Network Configuration Backups in rConfig V8 Core

After reading this page, you can explain what configuration and state backups capture, then run them three ways in rConfig V8 Core: manually from the UI, from the CLI, and on an automated schedule. You will also know where backups are stored and how to monitor their execution.

When to use this

Reach for this page when you need to protect device configurations for change management, disaster recovery, compliance, or security forensics. It covers both the one-off backup you run while troubleshooting a single device and the scheduled tasks that keep your whole inventory backed up without manual effort.

Prerequisites

Before running backups, make sure the following are in place:

• At least one device added to rConfig with valid credentials. See adding and managing devices.
• A command group assigned to each device so rConfig knows which commands to run. See command groups.
• The connectivity and authentication process tested for your devices (a manual download is the quickest way to confirm this).
• For scheduled backups, permission to create tasks in your rConfig role.

Why configuration backups matter

Configuration backups are the foundation of rConfig’s value. Whether you are archiving device states for compliance or building a disaster recovery baseline, knowing how to run and automate backups keeps your network infrastructure protected and auditable.

rConfig provides multiple methods to start configuration backups, from manual device-level backups for immediate needs to fully automated task-based scheduling for hands-free operations. Every backup follows the same robust connectivity and authentication process, so results stay consistent regardless of how the backup is triggered.

Change management

Track every configuration change with before and after configuration comparison. When something breaks after a change window, you know exactly what changed and can roll back if needed.

Disaster recovery

Device dies at 3 AM? Restore the exact configuration from last night’s backup. Hardware replacement becomes a config restore operation, not a rebuild-from-memory emergency.

Compliance and audit

Regulators want proof of configuration standards? Generate configuration compliance reports showing config compliance over time. Demonstrate who changed what and when with complete audit trails.

Security forensics

Suspicious network behaviour? Compare current configs against known-good baselines to identify unauthorised changes, rogue access rules, or compromised credentials.

Documentation

Your configs are your documentation. When onboarding new team members or troubleshooting legacy setups, backed-up configurations provide the ground truth.

Backup types

Configuration backups

What: captures device running configurations, the active settings that define how the device operates.

Commands: show running-config, display current-configuration, show configuration

Use cases:

• Rollback and recovery
• Compliance validation
• Configuration standardisation

Frequency: daily or after every change window.

State backups

What: captures operational state information alongside configurations (version details, interface status, routing tables, ARP entries, hardware inventory).

Commands: show version, show ip interface brief, show ip route, show inventory

Use cases:

• Troubleshooting and forensics
• Pre and post-change validation
• Capacity planning data
• Hardware inventory tracking

Frequency: daily or on-demand during troubleshooting.

Combined approach (recommended)

Most production deployments back up both configuration and state data. Create command groups that include:

• Primary config command (show running-config)
• Version and hardware details (show version)
• Interface status (show ip interface brief)
• Routing information (if applicable)

This gives you complete snapshots useful for both recovery and analysis.

Backup features

Backup storage

All backed-up configurations are stored in a hierarchical directory structure organised by category, device name, and date.

Storage path example:

/storage/app/rconfig/data/
  └── [Category Name]/
      └── [Device Name]/
          └── [YYYY]/
              └── [MMM]/
                  └── [DD]/
                      └── [command-name]_[timestamp].txt

Example:

/storage/app/rconfig/data/
  └── Core-Routers/
      └── router-hq-01/
          └── 2026/
              └── Oct/
                  └── 02/
                      └── show-running-config_143522.txt

Every backup has a record in the database that references the file along with other data.

How to run backups

1. Manual device backup (UI)

Best for: immediate backup of a single device for troubleshooting or verification.

1. Navigate to Devices and open the device you want to back up.
2. Click the Download Now button.
3. Wait for the job to complete.
4. View the backed-up config in the device history.

When to use:

• Testing connectivity to new devices
• Capturing config immediately after a manual change
• Troubleshooting backup issues
• Verifying command templates work correctly

2. Manual device backup (CLI)

Best for: scripting, automation, remote operations, or debugging connection issues.

CLI bypasses the queue

CLI commands do not run in the queue system. They run immediately in the foreground and block the terminal until complete. Because they bypass the queue, you will not see them in the Horizon Queue Manager. This is useful for debugging connection issues.

