Cisco Catalyst Middle Template Labs – Onboarding Templates, Half 3

Overview

The main focus of this episode of our ongoing Catalyst Middle Automation Collection is Onboarding Templates through the Wired Automation lab and organising a lab or manufacturing surroundings to allow this functionality. This second lab within the collection goals to know the varied ideas required to help gadget onboarding. The labs inside this collection, enable to be used within the DCLOUD surroundings; nevertheless, chances are you’ll equally make the most of them as a part of a Proof of Idea setup at a buyer’s lab. It’s possible you’ll use these procedures to make sure that all the required steps are full earlier than onboarding any gadgets inside Catalyst Middle. These procedures might also assist type a part of a deployment or implementation.

Inside this collection, we cowl the next;

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

Every of the Labs builds on the ideas that we cowl, and this lab has a prerequisite of finishing the primary lab. This lab addresses methods to use Onboarding Templates inside Catalyst Middle to onboard community gadgets at Day Zero, the place they don’t have any configuration initially. This lab will undergo the stream concerned in constructing the supporting settings inside Catalyst Middle to help onboarding. The lab can even will let you deploy a  template for a Catalyst change via Catalyst Middle utilizing Onboarding workflows. To arrange the surroundings, be sure to full the steps outlined in our first, and second blogs within the collection.

What’s going to I be taught within the Onboarding Templates Lab?

On this lab, clients will begin by constructing out an Onboarding Template that sometimes deploys solely sufficient data to initialize the gadget. This lab delves into the sensible utility of methods to arrange Catalyst Middle settings and hierarchy and methods to put together a template for supply. It additionally calmly explains a number of the numerous philosophies surrounding how we’d deploy configuration.

When you would possibly assume to incorporate the whole configuration for a standard community gadget, there’s a higher approach. We’re higher served by Day N Templates for big configuration constructs, permitting for modularization and reuse and simplification of operations. Day N Templates ought to be utilized to use advanced configuration and ongoing adjustments permitting gadget modifications after preliminary deployment.

Different concerns encompass using the UI-centric strategy and the impression that it has on a typical configuration. A configuration might embody some traces of code, which can be delivered via the UI-centric settings. If these Design parts are used, we have to perceive the impression which will have on simplifying our configuration and the way straightforward which will make the community keep.

We are going to achieve a sensible understanding of the steps related to organising Catalyst Middle and an surroundings to help Plug and Play and Gadget Onboarding throughout this lab. The lab is geared toward aiding engineers in quickly start utilizing Catalyst Middle automation and assist them work in direction of a template technique. Moreover, this lab will give clients a everlasting place to check out the onboarding templates and consists of configurations for numerous use instances. Lastly, this surroundings will allow engineers to cut back the effort and time wanted to instantiate the community.

Lab Subjects

The lab covers these subjects in-depth:

1. Constructing the Hierarchy and Design Settings automating the setup via API pushed through Postman
2. Including Onboarding Templates and Gadget Profiles
3. The claiming course of for gadget onboarding

Postman and API’s

On this lab, we are going to use APIs to construct out design settings and credentials with Catalyst Middle to cut back the time required to deploy. Postman would be the shopper utility that we are going to use to quickly construct the design settings inside Catalyst Middle and offers an surroundings to construct these APIs and check them but in addition helps us troubleshoot if required.

Template Import and Export

On this lab, we are going to use JSON recordsdata to Import and Export templates to Catalyst Middle to cut back the time required to deploy. This functionality additionally consists of all the weather edited within the type editor, so all the varied settings are despatched with the logical cli constructs. This leads to a great tool for shifting templates from check environments to manufacturing.

Template Examples

On this lab, we offer JSON recordsdata, examples of templates that you could be Import to Catalyst Middle to cut back the time required to deploy. This alleviates the guesswork concerned in determining how a variable may be arrange, as all the shape editor components are additionally included inside the JSON file.

Lab Flexibility

Whereas utilizing the lab, if the given examples and the deployment methodology want to alter to help some testing you might be doing, chances are you’ll take the recordsdata and surroundings and modify them to fit your use case. We use a layer two trunk throughout a port-channel for connectivity, however equally, you could possibly check out different connectivity strategies for layer three routed entry.

