Cisco Catalyst Heart Template Labs – Relaxation-APIs – Half 9

Overview

On this episode of our ongoing Catalyst Heart Automation Collection, our focus strikes to Relaxation-APIs and utilizing postman to automate the community. We’ll change our focus from templating to automation via Postman, an amazing software to look at RESTful APIs in a single consumer interface. This can be a Self-Paced Standalone Lab, the place we are going to construct upon the foundational data acquired within the earlier labs. For this lab, we are going to think about Catalyst Heart configuration and the way Catalyst Heart might be automated to carry out numerous capabilities we’ve already lined. The lab is meant to assist drive the adoption of Relaxation-API and consists of a number of use circumstances to resolve widespread orchestration wants when utilizing Catalyst Heart.

Inside this sequence, we cowl the next;

1. PnP Preparation – explains the general Plug and Play arrange steps
2. Onboarding Templates – explains in-depth find out how to deploy Day 0 templates
3. Day N Templates – dives into Day N template constructs with each common and composite templates and use circumstances
4. Software Policys – explores Software Policys and SD-AVC in Catalyst Heart and their use
5. Telemetry – explains find out how to deploy Telemetry for assurance
6. Superior Automation – explores Superior Automation methods
7. Dynamic Automation – a deployment lab for dynamic automation

Catalyst Heart Relaxation-API Collections

Moreover, we’ve offered a Postman Public Workspace the place all of the Relaxation-API Collections are included in order that engineers can quickly entry and arrange their environments. “Generally seeing is believing.” We hope these new instruments assist clarify find out how to finest use the Relaxation-APIs and increase the data from developer.cisco.com.

On this lab, we are going to regularly add extra use circumstances to reply particular orchestration wants, however at all times in Postman, the place they could be analyzed and considered in operation for inclusion in no matter automation or orchestration system requires them. In upcoming modules, we may even delve into revealed and unpublished Relaxation-API and find out how to uncover and work with these to perform your orchestration wants.

Inside this lab modules, we cowl the next using collections for orchestration with assistance from a comma-separated values (CSV) file;

1. Postman Orientation – orientates you to Postman and helps put together the instruments
2. Constructing Hierarchy – the orchestration of constructing hierarchy
3. Assign Settings and Credentials – assigning settings and credentials
4. Gadget Discovery – orchestrating system discovery
5. Template Deployment – automating template deployment
6. Configuration Archive – automating configuration archiving
7. Retrieving Community Stock – accumulating a community stock
8. Operating Present Instructions – accumulating present command outcomes

In contrast to most earlier Labs within the sequence, this lab is self-contained and has no dependencies on any earlier labs. When you can add ideas from Labs 5 and 6 to this lab, it’s designed to haven’t any pre-configuration. It makes use of numerous automation methods to indicate the whole artwork of the potential from Software program-Outlined Networking.

What is going to I study within the Relaxation-API Orchestration Lab?

That is an enablement-type lab, permitting engineers and designers to achieve past what they at the moment perceive by attempting new ideas and pushing the boundaries of automation and orchestration. We’ll cowl numerous matters about Relaxation-API logic to resolve a number of use circumstances throughout this lab. We cowl some earlier ideas with an in-depth give attention to broadening their capabilities via the artwork of doing and analyzing.

The idea of this lab is so that you can construct the atmosphere from the bottom up, from Design to Discovery to Template Deployment. The usage of DCLOUD or the DevNet Sandbox permits a protected place so that you can strive, modify, and get used to the varied ideas and approaches.

Method

The Lab is constructed for minimal intervention utilizing issues like Relaxation-API run through Postman inside a group runner to shortly configure Catalyst Heart. This enables us to deploy Settings, Credentials, Uncover Units, Construct Websites, Buildings, Flooring, and assign the units to these websites. These are highly effective examples of what we are able to do, they usually exhibit how shortly we are able to get Catalyst Heart up and operating using Relaxation-API utilizing only one software.

However wait, there may be extra…

We provisioned a comma-separated worth (CSV) file to be used with the Postman collections to make it straightforward to construct the design and deploy templates the place mandatory.

You possibly can simply add the Public Workspace to Postman through the next hyperlink. This may mean you can quickly begin utilizing the Relaxation-API suite created for this lab. Click on the next hyperlink and log into your Postman account, and the workspace, together with the collections and the atmosphere, might be routinely added. (see picture under)

Public Catalyst Heart Use-Case API Assortment

We hold Postman Public Workspace updated with the lab in order that the lab helps doc the gathering, and the collections assist drive the lab.  Throughout the Workspace are at the moment a number of collections and an atmosphere.

Use Instances

We’ll cowl numerous matters in a number of use circumstances primarily based on lab modules to indicate the potential and suppleness of the Relaxation-APIs with Catalyst Heart.

The varied matters/use-cases we are going to contact on and deploy throughout the lab include the next:

1. Utilizing Relaxation-API to configure Catalyst Heart Design and Settings utilizing a CSV file
2. Automation of assigning Credentials throughout the community
3. Orchestrating Discovery to onboard community units
4. Automating the Provisioning of Common and Composite Templates to Units
5. Retrieving Gadget Stock info
6. Orchestration of Configuration Archives
7. Retrieving Present Command outcomes from Catalyst Facilities Command Runner

With that, the lab makes use of these matters…

We’ll achieve a sensible understanding of the steps related to using Relaxation-API whereas establishing a Catalyst Heart and an atmosphere to help complicated, superior, common templates to ship system configuration throughout these labs. The labs purpose to assist engineers in quickly starting to make use of Catalyst Heart automation and assist them work in the direction of a worldwide template technique. Moreover, these labs will give clients a everlasting place to check out the common and composite templates and embody configurations for numerous use circumstances. Lastly, this atmosphere will allow engineers to scale back the effort and time wanted to instantiate the community.