Download a single device:

php artisan rconfig:download-device {device_id}

Examples:

# Backup device ID 1001
php artisan rconfig:download-device 1001

# Backup with debug output (shows detailed connection info)
php artisan rconfig:download-device 1001 -d

# Search by integration host ID (for synced devices)
php artisan rconfig:download-device 1001 -i

Download multiple devices:

php artisan rconfig:download-device 1001 1002 1003

Download by category:

# Backup all devices in category ID 5
php artisan rconfig:download-category 5

# Multiple categories
php artisan rconfig:download-category 5 6 7

Download by tag:

# Backup all devices with tag ID 10
php artisan rconfig:download-tag 10

See the full CLI command reference

3. Scheduled task-based backups

Best for: production operations, automated daily or weekly backups, hands-free configuration management.

Scheduled tasks are the primary backup method for production environments. Tasks define:

• When backups run (schedule with time and frequency)
• What gets backed up (device selection via categories, tags, or specific devices)
• Which commands execute (command groups assigned to devices)

Task types for configuration backups

rConfig supports multiple task types for different backup scenarios:

Task Type	Description	Configuration
Config Downloads - Devices	Backup specific selected devices	Select individual devices
Config Downloads - Categories	Backup all devices in selected categories	Select one or more categories
Config Downloads - Tags	Backup all devices with selected tags	Select one or more tags

Additional task types are available for policy compliance, snippet deployment, system maintenance, and integrations. See the scheduled tasks documentation for the complete list.

Create a scheduled backup task

1. Navigate to Tasks and click Create Task.
2. Select the task type: choose “Config Downloads - Devices”, “Categories”, or “Tags” based on your needs.
3. Enter the basic settings:
   • Task Name: for example “Daily Core Network Backup”
   • Description: for example “Backs up all core routers and switches daily”
   • Enabled: tick to make the task active
   • Run on Save: optional, runs immediately when you save
4. Configure the schedule:
   • Frequency: select from the dropdown (Every Minute, Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly)
   • Time: set a specific time such as 02:00 for Daily, Weekly, or Monthly tasks
   • Time Zone: select your local timezone
   • Day of Week: for weekly tasks, select the day or days
   • Day of Month: for monthly tasks, select the date
5. Select the devices (varies by task type):
   • For Devices: select specific devices from the list
   • For Categories: select one or more categories (for example “Core Routers”, “Distribution Switches”)
   • For Tags: select one or more tags (for example “Production”, “Critical Infrastructure”)
6. Click Save Task.

The task now appears in the Tasks main view and runs automatically at the scheduled intervals.

Manage tasks

To run a task manually:

1. Navigate to the Tasks main view.
2. Click the Run Now button next to the task.
3. Monitor progress in the Horizon Queue Manager.

To pause or resume a task:

1. Click the Pause icon to temporarily disable a task without deleting it. Paused tasks do not execute on schedule.
2. Click Resume to re-enable it.

To edit a task:

1. Click the task name or the edit icon.
2. Modify the schedule, devices, or settings.
3. Save your changes.

To delete a task:

1. Click the delete icon.
2. Confirm the deletion. The task schedule and configuration are permanently removed.

Deleting tags affects tasks

Deleting a tag does not impact the devices themselves, but it will affect any scheduled tasks configured for that tag.

Task best practices

Stagger backup windows. Do not back up 1000 devices at 2:00 AM exactly. Use:

• Different times for different categories
• Multiple tasks with offset schedules
• Progressive scheduling (core at 2 AM, access at 3 AM, branch at 4 AM)

Monitor task execution:

• Check the Horizon Queue Manager for real-time job status
• Review the application logs for backup failures
• Set up notifications for failed backups
• Regularly review paused or disabled tasks

Test before production:

• Create a test task with 5 to 10 devices
• Verify all devices back up successfully
• Check configurations are captured correctly
• Then scale to your full device inventory

Use appropriate task types:

• By Category: best for organisational structure (Core, Distribution, Access)
• By Tag: best for logical grouping (Production, DR, Critical)
• By Device: best for small, specific device sets or exceptions

Common gotchas

Avoid these common backup mistakes

• CLI downloads bypass the queue, so they will not appear in the Horizon Queue Manager. Use the UI or scheduled tasks when you need queue visibility and history.
• Scheduling every device at the same time can overload your network and the queue. Stagger backup windows across categories or tags.
• A device with no command group assigned produces an empty or failed backup. Confirm each device has a command group before scheduling.
• Deleting a tag does not delete devices, but it silently breaks any scheduled task that targeted that tag. Review tag-based tasks after removing tags.

