01-31-2012 09:27 AM - edited 03-07-2019 04:39 AM
I was curious to know what others use to add port descriptions to switches when they have a spreadsheet from vendors with the information needed already provided. My vendor gives me a spreadsheet with the patch panel(drop) number and the room number used for our naming convention and I was looking for a better way to get this data together and apply it to my switches (sometimes multiple stacks of 8 or more 3750's) in a more efficient manner.
thanks,
01-31-2012 01:15 PM
sometimes multiple stacks of 8 or more 3750's
Not related to your issue but I don't recommend stacking 6 or more 3750 together.
01-31-2012 01:31 PM
They are in two seperate stacks but have related patch panel information.
02-01-2012 10:46 PM
I use two methods:
Method One - Excel
I use Excel's 'CONCATENATE' function. I enter the commands and variables into columns. Then I use a formula with concatenate to build the full string for each custom command. You then have to highlight the resulting column and do a COPY -> PASTE SPECIAL -> VALUES. Once you have the commands, you can simply COPY -> PASTE into a console or telnet session. Be cautious though, as you have to be absolutely certain your commands are built correctly and that you know exactly what the outcome will be. Once you hit paste, there's no turning back. If you don't write the config and make a mistake, you can always reboot the switch (assuming there's the opportunity to do so). You may also want to limit the number of commands you send to the switch at once as you may overflow the buffer. If you need an example, give me some sample data and I can send you a spreadsheet with what I'm talking about already completed for you.
Method Two - Perl
I have written Perl scripts that will take in a CSV file and parse it to arrays. I then open a telnet session and run the commands I need to, inserting the variables from the CSV file as appropriate. I have also used Perl scripts to do some work in reverse, namely crawling a subnet or list of IP addresses to login to each Cisco device and output information like 'sh ver' and 'sh cdp neigh' to get a quick glance at the network physical and data link layers.
Discover and save your favorite ideas. Come back to expert answers, step-by-step guides, recent topics, and more.
New here? Get started with these tips. How to use Community New member guide