do a backup like local certs, provisioned data etc.

so the best way would be to backup from the web gui under the backup & restore option.

cheers

Alok

[Jannik Hochfeld]

Okay thanks for your help!

One last question: Is it possible to automatize to process of VCS Backup or is the web gui the only way to make a backup? Because this is not very comfortable.

Regards,

Jannik

[Martin Koch]

With some hacking it is possible, I have automated it, but I can not recommend doing so

as it might change and not work with all versions.

Just a simple uri to generate and download the backup would e great.

We had mentioned that to Cisco before, not sure if it was clearly defined as a feature request,

but if you would file one, I would go +1 on it.

(automatization of backup).

Regards your thought, if its just about the xconf and xstat as a read only list, you could

get that from the TMS in the Systems Navigator > VCS > Settings > Extended settings.

If you want more and its important or you have many systems to manage, put a linux

box in between which downloads what you need and gives access only to the ones which should get it.

Guess there are also 3rd party management systems to be used, but it might need some

programming to fit it to a VCS.

The xconf and xstat can also be downloaded from the API as an XML file.

I had remarked it not only once, I dislike that not all parameters are mapped to xconf and xstat.

Thats bad and needs to be fixed!

Please remember to rate helpful responses and identify helpful or correct answers.

[Alok Jaiswal]

jannik,

in addition to what martin said check this below link also.

http://justanothertechy.com/automate-cisco-video-communication-server-configuration-backups/

Rgds

Alok