topic Re: Python http POST request in ExtremeSwitching (EXOS/Switch Engine)

Python http POST request

Lennert_VL — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 19:36:17 GMT

Hi,

I'm quite new to XMC and Extreme in general and I'm trying to script that certain commands get send to switches when an AP gets connected/disconnected to it. For that purpose I'm using a notification and that triggers a workflow.
Inside that workflow I'm trying to get the information I need to determine which commands I need to send to the switch. So for instance, I need to get 'show ports 1 info' so I can remove certain VLANs, so I need the show ports 1 info in a usable format.

I got this working in my workflow with a http POST request aimed at URL http://10.10.10.10/jsonrpc/
and body {"method":"cli","id":"10","jsonrpc":"2.0","params":["show ports 1 info"]}
(all found in this doc: https://documentation.extremenetworks.com/app_notes/MMI/121152_MMI_Application_Release_Notes.pdf) but had to use a static ip address.

My first question is: could I use a dynamic ip adress in the http activity input? as http://ipaddress/jsonrpc/ because I couldn't get it to work.

What I tried after that was script this POST request in Python (using the requests library) so I can dynamically use an IP adress and advance with the data I would get with the response. But I can't get that to work as my authentication seems invalid (I used basic admin-password authentication)..

Now my second question is: which parameters do I have to give the POST to be able to get the information that I need and how can I get the authentication to work?

Hope this is clear,
Thanks in advance.

Re: Python http POST request

StephanH — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 04:04:37 GMT

Hello Lennert,

first of all. If I understand your correctly you want to change vlans if an AP is active on a port.
If yes, there is a better way do realize that. Its the build in function "AP aware" see here:

https://gtacknowledge.extremenetworks.com/articles/How_To/EMC-How-to-enable-the-AP-Aware-Feature-in-EMC-s-Policy-Manager

With "AP Aware", NAC and policies you can change the vlans on a port if an AP is present.

If that's not the function you need. Its very ease to use the following commands in your workflow to run cli commands on a device managed by XMC.

code:

#Set Switch IP for example to the IP returned from notify
cli_result = emc_cli.setIpAddress(yourswitchIP)

#Send arbitrary cli comands like that
cli_result = emc_cli.send("conf vlan 10 del port 10")

#Check returns from switch
cli_output = cli_result.getOutput()

#Close session to switch
emc_cli.close()

If you use the mentioned command from XMC (scripts/workflows) there is no need to use the much more complex MMI functions. MMI is more suitable if you have not XMC.

Regards
Stephan

Re: Python http POST request

ukomarla — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 05:04:17 GMT

Hello Lennert,

For the MMI interaction you might want to look at the jsonrpc python class and its usage here:
https://github.com/extremenetworks/EXOS_Apps/tree/master/JSONRPC

Regards,
Ujwal

Re: Python http POST request

Lennert_VL — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 15:42:08 GMT

Thanks for your answer Stephan.

AP Aware is not versatile enough what I'm trying to accomplish. I am trying to map the necessary nsi's so add/delete them accordingly. So I need a means to read out the VLAN for every port and finally determine if a nsi can stay or needs to be deleted. Which I am trying to script at the moment.

So now I am trying to get 'show ports 1' e.g. into a useable format so that I can determine which nsi's can be deleted.

Thanks Ujwal,

I didn't find this class yet, which is better detailed than other rpc classes I found.
This one works like a charm. I now used this class to get the data I need to continue.

Thank you both,
Lennert