Cisco Catalyst Center vs RANCID
Cisco Catalyst Center
cisco.comRANCID
shrubbery.netSide by side
| Figure | Cisco Catalyst Center | RANCID |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Network Configuration Management Software | 7.8 (#11) | 7.9 (#9) |
| Purpose | Cisco Catalyst Center is a centralized network controller and management dashboard for enterprise network operations. | RANCID monitors network-device configurations, records configuration and hardware/software history in a revision control system, and emails detected differences. |
| Support | Cisco says Catalyst and Cisco DNA software subscriptions include embedded software support and downloads; opening a support case requires a Cisco Service Contract. | The maker directs users to [email protected] and the rancid-announce and rancid-discuss mailing lists for problems, contributions, and suggestions. |
Plans
Cisco Catalyst Center
- Cisco DNA AdvantagePriced on request
- Cisco DNA EssentialsPriced on request
In their own words
Cisco Catalyst Center
Cisco Catalyst Center has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
RANCID
RANCID is free, open-source software that monitors network-device configurations and keeps their changes in revision control. It logs into devices, runs commands, reformats output to remove changing values that do not represent meaningful configuration differences, emails detected changes, and commits updates to version control. CVS, Subversion, and Git are listed for maintaining history. Login scripts connect through Telnet or SSH, and included looking-glass software provides device access. The maker lists support for equipment including Allied Telesis, Cisco, Juniper, Catalyst, Foundry/Brocade, Redback, ADC, Alteon, and HP Procurve, among others. RANCID is available for Linux, macOS, and self-hosted deployment; version 3.14 is identified as current. It has no GUI or web interface for configuration, although separate tools can show diffs and repositories. Setup guidance generally assumes basic Unix and tool knowledge, and versions 2.3 onward require Expect 5.40 or later.