Overview

Readers will learn how to properly format and sanitize EdgeRouter configurations to remove all personal and sensitive information.

Table of Contents

1. Downloading the Configuration from the EdgeRouter
2. Sanitizing the Configuration
3. Posting the Configuration on the Community
4. Related Articles

Downloading the Configuration from the EdgeRouter

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The first step is to download the backup archive from the EdgeRouter using the Web UI.

1. Navigate to the System tab in the bottom-left of the Web UI to download the backup configuration archive.

System > Configuration Management & Device Maintenance > Back Up Config

2. Download the backup config file by clicking on the Download button.

3. The EdgeRouter will prompt you to save the archive on your computer.

4. Open the edgeos_hostname_yyyymmdd.tar.gz archive using a file archival program such as 7-Zip.

5. Extract the config.boot file from the archive.

Sanitizing the Configuration

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Now we can modify the contents of the config.boot file in order to sanitize (obscure) any sensitive information. Some examples are:

• Usernames
• Passwords
• Public IP addresses
• UNMS connection info
• Commit archival location
• Router hostname
• Custom banner message

1. Open the config.boot file using a text editor.

2. Look for any public IP addresses to obscure. Notable configuration areas are the interfaces and firewall sections.

A good way to sanitize IP addresses, while maintaining readability, is to keep the values unique or only obscure part of the address. Instead of replacing each address with x.x.x.x or y.y.y.y, a better way is to obscure part of the address (x.x.x.154 and y.y.y.29 for example) or completely replace it with a RFC5737 documentation address. The documentation range IP addresses are:

• 192.0.2.0 - 192.0.2.255
• 198.51.100.0 - 198.51.100.255
• 203.0.113.0 - 203.0.113.255

3. Look for any usernames or passwords to obscure. Notable configuration areas are the vpn and system sections.

4. Save the edited config.boot file.

Posting the Configuration on the Community

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1. Select a blank line and click on the    icon in the toolbar, converting the line into a code block.

2. Paste the configuration into the code block, and submit.

Below is an example of a properly formatted configuration:

interfaces {
    ethernet eth0 {
	description WAN
        address 203.0.113.1/30
        duplex auto
        speed auto
    }
    ethernet eth1 {
	description LAN
        address 192.168.1.1/24
        duplex auto
        speed auto
    }
}
...

And an example of a misaligned configuration that has extra line spacing, causing it to be harder to read:

interfaces {
ethernet eth0 {

description WAN

address 203.0.113.1/30

duplex auto

speed auto

}
ethernet eth1 {
description LAN
address 192.168.1.1/24
duplex auto
speed auto
}
}
...

Related Articles

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EdgeRouter - Backup and Restore Configuration

EdgeSwitch - How to Sanitize EdgeSwitch Configurations

Intro to Networking - How to Establish a Connection Using SSH