Cisco Active Network Abstraction Customization User Guide, 3.6.3 - Cisco ANA Overview [Cisco Active Network Abstraction]

Table Of Contents

Cisco ANA Overview

What is Cisco ANA?

Cisco ANA Customization Tools

Soft Properties Manager

Workflow Editor

Command Builder

Cisco BQL

Cisco ANA Overview

The following topics introduce you to the Cisco Active Network Abstraction (Cisco ANA) customization products. These topics briefly explain what Cisco ANA is, and describe the Cisco ANA customization tools.

•What is Cisco ANA?

•Cisco ANA Customization Tools

What is Cisco ANA?

Cisco ANA is a resource management platform that serves as an active mediation layer between the operation and network layers. It provides a set of easy-to-use applications and well-defined APIs for Operations Support Systems (OSS). Cisco ANA enables service providers to efficiently respond to the constant market demand for new, reliable, and more complex services, while hiding the complexity of large, multivendor, mixed technology networks.

Cisco ANA can manage diverse network environments. It offers an integrated process for network modeling, intelligent fault analysis, and a highly flexible network configuration and activation engine. This enables fully correlated management of global scale networks that need to support millions of subscribers and customers.

Cisco ANA is a network management system that provides a fully integrated, service-oriented offering including:

•Multivendor network element support (physical components that can be managed through an IP address).

•Mixed technologies (IP, Ethernet, and so on).

•Multiple functions (network discovery, fault, activation, and configuration).

•Standards-based Northbound Interfaces (NBIs) that provide integration with assorted OSS and Business Support Systems (BSS) applications.

Based on a patented architecture of distributed autonomous virtual network elements (VNEs), Cisco ANA enables integration management for multivendor, multitechnology network environments, while at the same time scaling according to network growth and evolution.

Cisco ANA hides the complexity of large, multivendor, mixed technology networks while allowing you to constantly modify your network in response to the constant market demand for new, reliable, and more sophisticated services.

Cisco ANA Customization Tools

Cisco ANA customization components provide the ability to monitor and make changes to network elements. These customization components include:

•Soft Properties Manager

•Workflow Editor

•Command Builder

•Cisco BQL

Soft Properties Manager

Using the Soft Properties Manager, you can manage soft properties and Threshold Crossing Alarms (TCA). Soft properties enable the user to extend the set of supported properties for each Network Element (NE), by adding soft properties to the Virtual Network Elements (VNEs). These properties extend the Cisco IMO and are available through the client GUI as well as through the BQL API. Soft properties are retrieved from the NE using SNMP, or Telnet/SSH. In addition, alarm thresholding enables the user to constantly monitor selected properties and generate an alarm every time they cross a user-defined threshold or violate a condition.

These properties extend the Cisco ANA model. For more information, see Part 2 Customizing Network Element Information Using the Soft Properties Manager.

Workflow Editor

Using the Workflow Editor, you can create workflows of tasks, calling multiple activation scripts to perform configuration changes on multiple network elements. You can run activation scripts sequentially, in parallel, on demand, or at a scheduled time. You can view workflows using the Cisco ANA Workflow Editor, Cisco ANA Manage and Cisco ANA EventVision. Workflows are stored on the gateway, where you can check workflow properties and status. It is intended for use by a system administrator.

The Dralasoft Workflow Studio can be customized to meet an individual customer's specific needs. The Dralasoft Workflow Studio menus and toolbars are customized for use with Cisco ANA. For more information, see Part 3 Using the Workflow Editor to Create Task Workflows.

Command Builder

Using the Command Builder (a template-based configuration tool), you can create activation scripts to make physical and logical configuration changes on a network element.

This part describes managing command scripts. Command scripts enable the user to execute a programmable sequence of SNMP or Telnet command lines. These commands can include data properties taken from the Cisco Active Network Abstraction (ANA) information model (built-in), as well as user-defined input parameters entered during runtime.

In addition, it describes the ANA Macro Language, its syntax, how to use parameters, pragmas and a detailed example for writing ANA Macro Language scripts. For more information, see Part 4 Managing and Deploying Configuration Changes Using the Command Builder.

Cisco BQL

Cisco BQL (Broadband Query Language) is a generic machine interface language, implemented by the Cisco ANA Gateway, for general-purpose northbound integration. BQL covers all Cisco ANA functionality:

•Information reporting (for example, inventory, topology, fault, and so on.)

•Service activation

•System administration.

This part is a basic guide to Cisco BQL (Broadband Query Language), an open XML-based query language for northbound integration with the Cisco ANA (Active Network Abstraction) Network and Service management platform. It describes the basic functions and concepts of BQL and IMO (Information Model Objects - Cisco internal information model), and provides basic BQL code examples. For more information, see Part 5 Working with BQL.

