Traditional infrastructure management and administration has been about element managers, and box by box administration. Tools like Cisco ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite offer a platform for automation, but they are most often used through the respective web interfaces for building, executing, and checking status of tasks. Today it is becoming more important to be able to use APIs to programmatically access infrastructure as well as automation tools to enable customization and linking through tools like Python or native REST calls. This talk will focus on covering the basics of leveraging the APIs for the software in the Suite, as well as show some example use cases. Most of the discussion will be on UCS Director and Intercloud Fabric Director’s APIs.

2. Cisco ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite
for Infrastructure Management
UCS Director REST API and Python
Hank Preston, Technical Solution Architect
twitter: @hfpreston
DEVNET-1136

3. • API Essentials for IT Folks
• Leveraging UCS Director’s REST API
• Using Python with to drive CECS
• Including OpenSource GitHub Project
• Demo
Agenda

4. Pro-Tip
Interface lock-in is becoming no longer
acceptable. API’s allow choice in how to
work. Oh… and learn Python 

5. API Essentials for IT Folks
• Application Programming Interface
• Any method of using a program
• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Command Line Interface (CLI)
• Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP)
• Simple Object Access Protocol
(SOAP)
• Representational State Transfer
(REST)
What are APIs?
GUI CLI
REST

6. API Essentials for IT Folks
• Uses HTTP as carrier protocol
• GET – Retrieve Data
• PUT – Replace an Entry
• POST – Create new Entry
• DELETE – Delete Data
• JSON and/or XML Data Format
• Authentication in Cookies or
Headers
• Client makes Request
• Server sends Response
Getting a REST from the norm
GET /api/v1/routing-svc/eigrp
Accept: application/json
200 ok
Content-type: application/json
{
“kind”: “collection#eigrp-asn”,
“items”: [
{
“kind”: “object#eigrp-asn”,
“routing-protocol-id”: “100”
},
]
}
Request
Response

7. API Essentials for IT Folks
# “curl” utility for sending REST request
curl -v --header "X-Cloupia-Request-Key: 10E17C7EB358376DAC96F829FB3081D2"
http://cloud-
ucsd.csc.richfield.cisco.com/app/api/rest?formatType=json&opName=userAPIG
etAllCatalogs
# HTTP GET Request from Client
> GET /app/api/rest?formatType=json&opName=userAPIGetAllCatalogs HTTP/1.1
> User-Agent: curl/7.37.1
> Host: cloud-ucsd.csc.richfield.cisco.com
> Accept: */*
> X-Cloupia-Request-Key: 10E17C7EB358376DAC96F829FB3081D2
>
REST “Request” to UCS Director
Authentication
JSON FormatRequested
Function

8. API Essentials for IT Folks
# HTTP Response from Server
< HTTP/1.1 200 OK
< Server: Apache-Coyote/1.1
< Set-Cookie: JSESSIONID=69E75630EDB5A3C70929E666360A8EB4; Path=/app/
< Cache-Control: max-age=0,must-revalidate
< Expires: -1
< Content-Type: application/json;charset=UTF-8
< Transfer-Encoding: chunked
< Date: Sat, 09 May 2015 18:54:32 GMT
<
{ "serviceResult":{"rows":[{"Catalog_ID":"1","Catalog_Name":"General Linux Web
Server","Folder":"General
Servers","Catalog_Type":"Standard","Template_Name":"Not
Applicable","Catalog_Description":"","Cloud":"cloud-vcenter","Image":"base-
rhel63-2","Group":"Cloud Admins@csc.richfield.cisco.com,Cloud
Users@csc.richfield.cisco.com","Icon":"/app/images/temp/1427462292263_redhat.p
ng”,...
REST “Response” from UCS Director
Returned JSON
Data

9. API Essentials for IT Folks
Making REST easy with Postman
Save
Examples
Easy
parameters
Headers
Response
Data Display

10. API Essentials for IT Folks
• Great Language for IT Evolution
• Easy to learn and read
• Huge amount of samples
• Runs on nearly anything
• “requests” module to “REST” easy
• Simple Interface
• Hides the HTTP Intricacies
• Simple Utility Creation with
“argparse”
Hacking together with Python
import requests
headers = {"X-Cloupia-Request-Key":key}
url = "http://” + /
“cloud-ucsd.csc.richfield.cisco.com” + /
“/app/api/rest?” + /
“opName=userAPIGetAllCatalogs”
r = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
r.text
u'{
"serviceResult":{"rows":[{"Catalog_ID":"1","
Catalog_Name":"General Linux Web
Server","Folder":"General Servers”...
Import Module
Authentication
Header in dict
Build URL
Submit Request
Print the
Response

