Configure Network Models

This section contains the following topics:

Network model creation workflow

The Cisco Crosswork Planning UI provides an easy-to-use interface that hides the complexity of creating a model building chain for a network. It combines the configuration of multiple data collectors under one network (collection) and can produce a single network model that contains the consolidated data. Use the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI for configuring device and network access, creating network models, managing users, and configuring agents.

The Table 1 and Network model creation workflow illustrate how you can configure individual network models.

Table 1. Network model creation workflow

Step

Action

1. Configure device authgroups, SNMP groups, and network profile access.

See Preconfiguration workflow.

2. (Optional) Configure agents only if you need to collect SR-PCE or NetFlow information.

See Configure agents.

3. Configure the collections (basic and advanced configurations).

See Collection configuration workflow.

4. Schedule when to run the collections.

See Schedule collections.

5. (Optional) Manage aggregation and archiving of network model as per your requirement.

See

6. View or download the plan files in the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application.

See View or download plan files.

Figure 1. Network model creation workflow

Preconfiguration workflow

This workflow describes the steps that you must complete before creating a network model. This preconfiguration workflow involves the creation of credential profiles to access the devices, the device mappings, and the agents.

Step

Action

1. Configure the device credential profiles (Authentication profiles and SNMP profiles).

See Configure credential profiles.

2. Configure the network profile access.

See Configure network profiles.

3. (Optional) Create agents to collect specific information.

This step is required only for collecting SR-PCE or NetFlow information.

See Configure agents.

Collection configuration workflow

The initial step in creating a network model is to create a new network (Collection) with topology collection. Use the Collections page (from the main menu, choose Collector > Collections) to configure different collectors. You can choose the network elements that you want to collect. You can also indicate if an SR-PCE is used for collection or not. Based on the selection of collectors, a chain of collectors is derived and displayed. Each collector produces an output, which are aggregated to produce a final network model. The numbered navigation at the top of the page displays where you are in the network model configuration process.

This high-level workflow describes the process involved in collection configuration.

Step

Description

1. Complete all the steps mentioned in the preconfiguration workflow.

See Preconfiguration workflow.

2. Select the required collectors.

  1. As a first step, choose a Basic Topology collector, which will be the source for additional network collections.

  2. Choose the additional collectors, as per your requirement. The collectors are categorized under the Basic topology, Advanced modeling, and Traffic and Demands sections.

3. Configure collection parameters.

Based on the collectors you selected in the previous step, the configuration parameters differ. The left pane displays the selected collectors and the right pane displays the configuration parameters associated with the selected collector. Enter all the required details.

4. (Optional) Run external scripts against a collection model.

If you want specific data from your network that existing Cisco Crosswork Planning collectors do not provide, you can run a customized script against a selected network model. For details, see Run an external script against a network model.

5. Preview the order in which you have configured the collectors.

Preview the order in which you have configured the collectors. If you are satisfied with the configuration, then proceed with the creation of the collection.

6. Schedule the collections.

You can run the collection jobs immediately or you can schedule them to run periodically at a specific time or at intervals. You can also set multiple schedules for a collection. For details, see Schedule collections.

7. (Optional) Update the aggregation and archive settings, as required.

See:

Collector configuration migration

A collector configuration migration is a process that enables you to migrate collector configurations from Cisco WAE 7.5.x/7.6.x or between different Cisco Crosswork Planning instances.


Note

When using collectors that have file upload options, ensure to upload the correct files after importing the collector configuration. This is necessary because, after you import the configuration, the server restores only the file name and not the actual file. If you do not use the correct file, the collection will fail.

Migrate collector configurations from Cisco WAE

This section explains how to migrate collector configurations from Cisco WAE 7.5.x/7.6.x to Cisco Crosswork Planning.

Before you begin

Procedure

Step 1

If you have not backed up the configuration, use these steps to back up and migrate it to a configuration compatible with Cisco Crosswork Planning:

  1. Log in to the machine where Cisco WAE 7.x is installed.

  2. Enter this command:

    # ./wae_upgrade --export --install-dir <WAE_7.x_INSTALL_DIR> --cfg-dir 
<dir_to_save_exported_config>
Where:
     --install-dir   indicates the directory where 7.x WAE is installed.
     --cfg-dir       indicates the folder where the backup of 7.x configuration 
                     must reside. The migrated configurations are saved as 
                     wae_networks.cfg in the provided directory.

Step 2

If you already have the backed-up configuration, use these steps to convert the file into a format compatible with Cisco Crosswork Planning:

  1. Log in to the machine where the Cisco WAE 7.x configuration is backed up.

  2. Enter this command:

    # ./wae_upgrade --migrate --cfg-dir <dir_containing_7.x_config>

Where:
      --cfg-dir   indicates the folder where the 7.x configuation is backed up.  
                  This configuration will be migrated to Cisco Crosswork Planning 
                  compatible configuration. The migrated configurations are saved as 
                  wae_networks.cfg in the provided directory.

Step 3

Import the migrated configurations (wae_networks.cfg) to Cisco Crosswork Planning using these steps:

Note

 

Before migration, ensure that configurations are backed up using the upgrade scripts. Otherwise, the migration will fail.

  1. Log in to the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI.

  2. From the main menu, choose Collector > Migration.

  3. Click Actions and select Configuration migration.

    The Import Configuration File page appears.

