Platform Manage GUI

About manage

The Catalyst Center platform Manage window provides access to these features:

  • Bundles: Access to bundles that you can use to integrate Catalyst Center with your own applications or to enhance the performance of Catalyst Center itself. Bundles are comprised of groupings of APIs, events, integration flows, data services, or applications.


    Note


    To view the bundle components, click the menu icon and choose Platform > Developer Toolkit > APIs or Platform > Developer Toolkit > Integration Flows.


  • Configurations: Ability to configure global settings for a single bundle or across multiple bundles for a custom platform experience.

About bundles

Catalyst Center platform provides access to bundles that you can use to integrate Catalyst Center with your own applications or to enhance the performance of Catalyst Center itself.

This Catalyst Center platform information is accessible using the GUI:

  • Bundle name, vendor, version, version release date, tags, and description.

  • Status of the bundle:

    • NEW: Bundle that is available through Catalyst Center platform, but has not yet been enabled. Click Enable to enable the bundle for configuration and subsequent activation.

    • ENABLED: Bundle that has been enabled, but not yet configured. Once enabled, the bundle's integration flows and API code can be viewed under the Contents tab. Click Configure to configure at the bundle level.

      The enablement and configuration of bundles are two separate steps, because a business manager will usually enable a particular bundle as a business decision. The follow-up configuration of the bundle will usually be performed by an IT or network administrator.

    • DISABLED: The bundle has been stopped from executing any further.

    • ACTIVE: After either reviewing and/or configuring the bundle (configuring bundle-specific values), you can activate the bundle in your network by clicking Activate.

    • UPDATE: When you upgrade from one version of Catalyst Center platform to a later version of Catalyst Center platform.

    • ERROR: There is an issue with the bundle and it cannot be activated within your network.

Bundle features

You can review, enable, and configure bundles using the Bundles window in the Catalyst Center GUI.

Figure 1. Catalyst Center platform Bundles window
Figure 2: Bundles window.

Access the bundles in the GUI to accomplish these tasks:

  • Review and try out supported Catalyst Center APIs. For more information, see Work with APIs.

  • Enable Rogue Management and the Cisco Advanced Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (aWIPS) to detect wired and wireless threats, including rogue access points. For more information, see Work with APIs.

  • Configure a destination (Event Management or REST API endpoint) to receive events for ServiceNow. For information on using the GUI to configure a destination, see Configure bundles: destination to receive events.

  • Configure access settings for Catalyst Center to ServiceNow (hostname, username, password, and so on). For information on using the GUI to configure access settings to ServiceNow, see Configure bundles: ServiceNow access settings.

  • Configure data synchronization between Catalyst Center and ServiceNow (including the option to configure operational and source identifiers). For information on using the GUI to configure data synchronization, see Configure bundles: CMDB data synchronization for ServiceNow.

These bundles are available:

  • Basic ITSM (ServiceNow) CMDB synchronization: Triggers or schedules a synchronization between Catalyst Center devices and your ServiceNow CMDB system. The ServiceNow CMDB provides a single system of record for IT.


    Note


    For an example of an integration flow and ServiceNow, see ServiceNow Integration.


  • REST API: Contains the REST API supported by Catalyst Center. This API provides a rich set of capabilities to query network knowledge, as well as to initiate network programming.

  • Endpoint Attribute Retrieval with ITSM (ServiceNow): Retrieves detailed endpoint information and publishes it once or on a recurring schedule to Catalyst Center. This activity does not modify or delete any CIs on the existing ITSM (ServiceNow) tool.

  • Network Issue Monitor and Enrichment for ITSM (ServiceNow): Contains Catalyst Center components that monitor the network for assurance and maintenance issues, and publishes the event details to a ServiceNow system. It also contains APIs to access rich network context data.

  • Rogue and aWIPS: Contains the REST API supported by Catalyst Center for Rogue Management and aWIPS. This API is used to detect wired and wireless threats, including rogue access points. You must install the Rogue and aWIPS package in Catalyst Center to use this bundle and its APIs.

  • Automation events for ITSM (ServiceNow): Monitors and publishes events that require software image updates for compliance, security, device provisioning activities, or other operational triggers to a ServiceNow system.

  • Disaster Recovery API: Contains the REST APIs supported by disaster recovery and provides support to monitor the disaster recovery system.

  • AI Endpoint Analytics: Lets you access various services provided by the AI endpoint analytics application. You must install the AI Endpoint Analytics package in Catalyst Center to use this bundle.

You can adjust the bundles that display in the GUI by clicking the Filter icon and using the filter, or by entering a keyword in the Find field.

Configure bundles: destination to receive events

Do this procedure to configure a destination to receive events (network and SWIM) for ServiceNow within a bundle.