11. Getting Started with UCS Director REST API
• Quickly Get Started with APIs
• Find your REST API Access Key
• Treat this like a Username/Password
• Enable Developer Options
• REST API Browser
• Example Code for Builtin Reports
Enable Developer Menu and REST Access Key
Reference: REST API Cookbook

12. Getting Started with UCS Director REST API
• Policy -> Orchestration
• Organized by folders
• Hundreds of APIs
• Best to use Search Field
• Double-click for information and
example
REST API Browser
Reference: REST API Cookbook

13. Getting Started with UCS Director REST API
REST API Browser
Replace “sample”
parameter data
Reference: REST API Cookbook

14. Using UCS Director APIs

15. Cisco ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite Solution
Tectorial Technology Map: You are here
UCS Director 5.3
Prime Service Catalog 11.0
Intercloud Fabric for
Business 2.2.1
IMC
Supervisor 1.0
* - UCS Performance Manager included in Cisco ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite License Bundle
UCSM 2.2(3d) APIC 1.0(2m)
3
C ISCO N EXU S N 5548 UP
S TA T
ID
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 1 2 13 1 4 1 5 16 1 7 18 19 2 0 21 22 2 3 2 4 25 2 6 27 28 29 30 31 3 2 1/10 GIGA BITE THE RN ET 1/2/4/8G FIBR E CH A NN EL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1 5 16N 5 5 - M 1 6 U P
3
C ISCO N EXU S N 5548 UP
S TA T
ID
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 1 2 13 1 4 1 5 16 1 7 18 19 2 0 21 22 2 3 2 4 25 2 6 27 28 29 30 31 3 2 1/10 GIGA BITE THE RN ET 1/2/4/8G FIBR E CH A NN EL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1 5 16N 5 5 - M 1 6 U P
vCenter 5.5
CIMC 2.0
UCS Performance Manager 1.1*
UCSC 1.2(1a)*

16. End User Self Service with APIs
/app/api/rest?formatType=json&opNam
e=userAPIVMWareProvisionRequest&opD
ata=
{
param0:"General Linux Web Server" ,
param1:”General Cloud",
param2:"",
param3:"",
param4:0,
param5:0,
param6:"",
param7:""}
Bulk Ordering New Virtual Machines – Prepare the API Request
Values only used if
vDC Policy Supports

17. url = "http://cloud-
ucsd.csc.richfield.cisco.com/app/api/rest?"
"opName=userAPIVMWareProvisionRequest&"
"opData="
"{param0:'%s',param1:'%s',"
"param2:'',param3:'%s',"
"param4:0,param5:0,"
"param6:'',param7:''}"
for server in servers:
r = requests.get(
url % (server[0], server[1],
server[2]),
headers=headers)
print r.text
End User Self Service with APIs
import requests
headers["X-Cloupia-Request-Key"] = key
servers =
[["General Linux Web Server",
"General Cloud","API Web Server"],
["General Linux App Server",
"General Cloud", "API App Server"],
["General Linux Data Server",
"General Cloud", "API Data Server"]]
Bulk Ordering New Virtual Machines – The Python Code
List Object of VMs to Request
[Catalog, vDC, Comment]
“%s” for String
Replacement
Loop through list
of Servers
Print Response,
includes Service
Request Number

18. [{u'powerStatus': u'ON', u'cloudName':
u'cloud-vcenter', u'instanceId':
u'gencldweb-u823', u'hostName':
u'gencldweb-u823', u'vmId': 222,
u'imageId': u'gencldweb-u823', u'vmType':
u'VMWare', u'ipAddress': u'10.139.17.47',
u'statusMessage': u'poweredOn'}]
[{u'powerStatus': u'ON', u'cloudName':
u'cloud-vcenter', u'instanceId':
u'gencldapp-u824', u'hostName':
u'gencldapp-u824', u'vmId': 223,
u'imageId': u'gencldapp-u824', u'vmType':
u'VMWare', u'ipAddress': u'10.139.18.40',
u'statusMessage': u'poweredOn'}]
End User Self Service with APIs
import requests, json
headers["X-Cloupia-Request-Key"] = key
srs = ["823","824","825"]
url = "http://cloud-
ucsd.csc.richfield.cisco.com/app/api/rest?"
"opName=userAPIGetVMsForServiceRequest&"
"opData="
"{param0:'%s'}"
for sr in srs:
r = requests.get(url % (sr),headers=headers)
info = json.loads(r.text)
print info["serviceResult"]["vms"]
Bulk Ordering New Virtual Machines – What VMs?
UCSD Returns JSON making
it easy to manipulate response vmId used in other
API calls for details
or lifecycle
Details for each
VM from the SR
SR Numbers provided in
previous request