    Figure 2. Import Configuration File page

  4. Select WAN Automation Engine from the Import type drop-down list.

  5. Click Browse and select the wae_networks.cfg file.

  6. (Optional) To overwrite the existing collector configuration, check the Overwrite the existing data check box.

  7. Click Import.

The system proceeds with the import using your configuration. You can monitor the progress on the Migration page (Collector > Migration). Once the import is successful, the Import status column displays Success.

What to do next


Note

After migrating from Cisco WAE to Cisco Crosswork Planning, the Telnet and SSH settings are not preserved. You need to manually verify and update these settings, if required.

Configurations excluded during migration

The following configurations are NOT migrated while moving from Cisco WAE to Cisco Crosswork Planning:

  • HA, LDAP, and User Management configurations

  • Smart Licensing configurations

  • WMD configurations

  • All optical/L1 related configurations, for example, optical agents, optical NIMO, L1-L3 Mapping, Feasibility Limit Margin, Central Frequency Exclude List, and so on. This is because, Cisco Crosswork Planning collection does not support optical features in this release. However, the optical configurations are collected as part of the upgrade script and can be used in future.

  • Inter AS NIMO configurations

  • Source collector details in the Copy demands step of Demand deduction collector, as these fields are different in Cisco WAE and Cisco Crosswork Planning. You have to manually configure it after migration.

  • The networks which are not part of the Composer workflow

  • The External executable script configurations, as these scripts may require some changes and testing before deploying to Cisco Crosswork Planning.

  • The configured device credentials. A default credential is imported and you must re-enter the credentials.

  • Certain resource files, for example, updated network access file, advanced Aggregator configurations such as sql-capabilities, sql-source-capabilities, and so on.

  • Nodeflow configuration (BGP details) in case of NetFlow agents. You have to configure it manually post migration.

  • Network record plan files

Migrate collector configurations between Cisco Crosswork Planning instances

This section explains how to migrate collector configurations from one Cisco Crosswork Planning instance (source) to the other (target).


Note

If using the SR-PCE collector in your configurations, ensure to update the SR-PCE host and Backup SR-PCE host fields manually after migration. This is necessary because, these fields are not updated while migrating the collector configurations between Cisco Crosswork Planning instances.

Procedure

Step 1

Download the collector configuration file from the source machine.

  1. Log in to the Cisco Crosswork Planning instance from which you want to migrate the configuration.

  2. From the main menu, choose Collector > Migration.

  3. Click Actions and select Configuration backup.

    The collector configuration file is downloaded to your local machine.

Step 2

Import the collector configuration file to the target machine.

  1. Log in to the Cisco Crosswork Planning instance to which you want to migrate the configuration.

  2. From the main menu, choose Collector > Migration.

  3. Click Actions and select Configuration migration.

    The Import Configuration File page appears.

    Figure 3. Import Configuration File page

  4. Select Crosswork planning from the Import type drop-down list.

  5. Click Browse and select the collector configuration file downloaded earlier in the Step 1 (c).

  6. (Optional) If you want to overwrite the existing collector configuration, check the Overwrite the existing data check box.

  7. Click Import to import the collector configuration file.

The system proceeds with the import using your configuration. You can monitor the progress on the Migration page (Collector > Migration). Once the import is successful, the Import status column displays Success.

What to do next


Note

In case of traffic collection, if the traffic poller agent status is displayed as down on the Agent page after migration, even though traffic collection has run successfully, follow these steps:

  1. On the Collections page, click Edit collection for the collection corresponding to the agent.

  2. On the Traffic collection configuration page, uncheck the Traffic collection check box and save the configuration.

  3. Re-enable the Traffic collection check box and save the configuration again.

For details on configuring the Traffic and Demands collector, see Collect traffic statistics.

Configure credential profiles

You must define credential profiles to access the devices. Rather than entering credentials each time they are needed, you can instead create credential profiles to securely store this information. The platform supports unique credentials for each type of access protocol, and allows you to bundle multiple protocols and their corresponding credentials in a single profile. Devices that use the same credentials can share a credential profile. For example, if all of your routers in a particular building share a single SSH user ID and password, you can create a single credential profile to allow Cisco Crosswork Planning to access and manage them.

Before creating a credential profile, you must gather access credentials and supported protocols that you will use to monitor and manage your devices. For devices, it includes user IDs, passwords, and connection protocols. You will also need additional data such as the SNMPv2 read and write community strings, and SNMPv3 auth and privilege types.

This workflow describes the steps to create the credential profiles.

Step

Action

1. Set up device authentication credentials to access devices.

See Configure authentication credentials.

2. Set up SNMP credentials to access the network server.

See Configure SNMP credentials.

Configure authentication credentials

This section explains how to configure authentication credentials for accessing devices using SSH or Telnet.

Configure authentication credentials when setting up device access in the system for the first time or when adding new credentials for future device connections. These credentials enable secure connectivity of network devices via SSH (recommended for security) or Telnet.

You can configure authentication credentials during the initial setup via the Collector > Collections page or at any time from the Credentials page.

Follow these steps to set up authentication credentials from the Collector > Credentials page.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Credentials.

Step 2

Click + Create new in the Authentication tab.

