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To deploy the services and functions for enterprise branch networks in Enterprise Service Automation, you need to configure the system settings.
You can do the initial system setup before logging into the homepage. For more details, see Logging into Enterprise Service Automation section in Cisco Enterprise Service Automation 1.0 Quick Start Guide.
To configure the system settings after logging into the application, do the following:
In Enterprise Service Automation, you can map a particular network configuration profile to a region and populate each site in the region with the common attributes, thus forming a regional hierarchy. By default, ESA displays a group hierarchy. However, you can also customize the group hierarchy. You can choose the group hierarchy to configure and provision the branch profiles. That is, a group can be associated with a custom profile while creating a branch profile. The components in the branch profile that are assigned to a particular group, inherits the common properties automatically, thus avoids the need to define the predefined attributes for individual components being provisioned.
To add or customize the group hierarchy, follow these steps:
Step 1 | Choose Configuration > Group Management from the navigation menu. | ||
Step 2 | Choose an existing node from the hierarchy and click Add Node. | ||
Step 3 | Choose the new node to add the parameters. | ||
Step 4 | Edit the default Name, if required. | ||
Step 5 | Click
Add Row
below appropriate node and enter the required parameter details.
| ||
Step 6 | Click Save. | ||
Step 7 | Click
Edit icon on
the right side to edit the parameters of the node and click
Save, if
required.
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In Enterprise Service Automation, you can manage users and roles by creating custom users based on Role Based Authorization and control (RBAC) model. Before adding users, you should refer to the defined tasks for the user so that the users can be assigned to the appropriate roles while adding.
To add a user, follow these steps:
Step 1 | Choose Configuration > User Management. | ||
Step 2 | To view the roles to add users, click
Roles tab.
| ||
Step 3 | To add users, click Users tab and click Add User. | ||
Step 4 | Enter the
required details and click
Save.
The Users tab displays the list of users added to the system, from where you can edit the user details. |
Credential profiles are the set of credentials that are applied to a device or a group of devices, instead of entering them manually for each device. These credential profiles are added to Enterprise Service Automation and configured to devices and virtual network functions during branch provisioning.
To add a credential profile, follow these steps:
Step 1 | Choose Configuration > Credential Profile from the navigation menu. | ||
Step 2 | Click Add Credential Profile. | ||
Step 3 | Enter the
Profile Name and Description under the
General
Parameters.
| ||
Step 4 | Choose any one of the following: | ||
Step 5 | Click
Save.
Once these credential profiles are added, they are listed in Credentials Profiles page and the corresponding configurations are added to the existing templates.
|
To run the Enterprise Service Automation application, you need signed SSL certificates for secured data transmission. Certificates can be self-signed by the server that presents it or can be digitally signed by a third-party recognized certificate authority(CA) that your system already trusts. When you launch the ESA application, a self-signed SSL certificate gets validated and is pre-installed into the system. When external systems, such as APIC-EM and Prime Infrastructure, are added to ESA application, self-signed certificates from those systems are automatically downloaded and added to the system. You can also manually add third-party signed certificate, in case of new certificate request or expiry of the certificate. Third-party signed certificate issued by CA is automatically trusted in web browsers and assures that you have been verified by a trusted third-party.
Note | Make sure that the right certificates are installed into the system and that validation is enabled for security. It is not recommended to bypass certificate validation. |
To add a third-party signed certificate, follow these steps:
Enterprise Service Automation supports Network Knowledge Packs (NKPs) that are defined and prepackaged within the system. It includes cisco validated topology designs (templates) that are used while adding branch profiles to provision the virtual branches.
To add additional network knowledge packs, follow these steps:
Step 1 | Choose Configuration > NKP Management from the navigation menu. |
Step 2 | Upload or drag and drop a ESA certified NKP file from your computer. |
Step 3 | Click Import.
These knowledge packs are added to the configuration template list. While adding branch profile, you can choose the matching template from the list based on relevance factor. |
In Prime Infrastructure, the changes in CLI templates and database indexes are automatically synchronized in Enterprise Service Automation application every 24 hours. In case of any disk failure or index file movement or file corruption or deployment failure, you can manually synchronize database indexes in ESA through its intuitive user interface.
To manually synchronize the internal or external changes in Prime Infrastructure:
You can run the system backup to recover and restore the critical data in the system. Backups should be done on a regular basis to avoid data loss.
To run a system backup:
To provision branches and branch profiles on your network, you need to add devices to the system. Enterprise Service Automation works with PI (Prime Infrastructure) and APIC-EM (Application Policy Infrastructure Controller) to automate the deployment of new devices (along with its pre-configured information) on your network. Thus, the device is pre-provisioned automatically.
