How to install RANCID on Fedora CoreOS

RANCID is an open-source tool that allows backup and management of configurations from network devices. In this tutorial, we will guide you on how to install RANCID on Fedora CoreOS.

Prerequisites

• A running instance of Fedora CoreOS latest.
• sudo or root access to the instance.

Installation

1. Open a terminal window on your Fedora CoreOS instance.

2. Install the required packages:

   sudo dnf install git rancid
   

3. Create a directory for RANCID to store its configuration files:

   sudo mkdir /etc/rancid
   

4. Copy the rancid.conf.sample file to /etc/rancid/rancid.conf:

   sudo cp /usr/share/doc/rancid/rancid.conf.sample /etc/rancid/rancid.conf
   

5. Create a directory where RANCID will save the device configurations:

   sudo mkdir /var/lib/rancid
   

6. Update the rancid.conf file to specify the location of the directory created in Step 5:

   sudo vi /etc/rancid/rancid.conf
   
   # Edit the following line:
   # RCSSYS=/usr/local/libexec/rancid
   # To:
   RCSSYS=/usr/libexec/rancid
   
   # Edit the following line:
   # LIST_OF_GROUPS="mygroup"
   # To:
   LIST_OF_GROUPS="mygroup"
   
   # Edit the following line:
   # LIST_OF_USERS = "" ; # Default user definitions
   # To:
   LIST_OF_USERS = "username" ; # Default user definitions
   
   # Edit the following line:
   # RANCID_BRANCH.master.regex = _{}
   # To:
   RANCID_BRANCH.master.regex = _.*{}
   
   # Add the following lines at the end of the file:
   cloginrc=/etc/rancid/.cloginrc
   logdir=/var/lib/rancid/logs
   

7. Create a cloginrc file in the /etc/rancid directory to specify the login credentials for each device:

   sudo vi /etc/rancid/.cloginrc
   
   # Add the following lines for each device you want to backup:
   add user {DEVICE-IP-ADDRESS} {USERNAME}
   add password {DEVICE-IP-ADDRESS} {DEVICE-PASSWORD}
   add method {DEVICE-IP-ADDRESS} ssh
   
   # Replace {DEVICE-IP-ADDRESS}, {USERNAME} and {DEVICE-PASSWORD} with your device's IP address, username and password respectively.
   

8. Modify the SELinux context of the log directory:

   sudo semanage fcontext -a -t usr_t "/var/lib/rancid/logs(/.*)?"
   sudo restorecon -R /var/lib/rancid/logs/
   

9. Start the RANCID services:

   sudo systemctl start rancid-cvsweb
   sudo systemctl start rancid-cvs
   

10. Enable RANCID to start on boot:

    sudo systemctl enable rancid-cvsweb
    sudo systemctl enable rancid-cvs
    

Conclusion

You have successfully installed RANCID on your Fedora CoreOS instance. You can now use it to backup and manage configurations from network devices.

If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!

Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!