Device Types & Platforms
The vendors and platforms NetStacks understands: Terminal CLI flavors, Controller device types, and the commands used to back up each platform.
Overview
NetStacks uses device type information in two places:
- In the Terminal, a session's CLI Flavor tells the AI assistant and other smart features which command syntax the device speaks.
- On the Controller, a device's Device Type (and platform) decides how its configuration is backed up.
SSH and Telnet connections themselves work with any device that offers a standard CLI; the type only affects these extra features.
Terminal CLI Flavors
Set the CLI flavor on a session (Terminal tab → AI Features → CLI Flavor) or on a credential profile. The available values are:
- Auto-detect
- Linux/Unix Shell
- Cisco IOS/IOS-XE
- Cisco IOS-XR
- Cisco NX-OS
- Juniper Junos
- Arista EOS
- Palo Alto PAN-OS
- Fortinet FortiOS
When you import from NetBox in standalone mode, the flavor can be set automatically from the NetBox platform or manufacturer using the source's CLI Flavor Mappings (see NetBox Integration).
Controller Device Types Enterprise
The Device Type drop-down on the admin console's Add Device form and Manage tab offers:
| Label | Value (use this in CSV/JSON imports) |
|---|---|
| Cisco IOS | cisco_ios |
| Cisco NX-OS | cisco_nxos |
| Cisco IOS-XE | cisco_xe |
| Cisco IOS-XR | cisco_xr |
| Juniper JunOS | juniper_junos |
| Arista EOS | arista_eos |
| Palo Alto PAN-OS | paloalto_panos |
| Fortinet FortiOS | fortinet |
| Generic | generic |
| Custom (run profile commands) | custom |
| SNMP (read profile OIDs) | snmp |
- Custom — config backups run the profile's Auto Commands over SSH/Telnet instead of a built-in command. Use it for platforms not in the list.
- SNMP — backups read the OIDs listed in the profile's Auto Commands over SNMP. This must be enabled with Allow SNMP Backup under Settings → Collection.
The Manufacturer field suggests Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Palo Alto, Fortinet, Nokia, HPE, Aruba, Dell and MikroTik, but accepts any text. Choosing a device type fills in the manufacturer if it is blank.
Config Backup Commands by Platform Enterprise
CLI backups connect over SSH (or Telnet) with the device's profile, turn off paging, and capture the configuration with these commands:
| Platform | Paging off | Config command |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco IOS / IOS-XE, IOS-XR, NX-OS | terminal length 0 | show running-config |
| Cisco ASA | terminal pager 0 | show running-config |
| Arista EOS | terminal length 0 | show running-config |
| Juniper Junos | set cli screen-length 0 | show configuration | display set |
| Palo Alto PAN-OS | set cli pager off | show config running |
| Fortinet FortiOS | — | show full-configuration |
| F5 BIG-IP | — | tmsh list / |
| Linux | — | cat /etc/network/interfaces || ip addr show |
| Generic | — | show running-config |
If the profile's CLI flavor is set to something other than auto, it takes precedence over the device type. Any Auto Commands on the profile are captured as extra sections after the configuration. If a device lands in user mode, the collector tries the login password as the enable password (the Auto Enable collection setting).
Besides the drop-down values, the backup collector also recognises common aliases — for example router, switch, ios, nxos, cisco_asa, f5_bigip, linux and NetBox-style slugs such as cisco-ios. A device type it does not recognise fails with an unsupported device type error; switch it to a listed type or to Custom.
Structured (gNMI / NETCONF) Platforms Enterprise
In addition to CLI backups, the Controller can pull structured configuration over gNMI or NETCONF when the device's profile has an automation transport (gNMI or NETCONF, with its port) configured. Devices whose profile has no automation transport are backed up over CLI only.
For config templates and deployments, the Controller includes these structured platform definitions:
| Platform | Transport | Default port | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arista EOS (gNMI) | gNMI | 6030 | JSON (OpenConfig) |
| Juniper JunOS (NETCONF) | NETCONF | 830 | XML |
| Cisco IOS-XR (NETCONF) | NETCONF | 830 | XML |
See Config Backups & Snapshots and Templates.
Where Type and Platform Values Come From Enterprise
| Source | Device type | Platform (OS column) |
|---|---|---|
| Add Device form | Chosen from the drop-down | Not set by the form |
| CSV / JSON import | The device_type column | The optional platform column |
| NetBox sync | The NetBox platform slug (or generic) | Mapped from the NetBox platform |
| Managed from discovery | Filled in from the crawler's vendor/OS data when known | Filled in from the crawler's OS |
| Bulk Edit | Device type field | Platform / CLI (OS) field |
Tips
After adding devices of a new type, run a single Pull CLI from the device's Config Backups tab and open the transcript. If the commands are wrong for the platform, change the device type, or use Custom with the right Auto Commands on the profile.