Golden Template Validation
Golden Template Validation is a configuration-compliance validation module in NCCM that allows users to verify whether network device configurations adhere to a defined Golden Template. It enables on-demand validation of device configurations against approved standards using regular–expression–based rules.
This module is typically used for:
Manual or ad-hoc compliance verification
Auditing configuration consistency across devices
Identifying missing or non-compliant configurations
Validating configuration changes against defined standards
Golden Template Validation operates on the latest downloaded device configurations and provides clear compliance results for each device.
Access Prerequisites
Golden Template Validation is a privilege-based feature. Users can access, view, execute, and export validation results only if:
The GOLDEN_TEMPLATE license is enabled
The required view and execution permissions are assigned under roles and privileges
If the license is disabled or the required permissions are not assigned, the module will not be visible in Network Configuration.
How Does It Work
When a validation is executed, NCCM performs the following steps:
Identifies target devices based on the selected filters (Vendor, OS, Asset Tag, Device Group, IP Address range).
Fetches the latest downloaded configuration for each matching device.
Applies Ignore Patterns first to remove unwanted or irrelevant configuration lines.
Applies Configuration Template patterns to the filtered configuration data.
Evaluates each device for:
Complied configurations
Violated configurations
Displays results per device, including:
Matched configuration lines
Missing configuration lines
Extra or illegal configuration lines
The validation is executed asynchronously, and progress is shown using total, in-progress, and completed device counts.
Validation Parameters
Golden Template Validation | Configuration Fields
Vendor*
Select from the dropdown
Select the device vendor. The list is populated from the CMDB based on available devices. This selection determines the OS Name values shown next. Example: Cisco
OS Name*
Select from the dropdown
Displays operating systems supported by the selected vendor. The list dynamically updates when the vendor changes. Example: IOS, IOS-XE
Asset Tag*
Select one or more values
Filters devices based on asset tags defined in CMDB. Asset Tag selection can be used alone or combined with IP Address and Device Group. Example: Core-Switches
Device Group*
Select from the dropdown
Filters devices belonging to a specific NCCM device group. Device Group can be used independently or along with Asset Tag and IP Address. Example: Branch Routers
IP Address Range*
Enter IP values
Defines the IP addresses of devices to be validated. NCCM validates the format before submission. Supported formats:
Single IP → 192.168.1.1
Multiple IPs → 192.168.1.1;192.168.1.5
Wildcard → 192.168.1.*
Range → 192.168.2.1-100
Subnet → 192.168.1.0/24
Configuration Type*
Select from the dropdown
Determines which configuration snapshot is used for validation. The default value is Running. Options: Running, Startup
Select and Load Template*
Select Golden Template
Loads a preconfigured Golden Template created in the Configuration Template module. When selected, Configuration Template and Ignore Patterns are auto-filled. Changes made here apply only to the current validation instance.
Configuration Template*
Enter regex patterns
Defines mandatory configuration patterns that must exist in the device configuration. Each entry must be a valid regular expression. Patterns are evaluated after Ignore Patterns are applied.
Ignore Patterns
Enter regex patterns
Defines configuration lines or blocks to be ignored before validation. Ignore Patterns are applied first to remove unwanted or variable configuration lines.
Submit
Click to execute
Starts the validation process. NCCM processes devices asynchronously and displays progress and results.
Reset
Click to reset
Clears all entered fields except Configuration Type, which defaults to Running.
Configuration Template Patterns
Golden Template Validation relies entirely on regular expressions (regex) to evaluate device configurations. These patterns define what must exist in the device configuration for it to be considered compliant.
Pattern Rules:
Only regular expression patterns are supported.
Pattern matching is case-insensitive.
Each pattern must be entered on a new line.
Normal strings are not supported.
Invalid or malformed regex patterns result in validation errors.
If a regex symbol must be treated as a literal character, it must be escaped using a backslash ().
Single-Line Pattern Matching
Single-line patterns are used when a configuration line can appear anywhere in the device configuration.
Common use cases include version checks, logging configuration, and global settings.
Examples:
Match an exact software version (version 15.4)
Match any version value (version.*)
Match password encryption setting (service password-encryption)
Match a specific logging server (logging 192.168.50.123)
Characters such as ., *, or ? have special meanings in regex. Escape them using / if they must be matched literally.
Block-Based Pattern Matching
Block-based patterns are used when validation must occur only within a specific configuration block, such as a console line or an interface block.