Beginning…

Inside DCLOUD, a number of sandbox-type labs can be found. These self-contained environments are there to mean you can use them as you please throughout the time scheduled. As well as, this enables us a spot to begin working towards numerous ideas with out worry of impacting manufacturing environments.

Consequently, we hope to demystify among the complexities of establishing automation and assist information clients via the caveats. Due to this fact, to assist clients within the transition towards automation, we’ve put collectively a set of small useful labs inside a GitHub repository. This manner, these self-guided labs present a glimpse into the basics of constructing velocity templates and provide examples you’ll be able to obtain and increase from. As well as, the pattern templates and JSON information equipped are for simple import into Catalyst Facilities’ template editor for faster adoption. Lastly, some scripts are ready-made excerpts of code that mean you can construct the atmosphere to check.

On this sensible lab, REST-API Orchestration, we step-by-step delve into superior automation strategies and methods to make the most of them to resolve numerous use circumstances. Second, we offer solutions and explanations to lots of the questions that come up throughout automation workshops. We hope that you simply discover the data each useful and informative.

The place can I check and take a look at these labs?

DCLOUD Lab Surroundings

To assist clients succeed with Cisco Catalyst Heart automation, you could make the most of the above labs as they’ve been designed to work inside DCLOUD’s Cisco Enterprise Networks {Hardware} Sandbox Labs in both:

1. Cisco Enterprise Networks {Hardware} Sandbox West DC
2. Cisco Enterprise Networks {Hardware} Sandbox East DC

The DCLOUD labs mean you can run these labs and provides an atmosphere to strive the varied code samples. Chances are you’ll develop and export your code to be used in manufacturing environments. Additionally, this provides you an atmosphere the place you’ll be able to safely POC/POV strategies and steps with out harming your manufacturing environments. The DCLOUD atmosphere additionally negates the necessity for delivery tools, lead occasions, and licensing points wanted to maneuver quickly. Please adhere to the very best practices for the DCLOUD atmosphere when utilizing it.

Lab Connectivity

The atmosphere permits for a web-based browser shopper for VPN-less connectivity. Moreover, there may be AnyConnect VPN shopper connectivity for many who favor it. Select the Cisco Enterprise Community Sandbox. Moreover, you could select from our RTP Amenities labs by deciding on US West. To entry this or different content material, demonstrations, and labs in DCLOUD, please immediately work together with your Cisco or Accomplice Account Staff. Your Account groups will schedule the session and share it so that you can use. As soon as booked, observe the information inside GitHub to finish the duties adhering to the very best practices of the DCLOUD atmosphere.

Content material

The REST-API Orchestration lab content material is situated throughout the present DNAC-TEMPLATES repository to provide a one-stop store for all the mandatory instruments, scripts, templates, and code samples. Inside it are seven labs, which construct upon the tutorials to check the strategies in a lab atmosphere. The repository was featured in a earlier publish on Cisco Blogs about Catalyst Heart Templates earlier in Might 2021.

Extra Info

Catalyst Heart Template Labs

The beforehand named DNAC Template LABS throughout the DNAC-TEMPLATES GitHub repository goals to information you thru the standard steps required to allow the varied automation duties delivered by Catalyst Heart. This lab will give examples of templates utilized in Catalyst Heart that we are able to modify for our use and check on tools throughout the LAB atmosphere. Extra info throughout the lab offers a well-rounded rationalization of Automation strategies with Templates. Lastly, the lab permits for purchasers to make use of Catalyst Heart workflows to apply deploying Onboarding, DayN Templates, and Software Coverage automation on each Wired and Wi-fi Platforms.

The objective of this lab is for it to be a sensible information to assist engineers to quickly start utilizing Catalyst Heart automation and assist them work in the direction of a deployment technique. Moreover, this lab will give clients a everlasting place to check out the configurations for numerous use circumstances. Lastly, this atmosphere will allow engineers to scale back the effort and time wanted to instantiate the community.

Consequently, you’ll achieve expertise in establishing Plug and Play onboarding and templates and using all options. Moreover, you’ll use superior templating strategies and troubleshooting instruments. These might assist throughout faultfinding to find out what’s failing in a deployment.

New Catalyst Heart Lab Content material

Please use this menu to navigate the varied sections of this GitHub repository. Throughout the a number of folders are examples and rationalization readme information for reference. There are actually two units of labs, and these are being regularly expanded upon.

This newer and extra modular lab method is designed to take care of and consists of ideas from the legacy labs in a more recent extra modular format.

1. Lab 1 Wired Automation – Covers inexperienced and brown area use circumstances (enable 4.0 hrs)
2. Lab 2 Wi-fi Automation – Covers conventional wi-fi automation (enable 4.0 hrs)
3. Lab 4 Relaxation-API Orchestration – Covers automation of Cisco Catalyst Heart through Postman with Relaxation-API (enable 2.0 hrs)
4. Lab 7 CICD Orchestration – Covers Python with JENKINS orchestration through REST-API (enable 4.0 hrs)

We’ll share further labs and content material in an ongoing effort to satisfy all of your automation wants with Catalyst Heart.

In conclusion, should you discovered this set of labs and repository useful,

please fill in feedback and suggestions on the way it may very well be improved.

We’d love to listen to what you suppose. Ask a query or depart a remark under.
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