Configuring Applications for the Infoblox: Inventory SyncPack

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This section describes how to set up the PowerFlow applications for the Infoblox: InventorySyncPack.

Creating and Aligning a Configuration Object in PowerFlow

A configuration object supplies the login credentials and other required information needed to execute the steps for a PowerFlow application. The Configurations page () of the PowerFlow user interface lists all available configuration objects for that system.

You can create as many configuration objects as you need. A PowerFlow application can only use one configuration object at a time, but you can use (or "align") the same configuration object with multiple applications.

To use this SyncPack, you will need to use an existing configuration object in the PowerFlow user interface or create a new configuration object. Next, you need to align that configuration object to the relevant applications.

Creating a Configuration Object

For this SyncPack, you can make a copy of the "Infoblox Base Config" configuration object, which is the sample configuration file that was installed with the Infoblox: InventorySyncPack.

The "Infoblox Base Config" configuration object contains all of the required variables. Simply update the variables from that object to match your SL1 and Infoblox settings.

To create a configuration object based on the "Infoblox Base Config" configuration object:

  1. In the PowerFlow user interface, go to the Configurations page ().
  2. Click the Actions button () for the "Infoblox Base Config" configuration object and select Edit. The Configuration pane appears:

An image of the configuration object page.

  1. Click Copy as. The Create Configuration pane appears.

  2. Complete the following fields:

    • Friendly Name. Type a name for the configuration object that will display on the Configurations page.
    • Description. Type a brief description of the configuration object.
    • Author. Type the user or organization that created the configuration object.
    • Version. Type a version of the configuration object.

  1. In the Configuration Data field, update the default variable definitions to match your PowerFlow configuration:

    • sl1_host. Type the hostname or IP address of the SL1 system the alerts will synchronize with.
    • sl1_user. Type the username for your SL1 system.
    • sl1_password. Type the password for your SL1 system.
    • infoblox_username. Type the username for your Infoblox system.
    • infoblox_password. Type the password for your Infoblox system.
    • infoblox_url. Type the URL for your Infoblox system.
    • organization_id. Type the SL1 organization ID that you want recently discovered Inflobox IP addresses to be added to.
    • zone_name. Type the zone you want an SL1 device to be assigned when added to Infoblox.
    • aligned_device_template. Type the ID of the SL1 device template that you want recently discovered Infoblox IP addresses to use when added to SL1 using the following format, in which you replace [ID] with the device template ID:

      • /api/device_tempalte/56

      You can find your device template IDs on the Templates page (Devices > Templates).

    • credentials. Type the credential type and list of SL1 credentials that you want to use using the following format, in which you replace [type] with the credential type and [ID] with the credential ID:

      • /api/credential/[type]/[ID]

      The credentials field accepts the following credential type values:

    • snmp
    • db
    • soap
    • basic
    • ssh
    • powershell

    You can find your credential IDs on the Credential page (System > Manage > Credentials).

      Examples: If the device has an SSH/Key credential with the ID 105, then you would type "/api/credential/ssh/105".

      If the devices have a PowerShell and SOAP/XML credentials with the ID 100 and 120, then you would type "/api/credential/powershell/100,/api/credential/soap/120".

    • device_groups. Type the ID of the SL1 device group that you want recently discovered Inflobox IP addresses to be added to in SL1 using the following format, in which you replace [ID] with the device group ID:

      • /api/device_group/[ID]

      You can find your device group IDs on the Device Group page (Devices > Device Groups).

      Example: If the device group you want to add Infoblox IP addresses to has the ID 10, then you would type "/api/device_group/10".

    • aligned_collector. Type the ID of the collector in SL1 that you want recently discovered Inflobox IP addresses to use when added to SL1.
    • scan_ports. Type the list of ports that you want recently discovered Inflobox IP addresses to scan when added to SL1.
    • infoblox_id. Type the name of the custom attribute you want to use when synchronizing SL1 devices and Infoblox IP addresses.
    • time_period. Type the default time configuration in hours to synchronize your Infoblox IP addresses and SL1 devices.
  1. Click Save. You can now align this configuration object with one or more applications.