Example Use Case
Validate the following configuration only inside the line con 0 block:
exec-timeout 0 0
privilege level 25
Block Pattern Syntax
How It Works
BlockStartPattern: Identifies the beginning of the configuration block.
Middle lines: Define the patterns that must exist within the block.
BlockEndPattern: Identifies the end of the block.
EndPattern:Keep: Includes the last matching line as part of the block validation.
(Use Ignore if the last line should be excluded.)
Ignore Patterns
Ignore Patterns are used to exclude unwanted lines or blocks from the configuration before validation. This helps eliminate noise such as comments, timestamps, or banners.
Ignore Pattern Rules
Ignore Patterns are applied before Configuration Template validation.
Supports both single-line and block-based ignore patterns.
Uses the same regex rules as Configuration Template patterns.
Matching is case-insensitive.
Single-Line Ignore Patterns
Used to ignore individual lines across the configuration.
Example:
This ignores comment lines and common boilerplate entries.
Block-Based Ignore Patterns
Used to ignore entire configuration blocks.
Example: Ignore banner configuration
Explanation
banner exec ^C: Marks the start of the banner block.
^C: Marks the end of the banner block.
EndPattern:Ignore: Ignores the entire block.
[$$$]: Separator used between block keywords.
Multiple Ignore Patterns Within a Block (BlockIgnorePattern)
BlockIgnorePattern allows ignoring multiple specific patterns within a matched block.
Example:
Multiple ignore patterns are separated using [;;;].
Each listed pattern is ignored only within the matched block.
The rest of the block remains eligible for validation.
Invalid Patterns
The following patterns are not allowed and will result in validation errors:
** or ********
?? or ????????
++ or ++++
Note:
Ignore Patterns are applied first to filter the configuration.
Configuration Template patterns are evaluated next.
Validation runs against the latest downloaded configuration.
Each device is marked as Complied or Violated.
Results clearly indicate:
Matched configurations
Missing configurations
Extra or illegal configurations
Validation Result
After submitting the Golden Template Validation, NCCM processes the selected devices and displays the validation results on the Results screen. This screen provides a summary of the validation progress and detailed compliance status for each device evaluated against the Golden Template.
At the top of the screen, NCCM displays a summary that reflects the overall validation status across all selected devices.
Validation Result | Basic Details
Total Devices
View only
Displays the total number of devices selected for Golden Template validation.Example: 3 devices.
In Progress
View only
Indicates the number of devices for which validation is still in progress. This value updates in real time as the backend process runs.
Example: 0.
Total Completed
View only
Shows the number of devices for which validation has been completed, regardless of compliance result. Example: 3.
Violated Device Count
View only
Displays the count of devices whose configurations do not comply with the Golden Template. Example: 2.
Complied Device Count
View only
Displays the count of devices whose configurations fully comply with the Golden Template. Example: 0.
Compliance Filter
Compliance Status
Select from the dropdown
Allows filtering the result grid based on compliance outcome.Available Options:
Complied
Violated
Selecting an option updates the grid to show only matching devices.
Export
Click
Exports the validation results as an XLSX file. The export includes device details, compliance status, and validation outcome for all displayed devices (based on applied filters).
Validation Result Grid
Configuration
Click to view
Displays the date and time when the configuration used for validation was captured. Clicking this opens the detailed validation view for that execution. Example: Dec 12, 2025, 04:10 PM.
IP Address
View only
Shows the IP address of the validated device. Example: 10.0.4.5.
Hostname
View only
Displays the device's hostname or asset identifier, as available in the CMDB.Example: EVEREST-IMS-LAB-ROUTER-33.everestims.com.
Vendor
View only
Indicates the device vendor associated with the configuration.Example: Cisco.
OS Name
View only
Displays the device's operating system.Example: IOS.
Compliance Status
View only
Shows whether the device configuration is Complied or Violated based on the Golden Template evaluation.
Actions
View
Click View
Opens the Golden Template Validation result for the selected device. Displays execution details, including configuration timestamp, IP address, hostname, vendor, and OS name.
Shows validation findings, including non-compliant or additional configuration entries identified during validation.
Expand
Click Expand
Expands the validation result to full-screen mode. Provides improved visibility to review large configuration outputs, block-level matches, and detailed validation results.
Export (XLSX)
Click Export
Exports the Golden Template Validation result for the selected device into an XLSX file. The exported file includes configuration details and validation outcomes for offline review or compliance reporting.
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