Installing RAT
To prepare to use RAT, you need to take some initial steps. First, install Perl if you don't already have it. Second, download and install RAT (with or without snarf). Third, run the ncat_config program to set up RAT for your network. Then you'll be ready to run RAT (with or without the snarf commands).
RAT comes with snarf, which automatically contacts your routers and downloads their configuration files. You don't have to use snarf, but it's useful for administrators who don't typically work with the Cisco IOS. If you want to use snarf, you'll need a valid logon and the administrator password (called the "enable" password in Cisco parlance), as well as the IP addresses for the routers.
As noted above, RAT requires that Perl be installed on your Windows machine. Although Perl is installed by default on most UNIX systems, most Windows machines don't have Perl, so you'll probably need to download and install it. CIS recommends ActiveState Perl 5.6.1 or later, which you can obtain at ActiveState's Web site (http://www.activestate.com). Because Perl is free and other programs use it, it's a generally useful tool. You must also use the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN—http://www.perl.com/CPAN), the global repository for Perl code, utilities, FAQs, documentation, and distribution to download a couple of extra libraries for Perl. CPAN lets you automatically download and install the required Perl libraries with little hassle. After you download and install Perl, to download the additional libraries required for snarf to work, go to a DOS prompt and type
ppm install Net-Telnet
ppm install Net-Telnet-Cisco
The CPAN repository downloads and installs the extra libraries for you. If you don't plan to have RAT download the configuration files for you, you can skip these commands. (If RAT doesn't download the files, you need to download them manually through Trivial FTP —TFTP—or a similar utility.) If you aren't familiar with IOS or don't have a Cisco technician to assist you, I strongly recommend using snarf to avoid inadvertently affecting your router. . . .
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