Configuration Hierarchy Report

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Source Code

You can find the source code and documentation for this workflow, as well as several others, by visiting our central-python-workflows repository

This script simplifies the reporting of the configuration hierarchy from HPE Aruba Networking Central using new Central APIs. It retrieves hierarchical data—including sites, site collections, devices, & device groups and presents it in both a terminal summary table and a CSV file.

By visualizing the configuration hierarchy, network administrators can quickly understand the structure of their Central environment, and locate key attributes such as scope-id and persona. These attributes are essential for making configuration changes via the New Central APIs.

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Caution

This script uses a beta version of the pycentral library and is designed for HPE Aruba New Central, which is also in Public Preview. Expect potential changes and updates to the API and functionality.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• API credentials for HPE Aruba Networking Central (JSON or YAML format)
• There should be atleast 1 site created in the account to get new Central configuration attributes

Setup

1. Create a virtual environment (recommended):

   cURL

   python -m venv env
   source env/bin/activate  # On Windows: env\Scripts\activate
   

2. Clone the central-python-workflows and change into this workflow's repository:

   1. Shell

      git clone https://github.com/aruba/central-python-workflows.git
      
      cd central-python-workflows/troubleshooting-workflow/
      

3. Install required packages:

   cURL

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

Input Files

Credentials File: Contains Central API credentials in JSON or YAML format.
Example (YAML):

central:
    # Either `base_url` or `cluster_name` should be provided:
    # 
    # base_url: <central-api-base-url>
    # cluster_name: <central-cluster-name>
    client_id: <central-client-id>
    client_secret: <central-client-secret>

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Note

1. To obtain your API credentials, please refer to Generating and Managing Access Tokens
2. To locate the cluster_name(E.g. EU-1) or base_url(E.g. de1.api.central.arubanetworks.com) of your New Central cluster refer to API Gateway Base URLs on our Developer Hub.

Usage

Run the script with the required arguments:

python hierarchy_report.py -c account_credentials.yaml

Optional arguments:

• -o, --output-file-name: Specify the output CSV file name (default: hierarchy_report.csv).

Example:

python hierarchy_report.py -c account_credentials.yaml -o my_hierarchy.csv

Output

The script generates configuration hierarchy information in two formats:

• Terminal Table: Displays the hierarchy in a formatted table for immediate viewing
• CSV File: Saves the complete report to the specified CSV file (default: hierarchy_report.csv)

Understanding the Output Table

Each row in the output(terminal table or csv file) represents a scope component in your Central configuration hierarchy. The table contains the following columns:

• Type: The hierarchical level - Global (top-level), Site Collection, Site, Device, or Device Group
• Name: The display name of the scope element as it appears in Central
• Scope-ID: The ID of the scope element. This is the unique identifier needed to identify the scope element for any new Central APIs.
• Serial: Device serial number (only for Devices)
• Device Function (Persona): Role of the device along with it's configuration persona in parentheses, which is needed for new Central APIs (only for Devices)

Troubleshooting

• Ensure your credentials file is valid and in JSON or YAML format.
• Make sure all required dependencies are installed.
• If you encounter issues, please reach out to Aruba Automation