You configure a destination to receive events for ServiceNow within these bundles:

  • Network Issue Monitor and Enrichment for ITSM (ServiceNow)

  • Automation events for ITSM (ServiceNow)

Before you begin

See the latest Cisco Catalyst Center ITSM Integration Guide to understand how this procedure fits within a larger workflow when configuring a Catalyst Center-to-ServiceNow integration.

Procedure


Step 1

From the main menu, choose Platform > Manage > Bundles.

Step 2

Click either the Network Issue Monitor and Enrichment for ITSM (ServiceNow) or the Automation events for ITSM (ServiceNow) bundle link or icon.

This information is provided:

  • General information: Vendor, version, platform, tags display under the square icon.

    Note

     

    Tags indicate what the Catalyst Center component is used for or is affected by the bundle.

  • Information: Tab that displays general information (purpose of bundle and how bundle works in the network), sample schemas, mapping notes, configuration notes, and other data about the bundle.

  • Contents: Tab that accesses information about the integration flows within the bundle.

  • Release Notes: Tab that displays latest release information about the bundle, including its version.

Step 3

Click each of the preceding tabs and review the information about the bundle.

Step 4

Click Enable to enable the bundle.

Step 5

In the Information field, click Enable to confirm enabling the bundle.

Step 6

In the Success message, click Okay.

Step 7

Click Configure to configure at the bundle level.

Step 8

In the configuration slide-in pane, click Destination to receive events to configure a Destination instance.

Figure 2. Example of destination to receive events configuration fields
Figure 3: Destination to receive events to configure a Destination instance

Note

 

Use the Destination to receive events configuration options for ServiceNow to receive network event and Catalyst Center automation event details in a REST API endpoint and create an incident, problem, or change ticket, based on the configuration chosen by the user in Catalyst Center. For additional information about setting this up with ServiceNow, see the Cisco Catalyst Center ITSM Integration Guide.

Step 9

Click the radio button to configure either an existing Destination instance or configure a new instance.

For configuring an existing Destination instance, choose it from the drop-down list in the window and click Activate

Step 10

For configuring a new Destination instance, enter this information:

  • Instance Name: Name of the instance.

  • Description: Descriptive text of the instance.

  • Destination to receive events: Choose one of these options:

    • Event Management: When setting up Catalyst Center integration with ServiceNow without using the Cisco Catalyst app, choose the Event Management option. The Event Management option also requires that you have the Event Management plug-in configured within the ServiceNow instance.

    • REST API Endpoint: The REST API Endpoint option can be used with the Cisco Catalyst app. Data is sent to a REST API endpoint within the Cisco Catalyst app with the REST API Endpoint option.

    • Generic REST Endpoint in ServiceNow: For the Generic REST Endpoint in ServiceNow option, you can send the data to a different staging table in ServiceNow.

    For detailed information about integrating Catalyst Center with ServiceNow, see the Cisco Catalyst Center ITSM Integration Guide.

  • Destination URI: Enter a destination Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for the Generic REST Endpoint in ServiceNow option. This field is mandatory for this option.

After entering this information, proceed to the next step.

Step 11

Click Activate to save your changes and activate the bundle, or click Cancel to cancel the configuration and close the slide-in pane.

Note

 

By clicking Activate, you enable the changes that are made to the bundle and the changes take effect immediately. Additionally, the bundle's status changes from ENABLED to ACTIVE.


What to do next

To review your configuration, choose Manage > Configurations > General Settings and use the Filter or Find tools to locate the specific destination instance configured in this procedure.

If necessary, later you can edit, update, or delete the instance in the General Settings window. For additional information, see Configure General Settings: edit an instance.

Configure bundles: ServiceNow access settings

Do this procedure to configure access settings for ServiceNow within a bundle.

You configure ServiceNow access settings within these bundles:

  • Endpoint Attribute Retrieval with ITSM (ServiceNow)

  • Network Issue Monitor and Enrichment for ITSM (ServiceNow)

  • Automation events for ITSM (ServiceNow)

Before you begin

See the latest Cisco Catalyst Center ITSM Integration Guide to understand how this procedure fits within a larger workflow when configuring a Catalyst Center-to-ServiceNow integration.

Procedure


Step 1

From the main menu, choose Platform > Manage > Bundles.

Step 2

Click the Network Issue Monitor and Enrichment for ITSM (ServiceNow), Automation events for ITSM (ServiceNow), or Endpoint Attribute Retrieval with ITSM (ServiceNow) bundle link or icon.

Note

 

For this procedure and as an example, the Endpoint Attribute Retrieval with ITSM (ServiceNow) is selected.

This information is provided:

  • General information: Vendor, version, platform, and tags are displayed under the square icon.

    Note

     

    Tags indicate what the Catalyst Center component is used for or is affected by the bundle.

  • Information: Tab that displays general information (purpose of bundle and how bundle works in the network), sample schemas, mapping notes, configuration notes, and other data about the bundle.