Note

 
If you are creating the authentication credentials for the first time, then click Setup credentials.
Figure 4. Configure authentication credentials

Step 3

Enter the values in these fields:

  • Authentication name: Enter a descriptive name.

  • Login type: Select either SSH or Telnet according to your requirement. The SSH protocol is more secure. The Telnet protocol does not encrypt the username and password.

  • Credential fields: Enter the values in the Username, Password, and Confirm password fields.

Step 4

Click Save.

The system saves the new authentication credentials, making them available for device access through SSH or Telnet as configured.

Configure SNMP credentials

This section explains how to set up SNMP credentials to enable secure communication between the node and the seed router.

SNMP credentials are required for authenticating and encrypting messages exchanged between the node and the seed router. You can configure SNMP credentials during the initial setup via the Collector > Collections page or at any time from the Credentials page.

Follow these steps to configure SNMP credentials from the Collector > Credentials page.

Before you begin

Determine in advance whether you require SNMPv2c or SNMPv3, and gather any required authentication or encryption details.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Credentials.

Step 2

Click the SNMP tab and then click + Create new.

Note

 
If you are creating the authentication credentials for the first time, then click Setup credentials.
Figure 5. Configure SNMP credentials

Step 3

In the SNMP credential name field, enter a descriptive name for the SNMP profile.

Step 4

In the SNMP type section, select which SNMP protocol to use. The options are SNMPv3 and SNMPv2c.

  • SNMPv2c: Enter the SNMP RO community string that acts as a password. It is used to authenticate messages sent between the node and the seed router.

  • SNMPv3: Enter the values in the fields mentioned in Table 1: SNMPv3 fields.

Table 2. SNMPv3 fields

Field

Action

Security level

Select one of these options:

  • Authentication and privacy: security level that provides both authentication and encryption.

  • Authentication and no privacy: security level that provides authentication but does not provide encryption.

  • No Authentication and no privacy: security level that does not provide authentication or encryption.

Username

Enter the user name.

Authentication protocol

Select one of these options:

  • SHA: HMAC-SHA-96 authentication protocol

  • MD5: HMAC-MD5-96 authentication protocol

Authentication password

Enter the authentication password.

Encryption protocol and Encryption password

The encryption option offers a choice of Data Encryption Standard (DES) or 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption for SNMP security encryption. The AES-128 token indicates that this privacy password is for generating a 128-bit AES key #. The AES encryption password can have a minimum of eight characters. If the passphrases are specified in clear text, you can specify a maximum of 64 characters. If you use the localized key, you can specify a maximum of 130 characters.

Step 5

Click Save.

The new SNMP credential is saved and available for secure device discovery or communication between your node and the seed router.

Configure network profiles

A network profile is made up of network nodes and their credentials. This section explains how to define a network profile to gather the data from the network.

When accessing the Collections page (Collector > Collections) for the first time, a Welcome screen appears. Click Get Started to see the preconfiguration steps, which are listed in the stepper pane on the left. After you complete the initial two steps, the third one guides you to complete the creation of network profiles.

Alternatively, follow these steps to set up network profiles from the Collector > Network Profiles page.

Before you begin

Configure device credential profiles (Authentication profiles and SNMP profiles). For details, see Configure authentication credentials and Configure SNMP credentials.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Network Profiles.

Step 2

Click the + Create new button.

Note

 
If you are creating the network profile for the first time, then click Setup network profile.
Figure 6. Create network profile

Step 3

Enter the required values in each of these fields.

  • Network profile name: Enter a name for the network access profile.
  • Authentication credential: Select the applicable authentication credential from the drop-down list. If you don’t have any authentication credential created, create one using the steps mentioned in Configure authentication credentials.
  • SNMP credential: Select the applicable SNMP credential from the drop-down list. If you don’t have any SNMP credential created, create one using the steps mentioned in Configure SNMP credentials.

Step 4

Click Create & Proceed.

Step 5

(Optional) To add or edit nodes associated with these network access credentials, see Add or edit nodes.

Step 6

(Optional) To include or exclude individual nodes from the collection, see Configure node filter.

Step 7

Click Save.

The network profile is created successfully and ready for use in gathering data from the network.

Add or edit nodes

This section explains how to add or edit nodes to update the network profile with correct node details.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Network Profiles.

Step 2

Select the required network profile and click Save & Proceed.

Step 3

Under Node list, click Edit nodes and decide how you want to add nodes.

If you decide to ...

Then ...

When there are no nodes:

add nodes manually for the first time

  1. Click + Add node.

  2. Enter the node details in the Add Node window.

  3. Click Save.

The newly added node appears on the Node List page.

import the node list

  1. Click .

  2. Click Browse and enter the CSV file path.

  3. Click Import.

The newly imported nodes appear on the Node List page.

When nodes exist:

add more nodes

click Add icon and enter the details.

import a different node list

Click and import the CSV file.

Click the sample file link to download a sample file containing the node list.

export a node list

click .

edit a node

  1. Select the node you want to edit.

  2. Click Edit icon.

  3. Enter the node details.

delete nodes

Select the nodes and click Delete icon.

Figure 7. Edit nodes pages

Step 4

Click Done.

Configure node filter

This section explains how to include or exclude individual nodes from the data collection.


Note

  • You can add Node/Host name or loopback IP in the node filter list. Management IP must not be added in node filter IPs.