How can I get began?

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

Subsequently, to help clients within the transition towards automation, we’ve got put collectively a set of small useful labs inside a GitHub repository. Consequently, we hope to demystify a number of the complexities of organising plug-and-play and assist information clients via the complexities and caveats. On this approach, these self-guided labs present a glimpse into the basics of constructing velocity templates and supply examples that you could obtain and increase from. As well as, the pattern templates and JSON recordsdata equipped are for simple import into Catalyst Facilities’ template editor for faster adoption. Lastly, some scripts are ready-made excerpts of code that will let you construct the surroundings to check.

First, in a sensible lab information, we step-by-step delve into the ideas of constructing templates and methodologies for utilizing each Onboarding and DayN templates. Second, we offer solutions and explanations to lots of the questions that come up throughout automation workshops. Our hope is that you just discover the data each useful and informative. Thus, we hope to present a well-rounded clarification of automation strategies and ideas that we are able to simply increase upon for manufacturing functions. Lastly, the Wired Automation labs Onboarding Template content material explains the general gadget onboarding setup steps.

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

DCLOUD Lab Setting

To assist clients succeed with Cisco Catalyst Middle automation, chances are you’ll 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 will let you run these labs and provides an surroundings to strive the varied code samples. It’s possible you’ll select to develop and export your code to be used in manufacturing environments. Additionally, this offers you an surroundings the place you’ll be able to safely POC/POV strategies and steps with out harming your manufacturing environments. The DCLOUD surroundings additionally negates the necessity for transport gear, lead instances, and licensing points wanted to get shifting quickly. Please do adhere to one of the best practices for the DCLOUD surroundings when utilizing it.

Lab Connectivity

The surroundings permits to be used with a web-based browser shopper for VPN-less connectivity, entry in addition to AnyConnect VPN shopper connectivity for many who choose it. It’s possible you’ll select from labs hosted out of our San Jose Services by choosing US West. Select the Cisco Enterprise Community Sandbox. To entry this or every other content material, together with demonstrations, labs, and coaching in DCLOUD please work together with your Cisco Account group or Cisco Accomplice Account Crew straight. 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 one of the best practices of the DCLOUD surroundings.

Content material

The Wired Automation lab content material is situated inside the present DNAC-TEMPLATES repository to present a one-stop-shop for all the required instruments, scripts, templates, and code samples. Inside it are 4 labs, which construct upon the tutorials to check the strategies in a lab surroundings. The repository was featured in a earlier submit on Cisco Blogs about Catalyst Middle Templates earlier in Might 2021.

Further Data

Catalyst Middle Template Labs

The beforehand named DNAC Template LABS inside the DNAC-TEMPLATES GitHub repository intention to information you thru the everyday steps required to allow the varied automation duties delivered by Catalyst Middle. This lab will give examples of templates utilized in Catalyst Middle that we are able to modify for our use and check on gear inside the LAB surroundings. Further data inside the lab offers a well-rounded clarification of Automation strategies with Templates. Lastly, the lab permits for patrons to make use of Catalyst Middle workflows to apply deploying Onboarding, DayN Templates, and Software Coverage automation on each Wired and Wi-fi Platforms.

This Wired Automation lab will give examples of templates utilized in Catalyst Middle to switch our use and check on gear inside the LAB surroundings to onboard gadgets via Plug and Play into Catalyst Middle. Further data inside the lab offers a well-rounded clarification of Automation strategies with Templates.

The objective of this lab is for it to be a sensible information to help engineers to quickly start utilizing Catalyst Middle automation and assist them work in direction of a template technique. Moreover, this lab will give clients a everlasting place to check out the templates and embody configurations for numerous use instances. Lastly, this surroundings will allow engineers to cut back the effort and time wanted to instantiate the community.

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

New Catalyst Middle Lab Content material

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

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

1. Lab 1 Wired Automation – Covers inexperienced and brown area use instances (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 Middle 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 are going to share further labs and content material in an ongoing effort to meet all of your automation wants with Catalyst Middle.

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

please fill in feedback and suggestions on the way it could possibly be improved.

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