19. Python Library and Utilities: cisco_cloud
• Demo prep is repetitive
• Live by “Work Smarter, not Harder”
• Native REST API Use not super
user-friendly
• Python IS user-friendly
What Started as a Weekend Project to Help Manage SE Lab
https://github.com/hpreston/cisco_cloud

20. Python Library and Utilities: cisco_cloud
• Wrappers around native REST APIs
• Leverages requests module
• Python libraries containing basic
functions
• Command Line Utilities for Basic
Tasks
• Leverages argparse module
• Unsupported, OpenSource, As-Is
Code
What is it?
https://github.com/hpreston/cisco_cloud

21. Python Library and Utilities: cisco_cloud
from ucsd_library import catalog_order
group = "Cloud
Users@csc.richfield.cisco.com”
servers =
[["General Linux Web Server",
"General Cloud","API Web Server"],
["General Linux App Server",
"General Cloud", "API App Server"],
["General Linux Data Server",
"General Cloud", "API Data Server"]]
for server in servers:
order = catalog_order(server[0],
server[1], group, server[2])
print order
Example – Bulk Order VMs with “ucsd_library”
{u'serviceName': u'InfraMgr', u'opName':
u'userAPIVMWareProvisionRequest',
u'serviceResult': 837, u'serviceError':
None}
{u'serviceName': u'InfraMgr', u'opName':
u'userAPIVMWareProvisionRequest',
u'serviceResult': 838, u'serviceError':
None}
{u'serviceName': u'InfraMgr', u'opName':
u'userAPIVMWareProvisionRequest',
u'serviceResult': 839, u'serviceError':
None}
https://github.com/hpreston/cisco_cloud
Bring in library
Same List
Much simpler loop
No need to build API Calls
Functions return the
Response from UCSD

22. Python Library and Utilities: cisco_cloud
./ucsd_vdc_list.py -k "Group" -v "Cloud Users@csc.richfield.cisco.com" -f "vDC"
[{'vDC': u'General Cloud'},
{'vDC': u'prj-lbapp-693'},
{'vDC': u'prj-puppy-u58'},
{'vDC': u'prj-yolo-796'}]
./ucsd_vm_list.py -k vDC -v prj-puppy-u585 -f VM_Name -f VM_ID –f Category -f Power_State
[{'Category': u'Web Server’,'Power_State': u'ON’,'VM_ID': 185,'VM_Name': u'gencld-u587'},
{'Category': u'Web Server’,'Power_State': u'ON’,'VM_ID': 186,'VM_Name': u'gencld-u589'},
{'Category': u'App Server’,'Power_State': u'ON’,'VM_ID': 187,'VM_Name': u'gencld-u592'},
{'Category': u'Database’, 'Power_State': u'ON’,'VM_ID': 188,'VM_Name': u'gencld-u595'}]
./ucsd_vm_poweroff.py 185
./ucsd_vm_poweroff.py 186
./ucsd_vm_poweroff.py 187
./ucsd_vm_poweroff.py 188
Example – Managing VMs with Command Line Utilities
https://github.com/hpreston/cisco_cloud
For syntax, run
./ucsd_vdc_list.py –h
-k and -v options used to
filter results -f limits what fields are
returned

23. Demo – Leveraging
CECS through APIs

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26. Continue Your Education
• Demos in the Cisco campus
• Walk-in Self-Paced Labs
• Table Topics
• Meet the Engineer 1:1 meetings
• Related sessions

27. Related Sessions
• BRKDCT-2522 - Cisco Enterprise Cloud Suite
• BRKCLD-1003 - A Practical Introduction to DevOps Practices and Tools
• BRKCLD-1002 - Cloud Onboarding
• BRKCLD-2003 - Building Hybrid Cloud Applications with Intercloud Fabric
• DEVNET-1136 - Cisco ONE Enterprise Cloud Suite for Infrastructure
Management
• DEVNET-1009 - Cisco Intercloud Fabric for Business (ICFB), Helping
Enterprises Move to Hybrid Cloud!
• DEVNET-1119 - UCS PowerTool Secrets - Tips and Tricks

28. Thank you