Troubleshooting

Having trouble getting Kentik's AI Advisor to interact with your network devices? This article covers the most common issues that prevent Config Context (configuration backups) and Command Access (live diagnostics) from functioning properly.

Why Configuration History May Be Unavailable

Configuration collection in Kentik typically requires several key components:

• Device Configuration Backup Feature: This must be enabled in your Kentik plan to allow for configuration history tracking.

• Proper Device Credentials: Ensure that read-only SSH/API credentials or NETCONF access is correctly configured.

• Universal Agent Configuration: Agents need the necessary permissions to collect configurations from the devices.

• Supported Device Types: Not all device types support configuration collection, which may limit the ability to track changes.

Why Command Access May Fail

If AI Advisor is unable to execute diagnostic show commands, check the following common issues:

• Authorization Restrictions: The specific show command must be authorized in your local parser view (Cisco IOS-XE) or centralized AAA (TACACS+/RADIUS) policy. If the kentik_ro user is explicitly denied access to the command, the execution will fail.

• SSH Credential Rejection: Verify that the Universal Agent's SSH key or password is still valid and hasn't been rotated, expired, or removed from the device.

• Privilege Level Issues: Kentik does not interactively elevate privileges (e.g., typing enable and a secondary password). Ensure the service account drops directly into the correct privilege level or role required to run operational commands.

• Feature Not Enabled: Double-check that the Enable Read-Only Diagnostic Commands toggle is actually switched to On within the device's SSH settings tab.

Alternative Ways to Track Device Changes

When configuration history isn't available via AI Advisor, you can monitor device changes through:

• Configs Tab in Device Details: View config versions and diffs directly from the Device Details page.

• Syslog Monitoring: Filter by device name to see configuration-related events. Look for messages such as "config commit" or "configuration changed".

• SNMP Traps: Many devices send traps on configuration changes. Check for coldStart, warmStart, or config change traps.

• NMS Metrics: Monitor device uptime, track component changes in hardware inventory, and watch for routing protocol changes (e.g., BGP, OSPF state changes).