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How to create your first report with Nipper

This guide provides a walk-through of creating your first report, from adding the configuration files and selecting your reports.

Adding the configuration files

Here we will add files to Nipper and demonstrate how to create a report using remote files.

From the home page, select New Report (or File, New Report). You are presented with the following screen:

Nipper_v3_0_New_Report

You can see the following options:

  • Config File looks for a single, manually exported device configuration file.

  • Config Dir looks for a directory containing one or more manually exported device configuration files.

  • Remote Device will allow you to add the configuration files of supported devices remotely.

  • Under Remote List there are three options:

    • Import from NMAP XML will enable you to add multiple devices via an XML input.

    • Import from CSV will enable you to add multiple devices via a CSV input.

    • Export to CSV generates a CSV from the networks that are available in the format that can be re-imported using ‘Import from CSV’.

Config File

  1. Selecting Config File allows you to navigate to the location on your computer where the required configuration file is stored.

  2. Once selected, you will be returned to the Add Devices screen. Your configuration file will be displayed in the window.

    Note: You are able to add multiple device configuration files.

  3. Click on Next to proceed to the Select Report(s) screen.

Config Dir

  1. Selecting Config Dir allows you to navigate to the location on your computer where the required configuration directory is stored.

  2. Once selected, you will be returned to the Add Devices screen. All selected configurations will be displayed.

  3. Click on Next to proceed to the Select Report(s) screen.

Remote Device

Selecting Remote Device presents you with the following screen:

Nipper_v3_0_Remote_Device

The Device Type section allows you to choose the type of device you want to audit. Only those devices supported by Nipper for remote configuration collection will be displayed here. The Connection Version field can be left as default; this is included for future functionality.

The Network Address section requires you to enter the basic information for your device. The Port section allows you to enter the port, along with the username and password required to elevate privilege in order to obtain access to the configuration file.

 

Remote List

Within Remote list there are two available options:

Import from CSV will enable you to add multiple devices via a CSV input.

Export to CSV generates a CSV file from the available networks in a format that can be re-imported using ‘Import from CSV’.

 

Report options

Once you have added your devices, you will now be presented with the next step in the New Report Wizard, which looks like this:

Nipper_v3_0_Add_Device

As you can see, the most recently added device is shown, along with the same options to add additional devices as previously discussed. You can add multiple devices if you wish to generate a multi device report.

Each device also has the tool icon and the remove device icon next to it. Naturally, the bin icon simply removes the device.  Clicking on the pencil icon brings up the following menu:

Nipper_v3_0_Device_Type

You will see in this case (as is normal) Nipper has automatically detected the device type. The dropdown list that appears allows you to manually set the device type.

Note that, if this is altered from the device type identified by Nipper from the config file, audit findings may not be 100% accurate.

Once you have added all the devices you wish to audit, and modified them if required, clicking Next in the New Report Wizard will take you to the Select Report(s) menu:

Nipper_v3_0_Select_Reports

As you can see, the different report types are listed, with a brief description of what each report contains. Each report has a check box which determines whether it will be included in your final report and there is also a Settings button for selecting advanced options.

Once you have chosen your reporting options, click Next to proceed. The next screen will allow you to run a comparison against a previous report:

Nipper_v3_0_Compare

Click Next again and you will now generate your first report, like so:

Nipper_v3_0_Finish

You will see the time taken to generate the report is displayed. This is often extremely quick, although it can take longer depending on what options are selected.

You may now like to take the time to read through the report and see the issues highlighted.