  • Node/Host name works with ISIS.

  • The OSPF database does not have node names, so filtering works by only IP address.

  • Node filter does not support Segment List hops.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Network Profiles.

Step 2

Choose the required network profile and click Save & Proceed.

Step 3

Click Add node filter.

Step 4

Under Filter action, choose either Exclude or Include to exclude or include individual nodes, respectively.

Step 5

Click + Add filter criteria. The Add Node Filter page appears.

Figure 8. Node filter pages

Step 6

From the Type drop-down list, choose the type using which you want to filter. The options are: IP address and Hostname.

Step 7

Select the required option under Input type and click Save. The options depend on the type you selected in the previous step.

  • If you selected IP address, the options are: Regex and Individual IP address.

  • If you selected Hostname, the options are: Regex and Individual hostname.

If you decide to ...

Then ...

include or exclude multiple nodes with a single expression

  1. Select the Regex option.

  2. Enter the Regex expression in the Regex field.

add each node's IP address

  1. Select the Individual IP address option.

  2. Enter the IP address in the IP address field.

add each node's hostname

  1. Select the Individual hostname option.

  2. Enter the hostname in the Hostname field.

Step 8

Optionally, you can repeat steps 4 to 7 to add more filter criteria.

Step 9

Set the toggle in the Status column to Enabled to consider the entries in the filter. Then, click Save.

What to do next

To edit or delete nodes, use the > Edit or > Delete options under the Actions column.

Configure agents

This section describes how to configure agents to enable network collection operations in Cisco Crosswork Planning.

Agents perform information-gathering tasks and should be configured before certain network collection operations. This task is required only for collecting SR-PCE or NetFlow information.

When accessing the Collections page (Collector > Collections) for the first time, a Welcome screen appears. Click Get Started to see the preconfiguration steps, which are listed in the stepper pane on the left. After you complete the initial three steps, the fourth one guides you to complete the creation of agents.

Alternatively, follow these steps to configure agents from the Collector > Agents page.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Agents.

Note

 

If a collection includes the Traffic collection collector, the Collector > Agents page displays the traffic poller agent details as well. The agent's name is the same as that of the collection.

Step 2

Click + Create new.

If you are creating agents for the first time, then click Setup agent.

Step 3

Enter a name for the agent in the Agent name field.

Step 4

Select the required Collector type.

  • SR-PCE: Collects information from the SR-PCE server periodically, and processes the topology and LSP data and notifications sent by SR-PCE. The agent connects to the REST interface of SR-PCE and retrieves the PCE topology.

    Note

     

    You must configure the SR-PCE agents for any networks that use SR-PCE before you can perform a network collection.

  • NetFlow: Responsible for receiving, processing, and storing the flow records. This data helps to analyze and gain insights into the traffic patterns and behavior of the network.

Step 5

The configuration options vary depending on the Collector type you select.

Step 6

Click Save.

The newly created agent appears on the Collector > Agents page.

  • The SR-PCE and NetFlow agents restart when the configuration parameters are edited after saving.

  • The SR-PCE agent

    • starts right away after configuration or when Cisco Crosswork Planning starts, as long as the Enabled option is selected, and

    • stops when (a) the configuration is removed, (b) Cisco Crosswork Planning has stopped, or (c) the Enabled option is deselected.

What to do next

Use the Collections page (Collector > Collections) to configure the collectors to build a network model. For more information, see Configure collections.

SR-PCE and NetFlow agent configuration options

This topic describes the options available for configuring SR-PCE and NetFlow agents.

SR-PCE agent configuration options

This table provides the configuration options for SR-PCE agents.

Table 3. SR-PCE agent configuration options

Option

Description

Enabled

Enables the SR-PCE agent. Default is enabled.

SR-PCE host IP

Host IP address of the SR-PCE router.

SR-PCE REST port

Port number to connect to the SR-PCE host. The default is 8080.

Authentication type

Authentication type to be used for connecting to the SR-PCE host.

  • Basic: Use HTTP Basic authentication (plaintext).

  • Digest: Use HTTP Digest authentication (MD5).

  • None: Use no authentication. This is applicable only for old IOS XR versions.

Username

Username for connecting to the SR-PCE host.

Password

Password for connecting to the SR-PCE host.

Connection retry count

Maximum number of retry counts for connecting to the SR-PCE host.

Topology collection

Specifies whether to collect topology data and to have subscription for network changes.

These are the options:

  • Collection only

  • Collection and Subscription (default)

  • Off

LSP collection

Specifies whether to collect LSP data and to have subscription for network changes. These are the options:

  • Collection only

  • Collection and Subscription (default)

  • Off

Connection timeout interval

Connection timeout in seconds. Default is 50 seconds.

Pool size

Number of threads processing SR-PCE data in parallel.

Keep alive interval

Interval in seconds to send keep-alive messages. Default is 10.

Batch size

Number of nodes to send in each message. Default is 1000.

Keep alive threshold

Threshold of missed keep-alive messages. Default is 2.

Event buffer enabled

Enables you to add buffer time to process notifications in an SR-PCE agent. The SR-PCE agent processes the notification, and only after the buffered time (specified in the Events buffer time field), the consolidated notification is sent to SR-PCE and PCEP LSP collectors. This feature is helpful if there are too many back to back notifications like link flapping, etc.