To add a single device, follow these steps:
To add bulk devices, follow these steps:
Enterprise Service Automation supports simultaneous provisioning of multiple branches through its intuitive graphical user interface. To provision branches on the enterprise network, you need to add the branches with its location specifications to the network. You can manually add single branch or multiple branches simultaneously.
To add a single branch location to the network, follow these steps:
To add multiple branches simultaneously to the network, follow these steps:
Step 1 | Choose Branches > Add Branches from the navigation menu. | ||
Step 2 | Upload or
drag and drop a valid CSV file from your computer on the
Add
Branches page.
| ||
Step 3 | Click
Import.
Once done, the added branch locations are visualized in the geographical map and table. |
A profile is a template or reusable pattern that is used to define your branch for deployment. To automate the deployment, you can create custom profiles based on the predefined matching templates. Predefined templates are cisco validated topologies based on prescriptive designs that are available through Prime Infrastructure.
To add a branch profile with physical components, follow these steps:
Step 1 | Choose Profiles > Create New Profile from the navigation menu. | ||
Step 2 | Drag the physical device icon into the design area. | ||
Step 3 | Drag the
arrows from the devices to connect.
On the right side of the design area, the matching templates from NKPs are displayed.
| ||
Step 4 | Click
View to
view the matching template that are 100 % relevant to the created profile in
the design area.
The template shows the topology diagram, recommended devices and best practices.
| ||
Step 5 | Click Use Template. | ||
Step 6 | Click Name field to edit the default profile name. | ||
Step 7 | To custom
configure the components in the topology diagram:
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Step 8 | Click
Save and
Submit for Approval.
The request is sent to the approver to approve or can be auto-approved by the system depending upon the configured workflow settings. Also, the branch profile is added to the system and shown on the available profiles. |
To add a branch profile to Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure Software(NFVIS):
Step 1 | Choose Profiles > Create New Profile from the navigation menu. | ||
Step 2 | Drag the hosting platform, such as UCS E series, UCS C series, ENCS into the design area. | ||
Step 3 | Drag the appropriate Virtual Network Functions (VNFs), such as router, NGFW, WAAS and third-party VNFs. | ||
Step 4 | Depending on
the services, drag the arrows to connect the Virtual Network Functions to the
respective networks.
On the right side of the design area, the matching templates from NKPs are displayed.
| ||
Step 5 | Click
View to
view the matching template that are 100 % relevant to the created profile in
the design area.
The template shows the topology diagram, recommended Devices and Best Practices.
| ||
Step 6 | Click Use Template. | ||
Step 7 | Click theName field to edit the default profile name. | ||
Step 8 | To custom
configure the components in the topology diagram:
| ||
Step 9 | Click
Save and
Submit for Approval.
The request is sent to the approver to approve or can be auto-approved by the system depending upon the configured workflow settings. Also, the branch profile is added to the system and shown on the available profiles. |
Enterprise Service Automation allows simultaneous provisioning of multiple branches and the required network services. This allows time taken to provision multiple branches to be drastically reduced and also ensures consistent configuration. After branch locations and branch profiles have been added to the system and approved, you can quickly and easily provision branches by mapping them to appropriate branch profiles.
You can provision a single branch by mapping it to the created profile using map view and table view.
To provision a single branch, follow these steps:
Step 1 | Choose
Branches
>
Branch Map
View.
| ||
Step 2 | Select a
branch location from the map that you want to provision. The branch location
details window is shown on the right side.
| ||
Step 3 | Click Provision Branch. | ||
Step 4 | To map to
profile, select a
Branch
Profile to assign to the selected branch location and click
Next.
The summary of the deployment is shown. | ||
Step 5 | Click Next. | ||
Step 6 | Choose Prime Infrastructure Server and APIC-EM Controller from the drop-down list. | ||
Step 7 | Choose the appropriate Group from the drop-down list and click Apply Group Selection. | ||
Step 8 | Click Next . | ||
Step 9 | To configure
the required parameters, do any one of the following:
| ||
Step 10 | Click
Provision
Branch.
|
You can also provision multiple branches simultaneously by mapping it to created profile.
To provision multiple branches, follow these steps:
Step 1 | Choose Profiles > Available Profiles. |
Step 2 | Choose the profile that you want to map to branches and click Map to Branch in the Actions column. |
Step 3 | Select one
or more branches to assign to the selected profile and click
Next.
The summary of the deployment is shown. |
Step 4 | Click Next . |
Step 5 | Choose Prime Infrastructure Server and APIC-EM Controller for the assigned branch(es) from the drop-down list. |
Step 6 | Choose the appropriate Group for the assigned branch(es) from the drop-down list, click Apply Group Selection. |
Step 7 | Click Next. |
Step 8 | To configure
the required parameters offline:
|
Step 9 | Click Provision Branch. |