Cisco Catalyst Heart Template Labs – Onboarding Templates, Half 3

Overview

The main focus of this episode of our ongoing Catalyst Heart Automation Collection is Onboarding Templates by way of the Wired Automation lab and organising a lab or manufacturing setting to allow this functionality. This second lab within the collection goals to know the assorted ideas required to assist gadget onboarding. The labs inside this collection, permit to be used within the DCLOUD setting; nonetheless, you could 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 mandatory steps are full earlier than onboarding any units inside Catalyst Heart. These procedures might also assist kind 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 easy 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 Heart and their use
5. Telemetry – explains easy methods to deploy Telemetry for assurance
6. Superior Automation – explores Superior Automation strategies
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 easy methods to use Onboarding Templates inside Catalyst Heart to onboard community units at Day Zero, the place they haven’t any configuration initially. This lab will undergo the movement concerned in constructing the supporting settings inside Catalyst Heart to assist onboarding. The lab can even will let you deploy a  template for a Catalyst swap by way of Catalyst Heart utilizing Onboarding workflows. To arrange the setting, be sure to full the steps outlined in our first, and second blogs within the collection.

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

On this lab, clients will begin by constructing out an Onboarding Template that usually deploys solely sufficient info to initialize the gadget. This lab delves into the sensible software of easy methods to arrange Catalyst Heart settings and hierarchy and easy methods to put together a template for supply. It additionally calmly explains among the varied philosophies surrounding how we would deploy configuration.

When you would possibly suppose to incorporate the complete configuration for a standard community gadget, there’s a higher manner. We’re higher served by Day N Templates for giant configuration constructs, permitting for modularization and reuse and simplification of operations. Day N Templates ought to be utilized to use complicated configuration and ongoing modifications permitting gadget modifications after preliminary deployment.

Different issues encompass using the UI-centric method and the impression that it has on a typical configuration. A configuration may embrace some traces of code, which can be delivered by way of the UI-centric settings. If these Design elements are used, we have to perceive the impression that will have on simplifying our configuration and the way straightforward that will make the community preserve.

We are going to acquire a sensible understanding of the steps related to organising Catalyst Heart and an setting to assist Plug and Play and Machine Onboarding throughout this lab. The lab is aimed toward aiding engineers in quickly start utilizing Catalyst Heart automation and assist them work in the direction of a template technique. Moreover, this lab will give clients a everlasting place to check out the onboarding templates and contains configurations for varied use instances. Lastly, this setting will allow engineers to scale back the effort and time wanted to instantiate the community.

Lab Matters

The lab covers these matters in-depth:

1. Constructing the Hierarchy and Design Settings automating the setup by way of API pushed by way of Postman
2. Including Onboarding Templates and Machine 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 Heart to scale back the time required to deploy. Postman would be the shopper software that we are going to use to quickly construct the design settings inside Catalyst Heart and offers an setting to construct these APIs and take a look at them but in addition helps us troubleshoot if required.

Template Import and Export

On this lab, we are going to use JSON information to Import and Export templates to Catalyst Heart to scale back the time required to deploy. This functionality additionally contains all the weather edited within the kind editor, so all the assorted settings are despatched with the logical cli constructs. This ends in a useful gizmo for shifting templates from take a look at environments to manufacturing.

Template Examples

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

Lab Flexibility

Whereas utilizing the lab, if the given examples and the deployment methodology want to vary to assist some testing you might be doing, you could take the information and setting and modify them to fit your use case. We use a layer two trunk throughout a port-channel for connectivity, however equally, you might take a look at 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 permits us a spot to start out training varied ideas with out worry of impacting manufacturing environments.

Due to this fact, to help clients within the transition towards automation, we’ve got put collectively a set of small useful labs inside a GitHub repository. Because of this, we hope to demystify among the complexities of organising plug-and-play and assist information clients by way of the complexities and caveats. On this manner, these self-guided labs present a glimpse into the basics of constructing velocity templates and supply examples which you can obtain and increase from. As well as, the pattern templates and JSON information provided 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 setting 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 simply discover the data each useful and informative. Thus, we hope to offer a well-rounded rationalization 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 take a look at and check out these labs?

DCLOUD Lab Setting

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 will let you run these labs and provides an setting to attempt the assorted 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 setting the place you possibly can safely POC/POV strategies and steps with out harming your manufacturing environments. The DCLOUD setting additionally negates the necessity for transport gear, lead instances, and licensing points wanted to get shifting quickly. Please do adhere to the most effective practices for the DCLOUD setting when utilizing it.

Lab Connectivity

The setting 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 deciding on US West. Select the Cisco Enterprise Community Sandbox. To entry this or another 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 the most effective practices of the DCLOUD setting.

Content material

The Wired Automation lab content material is positioned inside the current DNAC-TEMPLATES repository to offer a one-stop-shop for all the mandatory instruments, scripts, templates, and code samples. Inside it are 4 labs, which construct upon the tutorials to check the strategies in a lab setting. The repository was featured in a earlier submit on Cisco Blogs about Catalyst Heart Templates earlier in Could 2021.

Further Info

Catalyst Heart 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 assorted 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 take a look at on gear inside the LAB setting. Further info inside the lab offers a well-rounded rationalization of Automation strategies with Templates. Lastly, the lab permits for patrons to make use of Catalyst Heart 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 Heart to switch our use and take a look at on gear inside the LAB setting to onboard units by way of Plug and Play into Catalyst Heart. Further info inside the lab offers a well-rounded rationalization 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 Heart automation and assist them work in the direction of a template technique. Moreover, this lab will give clients a everlasting place to check out the templates and embrace configurations for varied use instances. Lastly, this setting will allow engineers to scale back the effort and time wanted to instantiate the community.

Because of this, you’ll acquire expertise in organising Plug and Play onboarding and templates. 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 assorted sections of this GitHub repository. Inside 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 cope with and contains ideas from the legacy labs in a more moderen extra modular format.

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

We are going to share extra labs and content material in an ongoing effort to meet all of your automation wants with Catalyst Heart.

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

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

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