Backup execution details

What happens during a backup

Regardless of how the backup is triggered, the execution flow is consistent:

1. Job queued in the Horizon queue system
2. Device connection established per the connectivity process
3. Commands executed from the assigned command group
4. Output captured with pagination handling
5. CIC definitions run (if configured) to extract properties
6. Configuration processed (cleaned, validated)
7. File stored in the hierarchical directory structure
8. Database record created with metadata
9. Default status evaluated and recorded
10. Notifications sent (if configured for failures or specific events)
11. Activity logged with full details

Storage location

Configurations are stored following this structure:

/storage/app/rconfig/data/
  └── [Category Name]/
      └── [Device Name]/
          └── [YYYY]/
              └── [MMM]/
                  └── [DD]/
                      └── [command-name]_[timestamp].txt

Example:

/storage/app/rconfig/data/
  └── Core-Routers/
      └── router-hq-01/
          └── 2026/
              └── Oct/
                  └── 02/
                      └── show-running-config_143522.txt

Monitoring backup operations

Horizon Queue Manager

View real-time backup job status:

1. Navigate to External Tools → System Queue Manager to open the Horizon Queue Manager.
2. Monitor the job states:
   • Pending jobs: queued and waiting
   • Processing jobs: currently executing
   • Completed jobs: successful backups
   • Failed jobs: errors requiring attention

Application logs

For detailed backup history and troubleshooting:

1. Navigate to System Settings → Monitoring & Debugging → Application Logs. See the application log documentation for full detail.
2. Filter by:
   • Device name
   • Date range
   • Success or failure status
   • Specific commands
3. View detailed logs showing connection attempts, authentication results, command execution, errors and warnings, and execution time.

Notifications

Configure alerts for backup events.

Email notifications:

• Failed backups
• First-time device backups
• Configuration changes detected
• Daily or weekly summary digests

Webhook notifications:

• POST to external systems (Slack, Teams, PagerDuty)
• Custom integrations with ticketing systems
• Real-time change notifications

Best practices

Production deployment

Start small, scale gradually:

1. Test with 10 devices across different vendors
2. Validate command templates work correctly
3. Verify storage
4. Add more devices in batches

Schedule strategically:

• Avoid peak traffic hours
• Stagger backups across categories
• Consider maintenance windows
• Account for time zones in global deployments

Monitor and adjust:

• Review failed backups weekly
• Optimise command timeouts based on device response times
• Adjust concurrent connection limits for network capacity
• Archive old configurations per retention policy

Security considerations

Credential management:

• Use credential sets for shared access
• Rotate passwords regularly
• Implement key-based SSH authentication
• Never log credentials in plaintext

Access control:

• Restrict backup initiation to authorised users
• Use RBAC to control device access
• Audit who triggers manual backups
• Monitor API token usage

Encryption:

• Enable configuration file encryption at rest
• Use TLS for API communications
• Secure credential storage with encryption keys
• Implement filesystem-level encryption

Performance optimisation

Concurrent connections:

• Default: 10 simultaneous connections
• Adjust based on network capacity
• Consider device CPU and memory limitations
• Monitor queue depth

Command optimisation:

• Only back up commands you need
• Avoid expensive commands (full routing tables) unless necessary
• Use | no-more or the equivalent to disable pagination
• Test command response times before production

Storage management:

• Implement retention policies (keep 90 days, 1 year, and so on)
• Use compression for archived configs
• Monitor disk space usage

What’s next

• Compare configuration versions with config diffs to see exactly what changed between backups.
• Create and schedule tasks to automate backups across your full device inventory.
• Generate configuration compliance reports to demonstrate config standards over time.