  • Contents: Tab that provides access to information about the integration flows within the bundle.

    Note

     

    For the Endpoint Attribute Retrieval with ITSM (ServiceNow) bundle, access is provided to the Scheduler for ServiceNow Asset Sync integration flow.

  • Release Notes: Tab that displays latest release information about the bundle, including its version.

Step 3

Click each of the preceding tabs and review the information about the bundle.

Step 4

Click Enable to activate the link.

Step 5

In the Information field, click Enable to confirm enabling the bundle.

Step 6

In the success message, click Okay.

Step 7

Click the Contents tab.

For the Endpoint Attribute Retrieval with ITSM (ServiceNow) bundle, a link to the Scheduler for ServiceNow Asset Sync integration flow appears. Click the link to do these tasks:

  • Review the Description, Tags, How to Use this Flow, and scheduler.

  • Click Run Now (to run the scheduler now), Run Later (to schedule for a later time), or Recurring (to set up a recurring schedule).

    For Run Later, you must select a date, time, and time zone. For Recurring, you must set a repeating interval (daily or weekly), an interval duration (minutes or hours), and a start and end date.

  • Click Schedule to enable the scheduler.

    Important

     

    Only configure and enable an integration flow schedule after you have finished configuring the bundle itself as described in these steps. You can configure and enable an integration flow schedule by returning to this view and clicking Schedule or by choosing Platform > Developer Toolkit > Integration Flows > Scheduler for ServiceNow Asset Sync.

For the other bundles, Network Issue Monitor and Enrichment for ITSM (ServiceNow) and Automation events for ITSM (ServiceNow), there is no link to an integration flow. Only information about integration flows is displayed.

Step 8

Click the X icon to close the window and return to the previous bundle window.

Step 9

Click Configure to configure at the bundle level.

Step 10

In the configuration slide-in pane, click ServiceNow Access Settings to configure a ServiceNow instance.

Step 11

Click the radio button to configure either an existing ServiceNow instance or configure a new instance.

Figure 3. Example of ServiceNow instance configuration felds
Figure 4: Configuring ServiceNow instance.

To configure an existing ServiceNow instance, choose it from the drop-down list and click Activate.

Step 12

To configure a new ServiceNow instance, enter this information:

  • Instance Name: Name of the instance.

  • Description: Descriptive text of the instance.

  • Host name: Hostname for the ServiceNow system.

  • Username: Username required to access the ServiceNow system.

  • Password: Password required to access the ServiceNow system.

Step 13

Click Check Connectivity to test whether you can connect to the server where the endpoint is located.

After a successful test of connectivity to the server, continue to the next step.

Step 14

Click Activate to save your changes and activate the bundle, or click Cancel to cancel the configuration and close the slide-in pane.

Note

 

By clicking Activate, you enable the changes that are made to the bundle and the changes take effect immediately. Additionally, the bundle's status changes from ENABLED to ACTIVE.


What to do next

To review your configuration, choose Manage > Configurations > General Settings and use the Filter or Find tools to locate the ServiceNow instance configured in this procedure.

If necessary, later you can edit, update, or delete the instance in the General Settings window. For additional information, see Configure General Settings: edit an instance.

Configure bundles: CMDB data synchronization for ServiceNow

Do this procedure to configure data synchronization between Catalyst Center and ServiceNow (including the option to configure operational and source identifiers) within a bundle.

You configure data synchronization and set the operational limit and identifier for ServiceNow within the Basic ITSM (ServiceNow) CMDB synchronization bundle.

Before you begin

See the latest Cisco Catalyst Center ITSM Integration Guide to understand how this procedure fits within a larger workflow when configuring a Catalyst Center-to-ServiceNow integration.

Procedure


Step 1

From the main menu, choose Platform > Manage > Bundles.

Step 2

Click the Basic ITSM (ServiceNow) CMDB synchronization bundle link or icon.

This information is provided:

  • General information: Vendor, version, platform, tags displayed under the square icon.

    Note

     

    Tags indicate what the Catalyst Center component is used for or is affected by the bundle.

  • Information: Tab that displays general information (purpose of bundle and how bundle works in the network), sample schemas, mapping notes, configuration notes, and other data about the bundle.

  • Contents: Tab that accesses the integration flows that make up the bundle, or provides information about the integration flows that make up the bundle.

  • Release Notes: Tab that displays latest release information about the bundle, including its version.

Step 3

Review the bundle data in the Information tab and click the Contents tab.

Step 4

Click the Integration Flows header.

Review the list of available integration flows (links) under the header. For detailed information about integration flows and their purpose, see Work with integration flows.

Step 5

Click Enable to activate the links.

Step 6

In the Information field, click Enable to confirm enabling the bundle.

Step 7

In the success message, click Okay.

