The CNS configuration agent is involved in the initial configuration and subsequent partial configurations on a Cisco device. The configuration agent uses a CNS configuration engine to provide methods for automating initial Cisco device configurations, incremental configurations, and synchronized configuration updates, and the configuration engine reports the status of the configuration load as an event to which a network monitoring or workflow application can subscribe.

The CNS event agent provides a transport connection to the CNS event bus for all other CNS agents. No event can be sent to the device by the configuration engine until the CNS event agent is operational and has successfully built a connection between the configuration engine and the device.

The event agent uses a CNS configuration engine to provide methods for automating initial Cisco device configurations, incremental configurations, and synchronized configuration updates.

The CNS EXEC agent allows a remote application to execute a CLI command in EXEC mode on a Cisco device by sending an event message that contains the command.

Administrators maintaining large networks of Cisco devices need an automated mechanism to load image files onto large numbers of remote devices. Network management applications are useful to determine which images to run and how to manage images received from the Cisco online software center. Other image distribution solutions do not scale to cover thousands of devices and cannot distribute images to devices behind a firewall or using Network Address Translation (NAT). The CNS image agent enables the managed device to initiate a network connection and request an image download allowing devices using NAT, or behind firewalls, to access the image server.

The CNS image agent can be configured to use the CNS event bus. To use the CNS event bus, the CNS event agent must be enabled and connected to the CNS event gateway in the CNS Configuration Engine. The CNS image agent can also use an HTTP server that understands the CNS image agent protocol. Deployment of CNS image agent operations can use both the CNS event bus and an HTTP server.