The SR-PCE agent can be configured to collect only Topology information or LSP information using the Topology collection and LSP collection fields.

Events buffer time

Time to buffer SR-PCE events before sending to collectors, in seconds.

Playback events delay

Delay in SR-PCE events playback to mimic real events, in seconds (0 = no delay).

Max LSP history

Number of LSP entries to send. Default is 0.

Net recorder mode

Records SNMP messages. You can select Off, Record, or Playback. Default is Off.

NetFlow agent configuration options

This table provides the configuration options for NetFlow agents.

Table 4. NetFlow agent configuration options

Option

Description

BGP

Enables passive BGP peering. Cisco Crosswork Planning tries to set up a BGP session with the router. Enter the BGP details in the table listed below the BGP check box.

Name

Node name.

Sampling rate

Sampling rate of the packets in exported flows from the node. For example, if the value is 1,024, then one packet out of 1,024 is selected in a deterministic or random manner.

Flow source IP

IPv4 source address of flow export packets.

BGP source IP

IPv4 or IPv6 source address of iBGP update messages.

BGP password

BGP peering password for MD5 authentication.

Interval

Interval in seconds for writing the output file. Enter the value that is greater than zero and multiple of 60. Default is 900 seconds.

Flow size

Flow collection deployment size, based on network-wide aggregated flow export traffic rate.

  • Small: Recommended when flow traffic rate is less than 10 Mbps.

  • Medium: Recommended when flow traffic rate is between 10 Mbps and 50 Mbps.

  • Large: Recommended when flow traffic rate is more than 50 Mbps.

  • Lab: Not for customer use.

Default is Medium.

Extra aggregation

Choose aggregation keys from the list.

Agent operations

There are several operations you can perform on the agents created:

  • Edit—Use this option to edit the agent parameters.

  • Start, Restart, and Stop—Use these options to start, restart, and stop the agents, respectively.

  • Verify connection—Use this option to check the status of the agents.

  • Delete—Use this option to delete the agents.

  • Add schedule and Edit schedule—Use these options to set up and edit the data refresh frequency for the agents, respectively. Enter the schedule using a cron expression.


    Note

    This option is available only for SR-PCE agents. You can only add or edit schedules, but you cannot view the schedule details such as Status, Duration, and so on.

  • Delete schedule—Use this option to delete the data refresh frequency set for the agents.


    Note

    This option is available only for SR-PCE agents.

Follow these steps to access these options.

  1. From the main menu, choose Collector > Agents. The list of already created agents appears.

  2. Click in the agent that you want to edit and choose the relevant option. Note that the options differ based on the type of agent.

    Figure 9. Agent operations - example

Configure collections

This topic describes how to create collections using the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI.

The Collections page provides a visual workflow to guide you from creating a network model using various collectors to setting up a schedule to run collections and archiving the network models.


Important

When configuring collections in Cisco Crosswork Planning, it is important to understand how collections and network devices impact the system's capacity. The scale numbers (for example, 6,000 or 3,000 nodes) represent the total capacity across all collections combined. For example, you can create a 6,000-node configuration using either a single collection containing all nodes or multiple collections, such as six collections with 1,000 nodes each. However, exceeding the system's defined scale limits can result in performance issues. These include collectors and aggregators running out of memory. Ensure the total number of devices or interfaces across all collections remains within the defined scale limits to maintain optimal system performance. For details on scale numbers, see the "Profile specifications" section in the Cisco Crosswork Planning 7.1 Installation Guide.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have completed the steps mentioned in Preconfiguration workflow.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Collections. The list of already created collections appears.

Step 2

Begin the process of creating collections.

  1. Click Add collection at the top right corner. The Add Collection page appears.

    If you are creating the collection for the first time, then click Add collection in the Create collection page.

  2. In the Collection name field, enter the name of the collection.

  3. From the Node profile drop-down list, select the required node profile.

    To create a new node profile, click + Add new profile.

  4. Click Continue to proceed to the collection configuration page.

Step 3

Select the required collectors. For descriptions of all the collectors, see Collector descriptions.

  1. Verify that Collectors is selected at the top. This option is selected by default.

    Figure 10. Select collectors page

  2. Select one of the Basic topology collectors to initiate the network collection. Supported collectors include: IGP database and SR-PCE.

    Note that you can select only one topology collector.

  3. Select additional collectors as needed from these sections.

    • Advanced modeling: Select the required advanced network data collectors to configure additional data collections. The supported advanced modeling collectors are: LSP, BGP, VPN, and Config parsing. You can select multiple advanced collectors.

    • Traffic and Demands: Select the required collectors for traffic collection. The supported traffic and demands collectors are: Inventory, Multicast, Layout, Traffic collection, Demand deduction, and NetFlow. You can select multiple traffic and demand collectors.

Step 4

Configure collectors.

  1. Enter the configuration parameters for the selected collectors.

    • The Selected collectors pane on the left displays the collectors that you selected in the previous step. Click the collector name in this pane to enter the configuration details.

    • From the Source drop-down, select the collector whose output will serve as the source (input) for the currently selected collector.

    • A tick mark appears next to the collector name once you enter all the required configuration parameters for that specific collector.

    • To exclude a selected collector during the configuration process, click .

    Note

     

    You must enter the configuration details for all selected collectors. Otherwise, the Next button is not enabled and you will not be able to proceed further.

