Welcome to ConfigGuard. This guide walks you through what to expect after installation and the first few things to set up so you start getting value on day one.
What ConfigGuard does
ConfigGuard is a Network Operations Intelligence platform that captures every configuration change across your network, correlates that change against routing, ARP, MAC, port, and VLAN state, and surfaces what actually changed. It is designed for teams that need a deterministic, forensics-ready record of network state — not just point-in-time snapshots.
First steps after installation
- Log in as the admin user at
https://<your-host>/?cg=login. The default credentials are printed at the end of the installer; you will be forced to change the password on first login. - Apply your license under Administration → License. Without an active license the GUI is locked but the backend continues collecting data, so no history is lost.
- Review System Settings (Administration → System Settings). Set the timezone, hostname, NTP servers, and SMTP relay. Each of these writes to the OS config files and reloads the affected service automatically.
- Add at least one site (Sites → Add Site). Sites are the geographic anchor point — devices and contacts hang off them.
- Add or import devices (Devices → Add Device, or run Network Discovery from Utilities). Devices need a credential profile to be polled.
- Create a credential profile (Administration → Credential Profiles). Once a profile is attached to a device, the next poll cycle will pick it up.
Day-one tasks worth doing
- Set up MFA for every administrator account. Go to User Profile → Multi-Factor Authentication. ConfigGuard supports TOTP via any standard authenticator app.
- Configure SMTP so notifications and reports can leave the box. Without this, change-notification emails and the daily Executive Brief silently fail.
- Plan your backup destination. Administration → Backup generates a downloadable archive of the database and uploads. Schedule a regular cron pull from your operations host.
- Review the polling interval. Default is every 4 hours. If your environment is high-change you may want to drop this; if it is large, you may want to extend it.
Where things live
| What you want | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Recent configuration changes | Change Assurance → Change Register |
| Compare two versions of a config | Configuration Repository → search a device, click two timestamps, compare |
| Pre/post validation around a planned change | Change Assurance → Change Validation |
| Notify stakeholders of a maintenance window | Change Assurance → Notifications → Add |
| Find a MAC address on the network | Utilities → Port Mapper |
| Generate the daily executive PDF | Reports → Executive Summary |
Getting help
If you get stuck:
- Search this knowledge base — articles are organized by module.
- Open a support ticket from the menu above (Tickets → New Ticket). Include the ConfigGuard version (visible in the footer of any page) and any error messages from the browser or the
/var/log/configguard/logs. - For licensed sites, the Service Desk team is available during business hours via the contact details in your license welcome email.
Welcome aboard — and thank you for choosing ConfigGuard.