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title: "Defining Config Management Settings"
canonical: "https://docs.infoblox.com/space/NetMRI733/23462116/Defining%20Config%20Management%20Settings"
format: markdown
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This topic describes the data collection methods that NetMRI uses to acquire its database of configuration files. Those methods include SSH, Telnet and SNMP, all of which should be enabled to ensure a complete collection.

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**Note:** Configuration data collection settings (for Telnet, SSH and SNMP) can also be defined through the Setup Wizard (Settings icon **–>** **Setup** **–>** **Setup** **Wizard** in Step 9, **Device** **Interrogation** **Techniques**.

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Under **Settings**, the **Collection** **and** **Groups** panel (Settings icon **–>** **Setup** **–>** **Collection** **and** **Groups** **–>** **Global** tab **–>** **Config** **Management** side tab) controls configuration collection for all devices in the network. Config Management settings define the protocols used for communicating with network devices.  
 Ensure established communications protocols (SSH, Telnet, SNMP) to all managed devices. If **Use** **Telnet** **Protocol** and **Use** **SSH** **Protocol** are both disabled, NetMRI cannot collect configuration files from any device.

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**Note:** You can override settings in this panel at more granular levels, through Device Group and Interface Group communications settings specified in the **Groups** tab of this page.

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The **Collection** **and** **Groups** panel consists of the following:

- **Config** **Collection:** If enabled, configuration files are collected from network devices. All settings apply globally: **Config** **Locked:** If enabled, configuration changes to network devices are not authorized.

**Use** **Telnet** **Protocol:** If enabled, NetMRI automatically attempts to access a device via telnet when it is discovered, using the list of passwords in Settings icon **–>** **Setup** **–>** **Credentials**. If disabled, the system performs no telnet configuration collection, password guessing or vendor default username/password checking for any monitored device.  
 **Use** **SSH** **Protocol:** If enabled, NetMRI automatically attempts to access a SSH via telnet when it is discovered, using the list of passwords in Settings icon **–>** **Setup** **–>** **Credentials**. If disabled, the system performs no SSH configuration collection, password guessing or vendor default username/password checking for any monitored device.

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**Note:** Many devices generate log messages for SSH access attempts coming from unknown IP addresses. To avoid confusion, add the IP address assigned to NetMRI to all appropriate access control lists and security logs.

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**Use** **HTTP** **Protocol:** NetMRI can use the HTTP protocol to access a discovered device for configuration collection. If disabled, the system performs no HTTP-based configuration collection, password guessing or vendor default username/password checking for any device.  
 **Use** **Vendor** **Default** **Credentials**: NetMRI can use passwords marked as **Use** **Vendor** when trying to determine a login to devices for configuration collection. If enabled, the passwords entered as **Local** **Users** in Settings icon **–>** **Setup** **–>** **Credentials** are attempted first, then those marked as **Use** **Vendor**. If disabled, the system attempts only username/passwords marked as **Use** **Local** (for organizations that do not want the additional traffic of the Vendor Default password set).

- **Script** **Execution:** If enabled, NetMRI users with the correct privileges can execute Configuration Command Scripts or Perl scripts.
- **Vendor** **Default** **Credential** **Collection:** If enabled, NetMRI will automatically check for default vendor credentials at the interval specified in **Frequency**. Checking for vendor default credentials ensures that the network meets compliance standards.

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**Note:** NetMRI comes pre-loaded with a list of vendor default community strings; you can add more at Settings icon **–>** **Setup** **–>** **Credentials**.

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- **Frequency:** If set to **Weekly**, NetMRI will check for vendor default credentials once per week. If set to **Daily**, the appliance will check for vendor default credentials once per day, at the **Hour** and **Minute** specified in the box below the **Daily** option.