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 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 Central APIs.

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Caution

This script uses a beta version of the pycentral library and is designed for HPE Aruba Central. 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 at least one site created in the account to get 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 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 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