    Figure 11. Configure collection parameters

  2. (Optional) To use a customized script against a collection model, click the + Add external script link. For details, see Run an external script against a network model.

  3. Once the configuration parameters are entered for all the collectors, click Next.

Step 5

Preview the order in which the collectors are added and complete collection creation.

  1. Review the preview diagram to verify the order in which collectors are added. You can observe which collector output is being used as the input for the other collector.

    Figure 12. Preview page

  2. If you are satisfied with the configuration, click Create to proceed with the creation of the collection.

    • A confirmation message appears indicating that the collection has been successfully created.

    • To make any changes to the configuration, click Back to go back to the previous page. You can also click the step numbers at the top to navigate to the required configuration step.

    Note

     

    • By default, all changes are auto saved as you make them. Until you click the Create button, these changes are saved as Draft.

    • Auto-saving is enabled only when creating a new collection or if the collection is in the Draft state. If you are editing an existing collection, the changes are not auto-saved.

Step 6

(Optional) If you want to configure the schedules immediately, click Add schedule in the dialog box and proceed with the schedule configuration. For details, see Schedule collections.

Step 7

Click Done in the successful message box to complete the collection creation process.

The newly added collection appears in the Collector > Collections page. Expand each collection panel to view its details.

This image shows a sample Collections page with three collections.

Figure 13. List of available collections

What to do next

Schedule collection job to run immediately or schedule it to run at specific intervals. For details, see Schedule collections.

Edit collections

This topic describes how to edit existing collections.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Collections. The list of existing collections appears.

Step 2

Expand the Collection area you want to edit.

Step 3

Click Edit collection.

Figure 14. Collection actions

Step 4

Make the required changes in the Select collectors and Configure pages. Preview the changes and ensure that the updated configuration meets your requirements. For more information, see Configure collections.

Step 5

Click Save.

What to do next

Configure schedules for the collection job. You can schedule the collection job to run immediately or schedule it to run at specific intervals. For details, see Schedule collections.

Delete collections

This topic describes how to delete existing collections.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Collections. The list of existing collections appears.

Step 2

Expand the Collection area you want to delete.

Step 3

Click Delete collection (for reference, see Collection actions).

Step 4

Click Yes in the confirmation dialog box.

A message confirming the successful deletion of the collection appears.

Schedule collections

This topic describes how to schedule different network collections to run using the Cisco Crosswork Planning UI.

You can schedule jobs to run at a specific date and time, or at regular intervals. You can also create multiple schedules for the same collection with different time intervals and collector settings.

Before you begin

  • Ensure that you have created the required collections. For details, see Configure collections.

  • Be familiar with using cron expressions.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Collections. The list of already created collections appears (for reference, see List of available collections).

Step 2

Expand the collection panel for which you want to add the schedule. Use one of these options to create the schedule:

  • If this is the first time you are creating the schedule, then click the Add schedule button while creating the collection or in the collection panel.
  • If there are already other schedules available, click the Add icon icon under the Schedule tab to create additional schedules (see Schedule actions).

The Schedule details page appears.

Figure 15. Schedule details

Step 3

In the Schedule name field, enter the name for the schedule.

Step 4

In the Collector section:

  • If you want to exclude any collector from data collection, uncheck the check box next to the collector name.

  • If you want to exclude any collector from aggregation, uncheck the check box under the Aggregate column of the corresponding collector. For details, see Aggregate collector outputs.

  • If you want to archive any collection, check the check box under the Archive column of the corresponding collector. For details, see Configure archive.

Step 5

In the Schedule section, specify whether you want to run this collection once or as a recurring job.

  • If you select the Run once option, the collection runs immediately and only once. After selecting this option, the Schedule button at the bottom changes to Run now. Click it to run the collection immediately.

  • If you select the Recurring option, specify the time interval using a cron expression. The Recurring option is selected by default. After entering the cron expression, click Schedule to run the job at the time interval you specified.

Step 6

(Optional) Repeat steps 2 through 5 if you want to create more schedules.

The configured schedule appears in the corresponding Collection panel in the Collector > Collections page. Click the schedule name under the Schedule name column to view its details.

Edit schedules

This topic describes how to change the execution timing or parameters of existing schedules within a collection..

Use this task to update the schedule associated with a collection in the system. Editing a schedule lets you control when collections run, ensuring alignment with operational requirements or maintenance windows.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Collections. The list of existing collections appears.

Step 2

Expand the collection panel that contains the schedule you want to edit.

Step 3

Under the Schedules tab, edit the schedules using any of these options:

  • Select the schedule you want to edit and click Edit icon.

  • In the Actions column, click > Edit for the schedule you want to edit.

  • Click the schedule name (under the Schedule column) and then click Edit.

Note

 

You can edit only one schedule at a time.
Figure 16. Schedule actions

Step 4

In the Edit Schedule page, make the required changes.

Step 5

Click Run now to execute the job immediately, or click Schedule to set the job to run at a specified interval. For details, see Schedule collections.

The selected schedule is updated. The collection will run immediately or at the newly specified intervals, depending on the option you chose.

Delete schedules

This topic describes how to remove unwanted collection schedules from the system.

Use this task when you need to clean up scheduled data collection activities to ensure only relevant schedules are active in your environment.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Collections. The list of existing collections appears.

