Configuration and Discovery

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The following sections describe how to configure and discover Cisco Viptela resources for monitoring by SL1 using the Cisco: Viptela PowerPack:

Prerequisite for Monitoring Cisco Viptela

To configure the SL1 system to monitor Cisco Viptela resources using the Cisco: Viptela PowerPack, you must first know the credentials (username and password) for a user account that has access to the Cisco Viptela system. The user account must have read-all access.

Configuring a Credential for Cisco Viptela

To configure SL1 to monitor Cisco: Viptela devices, you must first create a SOAP/XML credential. This credential allows the Dynamic Applications in the Cisco: Viptela PowerPack) to use your Cisco: Viptela user account to retrieve information from the Cisco: Viptela devices.

The PowerPack includes an example SOAP/XML credential that you can edit for your own use.

To configure a SOAP/XML credential to access Cisco: Viptela:

  1. Go to the Credential Management page (System > Manage > Credentials).
  2. Locate the Viptela Credential Example - SOAP/XML credential, and then click its wrench icon (). The Edit SOAP/XML Credential modal page appears:

  1. Complete the following fields:
  • Profile Name. Type a name for the Cisco: Viptela credential.
  • Content Encoding. Select text/xml.
  • Method. Select POST.
  • HTTP Version. Select HTTP/1.1.
  • URL. Type the URL and port for the Cisco: Viptela system, using the following format: https://URL:443. For example, https://my.viptela.system:443.
  • HTTP Auth User. Type the Cisco: Viptela account username.
  • HTTP Auth Password. Type the Cisco: Viptela account password.
  • Timeout (seconds). Type "10".
  1. For the remaining fields, use the default values, and then click the Save As button.

Creating a Cisco Viptela Virtual Device

Because the Cisco: Viptela service does not have a static IP address, you cannot discover a Cisco: Viptela device using discovery. Instead, you must create a virtual device that represents the Cisco: Viptela service. A virtual device is a user-defined container that represents a device or service that cannot be discovered by SL1. You can use the virtual device to store information gathered by policies or Dynamic Applications.

To create a virtual device that represents your Cisco: Viptela service:

  1. Go to the Device Manager page (Registry > Devices > Device Manager).

  1. Click the Actions button and select Create Virtual Device from the menu. The Virtual Device modal page appears:

  1. Complete the following fields:
  • Device Name. Type a name for the device.

  • Organization. Select the organization for this device. The organization you associate with the device limits the users that will be able to view and edit the device. Typically, only members of the organization will be able to view and edit the device.
  • Device Class. Select Cisco Systems Viptela | vManage.
  • Collector. Select the collector group that will monitor the device.
  1. Click Add to create the virtual device.

Aligning Dynamic Applications to the Virtual Device

A device template allows you to save a device configuration and apply it to multiple devices. The Cisco: Viptela PowerPack includes the "Cisco: Viptela vManage Template," which enables the SL1 to align all Dynamic Applications to the root component device.

Configuring the Device Template

Before you can use the "Cisco: Viptela vManage Template," you need to configure the template so that each dynamic application in the template aligns with the credential you created earlier.

To configure the Viptela device template:

  1. Go to the Configuration Templates page (Registry > Devices > Templates).
  2. Locate the "Cisco: Viptela vManage Template" and click its wrench icon (). The Device Template Editor modal page appears.
  3. Click the Dyn Apps tab. The Editing Dynamic Application Subtemplates page appears:

  1. In the Credentials drop-down list, select the credential that you created for Viptela.
  1. Click the next Dynamic Application listed in the Subtemplate Selection section on the left side of the page and then select the credential you created in the Credentials field.
  2. Repeat step 5 until you have selected that credential in the Credentials field for all of the Dynamic Applications listed in the Subtemplate Selection section.
  3. Click Save.

Using the Device Template to Align Dynamic Applications to the Component Device

After you have configured the "Cisco: Viptela vManage Template" so that each dynamic application in the template aligns with the credential you created, you can use that template to align the Dynamic Applications to the root component device for Cisco: Viptela.

To use the "Viptela vManage Template" to align Dynamic Applications:

  1. Go to the Device Manager page (Registry > Devices > Device Manager.
  2. On the Device Manager page, select the checkbox for the root component device.

  1. In the Select Actions field, in the lower right, select the option MODIFY by Template and click the Go button. The Device Template Editor page appears:

  1. Complete the following fields:
  • In the Template drop-down list, select Cisco: Viptela vManage Template.
  • In the Credentials drop-down list, select the credential you created earlier.
  1. Click the Apply button, and then click Confirm to align the Dynamic Applications to the root component device.

Viewing Information About the Cisco Viptela System

You can view all the devices, virtual devices, and component devices in the Cisco: Viptela system in the following places in the user interface:

  • All devices, virtual devices, and component devices appear in the Device Manager page (Registry > Devices > Device Manager).

  • The Device Components page (Registry > Devices > Device Components) displays a list of all root devices and component devices discovered by SL1 in an indented view, so you can easily view the hierarchy and relationships between child devices, parent devices, and root devices. To view the component devices associated with Cisco: Viptela, find the Cisco: Viptela root device and click its plus icon (+):

  • The Device Component Map page (Classic Maps > Device Maps > Components) allows you to view devices by root node and view the relationships between root nodes, parent components, and child components in a map. This makes it easy to visualize and manage root nodes and their components. SL1 automatically updates the Component Map as new component devices are discovered. The platform also updates each map with the latest status and event information. To view the map for Cisco: Viptela devices, go to the Component Map page and select the map from the list in the left NavBar. To learn more about the Component Map page, see the section on Views.