Description

This article provides information on how to enable multiple users to simultaneously edit different parts of the configuration via the Private Configuration mode on EX switches.

Symptoms

How to enable multiple users to simultaneously edit different parts of the configuration via the Private Configuration mode.

Solution


The configure private command allows multiple users to simultaneously edit different parts of the configuration and commit only their own changes or to roll back, without interfering with one another’s changes. When the configure private command is issued, you can work in a private candidate configuration, which is a copy of the most recently committed configuration.

When a private candidate configuration is committed, Junos temporarily locks the global configuration, enforces the restriction that the global configuration must be unmodified to commit private changes, and validates the private candidate configuration. If a merge conflict occurs, the commit fails and the configuration lock is released. You can then modify your private candidate configuration and commit it again. If there are no errors, the changes that are made in the private candidate configuration are merged into the most recently committed global configuration, activated and run on the router, and the configuration lock is released.

Note : You cannot commit changes in the 'configure private' mode, when another user is in in the 'configure exclusive' mode.

If the global configuration has changed, users in the configure private mode can issue the rollback or update command to obtain the most recently committed shared configuration. You must issue the commit command from the top of the configuration. You cannot save a configure private session; uncommitted changes are discarded. You cannot issue the commit confirmed command, when in the configure private mode.

After an Junos upgrade or downgrade, the normal configuration mode or configure exclusive mode must be used to commit a configuration, prior to using the configure private command.

If a configure private edit is in session, other users who issue the configure command can view only the global configuration; a message that indicates that the uses must use the configure exclusive or configure private commands to modify the configuration is displayed:

[edit]
user@switch#set system host-name TEST
error: private edits in use. Try 'configure private' or 'configure
exclusive'.
If the global configuration has been modified, users cannot enter the configure private mode, as they cannot commit changes when the global configuration has been modified. For example:
user@switch# configure private
error: shared configuration database modified
Users currently editing the configuration:
root terminal d0 (pid 7951) on since 202-12-25 14:18:46 PST
If another user commits a change to the same section of the configuration that the private user has modified, a merge conflict may result. In this case, Junos updates the private user’s configuration with the most recently committed global configuration and then allows the private user to commit the changes. For example:
[edit]
user@switch# set system host-name ROCKY
[edit]
user@switch# show | compare
[edit system]
- host-name host;
+ host-name ROCKY;
[edit]
user@switch# commit
[edit system host-name]
'host-name bar'
statement does not match patch; 'bar' != 'host'
load complete (1 errors)
[edit]
user@switch# show | compare
[edit system]
- host-name bar;
+ host-name ROCKY;
In this example, after Junos detects the merge conflict and fixes it, the user in the configure private mode issues the show | compare command. This command displays the private user’s database changes against the most recently committed shared configuration.

Updating the Configure Private configuration :

When you are in the configure private mode, you must work with a copy of the most recently committed shared configuration. If the global configuration changes, you can issue the update command to update your private candidate configuration. When you do this, your private candidate configuration contains a copy of the most recently committed configuration with your private changes merged in. For example:
[edit]
user@switch# update
Discarding the private configuration :

You can also issue the rollback command to discard your private candidate configuration changes and obtain the most recently committed configuration:
[edit]
user@switch# rollback