I have been using the policy reporter a lot lately an have been compiling a list of important features I feel are missing from it.
---------------------------Policy reporter-------------------------
++ Option for Multi threaded uploads on the 'execute command script' function ++
- not necesarily restricted to policy reporter. Currently if you are loading commands up to a device it sends them one at a time and will not start the next until the first is finished. Making large jobs take a very long time when using the policy reporter.
++ Expand the right mouse click menu when viewing reports ++
- Include download configs
- Include Ping selected nodes
- Include Delete Selected nodes
ANYONE READING THIS FEEL FREE TO ADD TO THIS LIST
++ Share more node management features with NCM app / integrate the policy reporter into NCM app? ++
++ Ability to save an executed report file within Policy reporter instead of and export ++
- so to retain the use of the Policy reporter tools and features when viewing a report
++ Ability to sort nodes in a report via the same node groups used in NCM app ++
- whether it's an option selected before you run the report or and option after the report has been executed.
++ ability to sort columns by rule violations, i.e line up all the devices that failed a specific rule by clicking the the very top of the column ++
- Something like what you would see in excel.
++ Ability to select devices within an executed report using 'CTRL' select ++
Please please please at the very least include this
++ Ability to add variations of rules which can be applied to individual devices ++
Certain lines of config will be displayed in different ways or not at all in Cisco IOS depending on the version of code that being used or the default enable state of the feature on the Cisco box. This is quite common.
This creates difficulty for people like myself who find Regex a nightmare to use for anything other than the very basics.
Below I have outlined a single rule that creates such difficulty.
Ip finger: This line shows in the running config only when enabled on some devices and on other devices it only shows when disabled.
To get this to work I ideally would need a Regex expression that searches exclusively for 'ip finger' with no tolerance for any other text either before or after 'ip finger' on the same line i.e if a line contains anything other than 'ip finger' such as 'no ip finger' then the rule fails.
So far I haven't been able to do this using regex as the search continues to find the 'ip finger' string within 'no ip finger' line. (I'm sure I'd find it if I spend all my time looking for it but I can't)
My proposal is that as well as having individual rules in the Policy Reporter you could set up a rule variable group.
For example, take IP Finger as mentioned earlier. The rule Variable group would be given the name 'IP finger' and from a fully executed report would look like an ordinary rule with a single entry for the rule against each device like every other rule.
So it would look from the report's perspective just like any other rule. But, if you opened up the rule you would see that the rule group would actually be a number of variations of the same rule. Those variations would be suited to how the command line is desplayed on different devices.
Also in this window you would need the ability to select which devices each variation of the rule applies to. This is how you can get a single rule entry in the report view but have multiple rule variations scanning the configs.
++ State which config was scanned and the date that config was downloaded for each device after the report was run ++
be it an expandable window or a mouse roll over feature
I know this is a long post, maybe I should have submitted each request individually? I will if it suits better.
I always reflect when submitting a feature request whether or not it the request will only serve my circumstances. But the features listed above I feel would improve the Policy reporter significantly and would definitely benefit other users not just myself.
If I need to submit each request seperately please let me know.