	Cisco Active Network Abstraction Customization User Guide, 3.6.3
	Cisco ANA Overview
Cisco Active Network Abstraction Customization User Guide, 3.6.3 Preface Cisco ANA Overview Customizing Network Element Information Using the Soft Properties Manager Introducing the Cisco ANA Soft Properties Manager Getting Started with the Soft Properties Manager Soft Property Examples Parsing Operators/Rules Alarm Threshold Triggers Regular Expressions Using the Workflow Editor to Create Task Workflows Introducing the Cisco ANA Workflow Editor Working With the Cisco ANA Workflow Editor Getting Started with the Workflow Editor Managing Workflows Customizing the Workflow Editor Managing and Deploying Configuration Changes Using the Command Builder Introducing the Command Builder Getting Started with the Command Builder Creating an ANA Macro Language Command: An Example Running Command Scripts ANA Macro Language Bean Shell Commands Working with BQL Getting Started with Cisco BQL Understanding IMO IMO Specification BQL Generic Commands Encrypted SSL Sockets Detailed BQL Errors Catalog and Examples Best Practices for Integration BQL Parsing Index	Download this chapter Cisco ANA Overview Download the complete book PDF of Cisco ANA Customization User Guide, 3.6.3 (PDF - 3 MB) Table Of Contents Cisco ANA Overview What is Cisco ANA? Cisco ANA Customization Tools Soft Properties Manager Workflow Editor Command Builder Cisco BQL Cisco ANA Overview The following topics introduce you to the Cisco Active Network Abstraction (Cisco ANA) customization products. These topics briefly explain what Cisco ANA is, and describe the Cisco ANA customization tools. •What is Cisco ANA? •Cisco ANA Customization Tools What is Cisco ANA? Cisco ANA is a resource management platform that serves as an active mediation layer between the operation and network layers. It provides a set of easy-to-use applications and well-defined APIs for Operations Support Systems (OSS). Cisco ANA enables service providers to efficiently respond to the constant market demand for new, reliable, and more complex services, while hiding the complexity of large, multivendor, mixed technology networks. Cisco ANA can manage diverse network environments. It offers an integrated process for network modeling, intelligent fault analysis, and a highly flexible network configuration and activation engine. This enables fully correlated management of global scale networks that need to support millions of subscribers and customers. Cisco ANA is a network management system that provides a fully integrated, service-oriented offering including: •Multivendor network element support (physical components that can be managed through an IP address). •Mixed technologies (IP, Ethernet, and so on). •Multiple functions (network discovery, fault, activation, and configuration). •Standards-based Northbound Interfaces (NBIs) that provide integration with assorted OSS and Business Support Systems (BSS) applications. Based on a patented architecture of distributed autonomous virtual network elements (VNEs), Cisco ANA enables integration management for multivendor, multitechnology network environments, while at the same time scaling according to network growth and evolution. Cisco ANA hides the complexity of large, multivendor, mixed technology networks while allowing you to constantly modify your network in response to the constant market demand for new, reliable, and more sophisticated services. Cisco ANA Customization Tools Cisco ANA customization components provide the ability to monitor and make changes to network elements. These customization components include: •Soft Properties Manager •Workflow Editor •Command Builder •Cisco BQL Soft Properties Manager Using the Soft Properties Manager, you can manage soft properties and Threshold Crossing Alarms (TCA). Soft properties enable the user to extend the set of supported properties for each Network Element (NE), by adding soft properties to the Virtual Network Elements (VNEs). These properties extend the Cisco IMO and are available through the client GUI as well as through the BQL API. Soft properties are retrieved from the NE using SNMP, or Telnet/SSH. In addition, alarm thresholding enables the user to constantly monitor selected properties and generate an alarm every time they cross a user-defined threshold or violate a condition. These properties extend the Cisco ANA model. For more information, see Part 2 Customizing Network Element Information Using the Soft Properties Manager. Workflow Editor Using the Workflow Editor, you can create workflows of tasks, calling multiple activation scripts to perform configuration changes on multiple network elements. You can run activation scripts sequentially, in parallel, on demand, or at a scheduled time. You can view workflows using the Cisco ANA Workflow Editor, Cisco ANA Manage and Cisco ANA EventVision. Workflows are stored on the gateway, where you can check workflow properties and status. It is intended for use by a system administrator. The Dralasoft Workflow Studio can be customized to meet an individual customer's specific needs. The Dralasoft Workflow Studio menus and toolbars are customized for use with Cisco ANA. For more information, see Part 3 Using the Workflow Editor to Create Task Workflows. Command Builder Using the Command Builder (a template-based configuration tool), you can create activation scripts to make physical and logical configuration changes on a network element. This part describes managing command scripts. Command scripts enable the user to execute a programmable sequence of SNMP or Telnet command lines. These commands can include data properties taken from the Cisco Active Network Abstraction (ANA) information model (built-in), as well as user-defined input parameters entered during runtime. In addition, it describes the ANA Macro Language, its syntax, how to use parameters, pragmas and a detailed example for writing ANA Macro Language scripts. For more information, see Part 4 Managing and Deploying Configuration Changes Using the Command Builder. Cisco BQL Cisco BQL (Broadband Query Language) is a generic machine interface language, implemented by the Cisco ANA Gateway, for general-purpose northbound integration. BQL covers all Cisco ANA functionality: •Information reporting (for example, inventory, topology, fault, and so on.) •Service activation •System administration. This part is a basic guide to Cisco BQL (Broadband Query Language), an open XML-based query language for northbound integration with the Cisco ANA (Active Network Abstraction) Network and Service management platform. It describes the basic functions and concepts of BQL and IMO (Information Model Objects - Cisco internal information model), and provides basic BQL code examples. For more information, see Part 5 Working with BQL.
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