Aligning a Configuration Object and Configuring PowerFlow Applications

With this SyncPack, any IP addresses discovered in Infoblox are added to SL1 and any devices discovered in SL1 are added to Infoblox. Any devices with the same name in SL1 and Infoblox that have different IP addresses will create an event in SL1. You will need to align the Infoblox: Inventory SyncPack applications with the relevant configuration object in PowerFlow, and, if needed, update any other fields on the Configuration pane for the applications.

To run this SyncPack, you must "align" the configuration object to run with the PowerFlow applications included in this SyncPack.

To align the configuration object with the relevant PowerFlow applications:

  1. On the Applications page of the PowerFlow user interface, open one of the PowerFlow applications listed above and click Configure (). The Configurations pane for that application appears:

An image of the Configure page.

  1. From the Configurations drop-down, select the configuration object you want to use.

    The values for sl1_hostname and the other parameters that appear in the Configuration pane with a padlock icon () are populated by the configuration object you aligned with the application. Do not modify these values. If you encounter an error, make sure your configuration object is configured properly.

  1. Click Save to align that configuration with the application.
  2. Wait until you see the "App & Config modifications saved" pop-up message before proceeding.
  3. Repeat this process for the other PowerFlow applications.

Scheduling PowerFlow Applications

To trigger the applications in the SyncPack, you must schedule the applications included in the SyncPack.

You can create one or more schedules for a single application in the PowerFlow user interface. When creating each schedule, you can specify the queue and the configuration file for that application.

To schedule an application:

  1. On the Applications page (), click the Schedule button for the application you want to schedule. The Schedule window appears, displaying any existing schedules for that application:

If you set up a schedule using a cron expression, the details of that schedule display in a more readable format in this list. For example, if you set up a cron expression of */4 * * * *, the schedule on this window includes the cron expression along with an explanation of that expression: "Every 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, and 56th minute past every hour".

  1. Select a schedule from the list to view the details for that schedule.

  2. Click the + icon to create a schedule. A blank Schedule window appears:

  1. In the Schedule window, complete the following fields:
  • Schedule Name. Type a name for the schedule.
  • Switch to. Use this toggle to switch between a cron expression and setting the frequency in seconds.
  • Cron expression. Select this option to schedule the application using a cron expression. If you select this option, you can create complicated schedules based on minutes, hours, the day of the month, the month, and the day of the week. As you update the cron expression, the Schedule window displays the results of the expression in more readable language, such as Expression: "Every 0 and 30th minute past every hour on the 1 and 31st of every month", based on */30 * * /30 * *.
  • Frequency in seconds. Type the number of seconds per interval that you want to run the application.
  • Custom Parameters. Type any JSON parameters you want to use for this schedule, such as information about a configuration file or mappings.

  1. Click Save Schedule. The schedule is added to the list of schedules on the initial Schedule window. Also, on the Applications page, the word "Scheduled" appears in the Scheduled column for this application, and the Schedule button contains a check mark:

After you create a schedule, it continues to run until you delete it. Also, you cannot edit an existing schedule, but you can delete it and create a similar schedule if needed.

To view or delete an existing schedule:

  1. On the Applications page, click the Schedule button for the application that contains a schedule you want to delete. The Schedule window appears.

  1. Click the down arrow icon () to view the details of an existing schedule:

  1. To delete the selected schedule, click Delete. The schedule is removed.

When either multiple SL1 instances or multiple Infoblox instances are involved with PowerFlow, you should create an individual configuration object for each SL1 or Infoblox instance. Next, create an individual schedule for each configuration object. Each schedule should use a configuration object that is specific to that single SL1 or Infoblox instance. Creating copies of a PowerFlow application from a SyncPack for the purpose of distinguishing between domains is not supported, and will result in issues on upgrades.