Step 2

Expand the collection panel that contains the schedule you want to delete.

Step 3

Under the Schedules tab, delete the schedules using any of these options:

  • Select the schedule you want to delete and click Delete icon.

  • In the Actions column, click > Delete for the schedule you want to delete.

Note

 

You can delete only one schedule at a time.

Step 4

Click Yes in the confirmation dialog box.

The selected schedule is removed from the collection, and a confirmation message appears indicating successful deletion.

View scheduled task status and history

This topic describes how to view the statuses and recent histories of scheduled tasks for a collection.

After a schedule is configured for a collection, you can view the current task status and last 10 statuses of the tasks involved. This helps you track execution outcomes, troubleshoot failures, and download collected data when needed.

Follow these steps to view scheduled task statuses and histories.

Before you begin

Confirm that a schedule has been configured for the collection.

Procedure

Step 1

Expand the desired collection panel.

Step 2

In the Schedules tab, click the name of the schedule.

The page that opens displays the statuses of all the tasks involved in the scheduled collection, including:

  • timestamps of the recent task execution

  • duration of each task, and

  • description if the task has failed.

Step 3

Click the icon in the Status field to display the last 10 task statuses.

Step 4

To download the collected data from the collector, click Download DB.

What to do next

If you identify any failed tasks, review the descriptions provided and take further troubleshooting or corrective action as needed.

Aggregate collector outputs

This topic describes how to exclude specific collector outputs from the network model aggregation process.

Each collector produces an output, which is aggregated (consolidated) to build a complete network model. Cisco Crosswork Planning uses the Delta Aggregation Rules Engine (DARE) to aggregate basic and advanced topology collector outputs. Simple Aggregation Engine (SAgE) consolidates all traffic and demand data, along with the topology changes from DARE, to create a final network model.

By default, all the selected collectors are included in the aggregation during collection configuration. You can choose to exclude any collector from aggregation while scheduling the collection. By doing so, even though the data is collected from the excluded collector, it will not be aggregated.


Note

It is assumed that you are in the middle of creating a network model when performing the steps described in this topic. For more information, see Configure collections.

Follow these steps to exclude a collector output from aggregation.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the Add or Edit Schedule page for the collection you want to edit. For more information, see Schedule collections or Edit schedules.

Step 2

(Optional) Notice that the Advanced Settings toggle button is turned on by default. If it is off, turn it on.

Step 3

Under the Collector section, uncheck the Aggregate check box for the collector you want to exclude from aggregation.

Figure 17. Aggregation settings

Step 4

(Optional) Update the schedule settings. For more information, see Schedule collections.

Step 5

If you select Run once in the previous step, click Run now to run the job immediately. If you select Recurring, click Schedule to run the job at the specified time interval.

After you uncheck the Aggregate check box for a collector, the subsequent data collected from that collector will not be aggregated. However, the data previously collected from the unchecked collector will still be available in the aggregator output.

Data from excluded collectors is no longer included in aggregation, ensuring only selected collector outputs contribute to the final network model.

Reaggregate collector outputs

This topic describes how to reaggregate collector outputs.

At any point during the collection process, you can perform reaggregation of all the collectors and populate the DARE and SAgE network afresh. This process does not trigger new data collection, but removes the previous aggregation results and starts a new aggregation.


Note
In a collection

  • only one scheduler can be used for reaggregation and

  • only those collectors which are part of aggregation are considered for reaggregation.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Collector > Collections. The list of existing collections appears.

Step 2

Expand the collection panel in which you want to reaggregate the collector outputs.

Step 3

Click the Re-Aggregation tab.

Step 4

If re-aggregating for the first time, click Schedule or Run once.

  • If you click Run once, the reaggregation happens immediately and only once.

  • If you click Schedule, enter the data refresh frequency using a cron expression and click Save. The data resync occurs at the specified interval.

The Network ReAggregation entry appears in the table providing status and details of the job.

Figure 18. Reaggregation of collection

Step 5

To update the schedule or perform reaggregation again, click under the Actions column. Based on the option you selected in the previous step, the options displayed under this button differ slightly.

  • If you selected Schedule, these options appear: Run now, Edit schedule, Pause, and Delete.

  • If you selected Run once, these options appear: Run now, Add schedule, and Delete.

Step 6

(Optional) Click the Netwok ReAggregation link in the table to view the details of aggregation.

The system discards the previous aggregation and initiates a new aggregation process for the selected collectors.

Configure archive

This topic describes how to configure archive settings in a collection.

After creating a network model and running collections, you can retrieve and view the plan files. Plan files capture all relevant information about a network at a given time, and can include topology, traffic, routing, and related information. The archive is a repository for plan files.

By default, the final network model is archived after running the collection. However, from the Add or Edit Schedules page, you can

  • choose not to archive a final network model

  • choose to archive models at a collection level, and

  • schedule the archiving of network models.

Before you begin

It is assumed that you are in the middle of creating a network model when performing the steps described in this topic. For more information, see Configure collections.

Procedure

Step 1

Open the Add or Edit Schedule page for the collection that you want to edit. For more information, see Schedule collections or Edit schedules.

Step 2

(Optional) Check that the Advanced settings toggle button is turned on by default. If it is enabled, turn it on.

