Skip to content

README.en.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
180 lines (112 loc) · 8.29 KB

README.en.md

File metadata and controls

180 lines (112 loc) · 8.29 KB
 _______  _______  ______    _______  ___      ___      _______  ___            ___   _______  _______ 
|       ||   _   ||    _ |  |   _   ||   |    |   |    |       ||   |          |   | |       ||       |
|    _  ||  |_|  ||   | ||  |  |_|  ||   |    |   |    |    ___||   |          |   | |   _   ||  _____|
|   |_| ||       ||   |_||_ |       ||   |    |   |    |   |___ |   |          |   | |  | |  || |_____ 
|    ___||       ||    __  ||       ||   |___ |   |___ |    ___||   |___  ___  |   | |  |_|  ||_____  |
|   |    |   _   ||   |  | ||   _   ||       ||       ||   |___ |       ||   | |   | |       | _____| |
|___|    |__| |__||___|  |_||__| |__||_______||_______||_______||_______||___| |___| |_______||_______|

Fast, parallelized, and automated file deployment for remote devices.
tftp > [=======>file>--------] > devices

Python Tkinter License: MIT

Parallel.IOS

A Python tool with a graphical user interface (GUI) developed to automate the copying and verification of IOS images (or other files) from a TFTP server to the flash memory of multiple Cisco devices. This script optimizes time and reduces manual work by performing simultaneous copies to various devices.

Typical Scenario:

Boss:

We need to update the firmware version of all the company's network devices due to a critical vulnerability that was discovered last night!
🔴AND I NEED THIS READY BY 5 PM!!🔴


Infrastructure/Network Team (you, in this case!):

Screenshot 1
Oh shit! Here we go again!

The Problem:

You have 90 switches, a TFTP server, and the patience of a monk. What are you going to do? 😭 <--is this you?
Copying files one by one manually isn't "infrastructure work," it's divine punishment. It's in these moments that you wonder if you should have studied botany or if you should have attended those acting classes.

The Solution? (Or almost):

This tool is a Python script with a graphical interface that I made so you don't have to type copy tftp flash: until your fingers bleed.
It automates the tedium and performs simultaneous uploads to multiple Cisco devices and then (yes, there's more!) after copying, it even checks if the file was copied correctly using its MD5 hash. (because life is too short to watch progress bars.)

What does it do? (besides saving your time):

  1. Real Multitasking: It attacks multiple devices at the same time. While TFTP struggles to make all the copies, you can pretend that you're reading the documentation (in reality you're doomscrooling on Instagram).

  2. Available space check: Is it going to fit or not? Is there free space or not? It doesn't matter! You enter the file size, the script checks it for you, if there isn't enough space it warns you and doesn't start the copy.

  3. Integrity check (MD5 hash): It checks if the file arrived intact or if it became a jumble of useless bits along the way.

  4. Graphical Interface: Because sometimes we just want to click a pretty little button instead of fighting with the terminal.

Compatibility

⚠️ Important! This script was designed and tested only for Cisco devices with IOS operating system. It is NOT(yet) compatible with Cisco Nexus or other network operating systems (such as Junos, Arista EOS, etc.).

Screenshots

Screenshot 1

Screenshot 1

Did you like the colors? Cool, right? Chatgpt chose them, saying they help avoinding eye strain

Prerequisites

To use this script, you will need:

  1. TFTP Server: A TFTP server configured and operational on your network, accessible by the devices, and with the image (or file) you want to copy hosted on it. Recommended: Tftpd64

  2. Device Access: Credentials (username and password) for SSH access to the devices.

  3. Coffee☕ and faith in UDP🙏

How to Use

Prerequisites:

Python 3.x

Running the beast:

  1. Download the Repository:
git clone https://github.com/solopx/parallelios.git
cd parallelios
  1. Install the dependencies:
pip install -r requirements.txt
  1. Run:
python src/main.py
  1. Fill in the Information in the GUI:

  • TFTP Server IP Address: IP address of your TFTP server.

  • Filename: Full name of the image/file on the TFTP server (e.g., c2960s-universalk9-mz.152-7.E2.bin).

  • MD5 Hash: The expected MD5 hash value for the file (verify the file's MD5 hash using the commands: certutil, md5sum, or through official sources).

  • Size (MB): Estimated file size in Megabytes (MB). The size entered in this field will be used to check if there is available space on the destination devices before copying. Note: If you input it as 0 or leave this field blank, the check will not be performed.

  • Username: Your username for authentication for the devices.

  • Password: Your authentication password for the devices.

  • Enable Pass: Check this box if the devices require an enable password and enter it.

  • Devices: A list of IP addresses of the destination devices, separated by commas (e.g., 192.168.1.1, 192.168.1.2, 192.168.1.3).

  1. Start Copy(ies): Click on the green magical Start Transfer button.

  2. Output Log: The output log at the bottom of the window will show you the status of the process for each device in real time. (Cool, huh?)

  3. Have your coffee and enjoy the beautiful view of your office while you wait for the process to finish.

Notes:

MD5 hash:

You can obtain the MD5 hash of the file to be copied from reliable sources such as official websites or by using the command line.

To check the MD5 hash of a file on Windows systems, use the following at the command prompt:

certutil -hashfile "C:\Path\To\Desired\File.bin" MD5

For Linux/Unix systems, use:

md5sum "C:\Path\To\Desired\File.bin"

TFTP Packet Size:

In some iOS versions, the TFTP packet size can be customized to optimize copy time. You can check if your devices have this functionality with the command:

Switch(config)# ip tftp blocksize <value>

Valid values ​​are between 512 (default) and 8192.

Troubleshooting and Debug Logs

The script generates a log file called copy-tftp-flash.log at the root directory. This file contains low-level details of interactions with devices and is extremely useful for debugging.

Notes on MAX_WORKERS and TIMEOUT_MAX

The MAX_WORKERS field defines the maximum number of simultaneous copy operations. The default value is 5. If you are processing a large number of devices and have a robust network infrastructure and a capable TFTP server, you can adjust this value to increase the number of simultaneous transfers and performance. Keep in mind, however, that a very high value can overload your resources.

The TRANSFER TIMEOUT field defines the maximum time (in minutes) that the script will wait to transfer the file to each device.

File Structure

This application is currently divided into 3 main files:

  • main.py - Application entry point. Connects the graphical interface to the network logic, manages input validations, and controls the execution flow.

  • gui.py - Graphical interface in Tkinter. Defines the layout, visual styles, and exposes the widgets for the main to orchestrate.

  • tftp_engine.py - TFTP transfer engine. Performs SSH connection, space check, file copying, and MD5 validation on devices.

Future

In future updates, I intend to add some relaxing elevator music while the copies are being made and a truck horn sound when they are completed. I also intend to add support for Cisco Nexus devices and other manufacturers.

Contributions

Contributions are welcome! If you have ideas for improvements, feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more details.

Developed by solopx GitHub: https://github.com/solopx/