Step 3

Under the Collector section:

  • To archive network models at a collection level, check the box under the Archive column for the corresponding collection.

  • To prevent archiving of a final network model, uncheck the Archive check box next to SAgE.

Figure 19. Archive settings

Step 4

(Optional) Update the schedule settings. For more information, see Schedule collections.

Step 5

If you select Run once in the previous step, click Run now to run the job immediately. If you select Recurring, click Schedule to run the job at the specified time interval.

In the final network model, the data collected from the unchecked collector will not be available.

The archived network model is saved in a plan file format (.pln) in the Archive section of the Network Models page.

What to do next

Access the plan files from the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application. For more information, see View or download plan files.

View or download plan files

The archived network model is saved in a plan file format (.pln), which can be downloaded or viewed from the Network Models page of the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application. The archive locations vary based on whether the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design and Collector applications are installed on the same machine or on different machines. For more details, see the following sections.

Scenario 1: When the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design and Collector applications are installed on the same machine

If the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design and Collector applications are installed on the same machine, the archived network models appear under Network Models > Local archive.

Follow these steps to view or download the plan files from the Local archive.

Before you begin

  • Make sure that the network model has been archived. For details, see Configure archive.

Procedure

Step 1

From the main menu, choose Network Models.

Step 2

On the left pane, under Local archive, a list of archived collections are displayed. Select the required collection name from the list. The right panel displays the list of plan files created under this collection at various scheduled times. The Last updated column displays the time at which the plan file was created.

Figure 20. Archived plan files

You can filter the plan files in several ways:

  • Use the date range selection field at the top to select the required start and end dates. The plan files generated during the selected date range is displayed at the bottom.

  • Use the links next to the date range selection field to view the plan files generated during last three months (3M), last one month (1M), last one week (1W), or last day (1D).

  • Click the bars in the graph to view the plan files generated during a specific date or time. Continue clicking the relevant bar segment to drill down to the exact timestamp.

Step 3

Select the required plan file from the right panel and click > Export to user space under the Actions column.

The Export plan to User Space window appears.

Note

 

To download the plan file to your local machine, click > Download under the Actions column.

Step 4

(Optional) In the Save as field, enter a new name for the plan file.

Step 5

(Optional) Select the required tags from the list (if available) or create new tags.

To create new tags, click Add new tag, enter the tag name, and then click the + icon next to the field.

Step 6

Click Save.

The plan file is imported into the User space > My network models page.

Step 7

In the User space > My network models page, click the name of the file to visualize the network model in the Network Design page. For more information, see Cisco Crosswork Planning Design 7.1 User Guide.

Scenario 2: When the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design and Collector applications are installed on different machines

If the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design and Collector applications are installed on different machines, the archived network models appear under Network Models > Remote archive of the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application.

This high-level workflow describes how to access the network models from the external collector.

Step

Action

1. Make sure that the network model has been archived in the machine where the Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector application is installed.

See Configure archive.

2. Connect to the machine where Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector application is installed (external collector).

See Connect to the external collector.

3. Access the network models from the Remote archive.

See View or download plan files from remote archive.

Connect to the external collector

This topic describes how to connect to the Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector instance (external collector) on a different machine.

Procedure

Step 1

Log in to the machine where the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application is installed.

Step 2

From the main menu, choose Administration > Settings > Design settings > External collector collection.

Step 3

In the Host name/IP address field, enter the host name or IP address of the machine where the Cisco Crosswork Planning Collector application is installed (external collector).

Step 4

Enter the port, username, and password for the external collector machine.

Step 5

Click Save.

Step 6

From the main menu, choose Network Models and verify that the Remote archive option appears in the left pane.

The Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application is now connected to the external collector.

What to do next

View or download the archived network models from the Remote archive. For details, see View or download plan files from remote archive.

View or download plan files from remote archive

Follow these steps to view or download the plan files from the Remote archive.
Procedure

Step 1

Log in to the machine where the Cisco Crosswork Planning Design application is installed.

Step 2

From the main menu, choose Network Models.

Step 3

On the left pane, under Remote archive, list of collections archived in the external collector are displayed. Select the required collection name from the list. The right panel displays the list of plan files created under this collection at various scheduled times. Use the Last updated column to know the time at which the plan file was created.

You can filter the plan files in several ways (see Archived plan files):

  • Use the date range selection field at the top to select the required start and end dates. The plan files generated during the selected date range is displayed at the bottom.

  • Use the links next to the date range selection field to view the plan files generated during last three months (3M), last one month (1M), last one week (1W), or last day (1D).

  • Click the bars in the graph to view the plan files generated during a specific date or time. Continue clicking the relevant bar segment to drill down to the exact timestamp.

Step 4

Select the required plan file from the right panel and click > Export to user space under the Actions column.

The Export Plan to User Space window appears.

Note

 

To download the plan file to your local machine, click > Download under the Actions column.

Step 5

(Optional) In the Save as field, enter a new name for the plan file.

Step 6

(Optional) Select the required tags from the list (if available) or create new tags.

To create new tags, click Add new tag, enter the tag name, and then click the + icon next to the field.

Step 7

Click Save.

The plan file is imported into the User space > My network models page.

Step 8

In the User space > My network models page, click the name of the file to visualize the network model in the Network Design page. For more information, see Cisco Crosswork Planning Design 7.1 User Guide.