Step 8

Click the integration flow link to do these tasks:

  • Review the Description, Tags, How to Use this Flow, and scheduler.

  • Click Run Now (to run the scheduler now), Run Later (to schedule for a later time), or Recurring (to set up a recurring schedule).

    For Run Later, you need to select a date, time, and time zone. For Recurring, you need to set a repeating interval (daily or weekly), an interval duration (minutes or hours), and a start and end date.

  • Click Schedule to enable the scheduler.

    Important

     

    Only configure and enable an integration flow schedule, after you have finished configuring the bundle itself as described in this procedure. You can configure and enable an integration flow schedule by returning to this view and clicking Schedule. Or, click the View Flows link in the Configure Basic ITSM (ServiceNow) CMDB synchronization slide-in pane (see the next steps). Or, click the menu icon and choose Platform > Developer Toolkit > Integration Flows > Schedule to Publish Inventory Details-ServiceNow Connector.

Step 9

Click the X icon at the upper right of the window to close it and return to the previous bundle window.

Step 10

Click Configure to configure at the bundle level.

A configuration slide-in pane appears. Review the CMDB synchronization information.

Step 11

Click the radio button to configure either existing or new ServiceNow access settings for the CMDB synchronization.

Figure 4. ServiceNow Access Settings
Figure 5: Page to configure either existing or new ServiceNow access settings

To configure an existing setting, choose it from the drop-down menu in the window and click Next.

Step 12

To configure a new access setting, enter this instance information:

  • Instance Name: Name of the instance.

  • Description: Descriptive text of the instance.

Click Next.

Step 13

To configure a new access setting, enter this additional settings information:

Figure 5. ServiceNow Access Settings
Figure 6: Displays ServiceNow Access Settings.
  • Hostname: Hostname or IP address of the ServiceNow server.

  • Username: Username for access to the ServiceNow server.

  • Password: Password for access to the ServiceNow server.

Click Check Connectivity to check access to the ServiceNow server.

Click Next.

Step 14

Click the radio button to configure either an existing instance or configure a new instance for the CMDB inventory settings.

Figure 6. CMDB Inventory Settings
Figure 7: CMDB Inventory Settings.

To configure an existing instance, choose it from the drop-down menu in the window and click Configure.

Step 15

To configure a new instance, enter this additional information:

  • Instance Name: Name of the instance.

  • Description: Descriptive text of the instance.

Click Next.

Step 16

In the Select Destination window, enter this information:

  • Destination Type: There are two discovery source options to choose from:

    • Synchronize device inventory directly with CMDB

    • Post device inventory details to a staging table

    Note

     

    With a staging table, you can take the values from the table and map it to a ServiceNow CMDB.

  • Destination URI: Uniform Resource Indicator (URI) of the ServiceNow server (CMDB) or staging table.

Figure 7. Select Destination window
Figure 8: Displays Select Destination Window.

Click Next.

Step 17

In the Select Inventory Data Fields window, select the inventory data fields to by synchronized.

Note

 

Inventory data fields are Cisco created data types that can be designated as an attribute or reference to be synchronized into a CMDB or staging table.

Clicking the top check box in the Select Inventory Data Fields window will select all of the inventory data fields for synchronization. Click this top check box if you want to sync all of the inventory data fields. Otherwise, review and click a check box at a time to create a smaller subset of inventory data fields for synchronization.

Figure 8. Select Inventory Data Fields window
Figure 9: Displays Select Inventory Data Fields window.

The Select Inventory Data Fields window consists of these columns:

  • Name: Name of the inventory data field.

  • Description: Brief description of the inventory data field.

  • Is Attribute/Is Reference: Whether the inventory data field is an attribute or a reference. A reference data field is used to create a relationship between two tables in a database. An attribute data field is used to add more data to a table in a database.

Step 18

For the data fields selected to be synchronized in the preceding step, review their default designation as either an attribute or reference.

To change a data field's default designation, just click the desired data field designation (Attribute or Reference).

After selecting the data fields to be synchronized and whether the data field is an attribute or reference, click Next.

Step 19

In the Update Transforms window, either accept or update the ServiceNow transformation mapping between the Catalyst Center device families and the ServiceNow CI classes.

Figure 9. Update Transforms window
Figure 10: Displays Updates Transforms window.

Device families are the Catalyst Center device classifications (for example, Unified AP, Routers, Wireless Controller, Switches, and Hubs), where the inventory attributes/references mapping to ServiceNow is already available in the existing Cisco Catalyst application in ServiceNow. The type and number of device families can vary depending upon the different Cisco devices in the user's network.

Note

 

Catalyst Center platform is able to automatically retrieve all of the device families in the user's Catalyst Center network and display them in this GUI window.

CI classes are the database tables for ServiceNow (for example, cmdb_ci_wap_network, cmdb_ci_ip_router, and cmdb_ci_ip_switchr). The CI Class column in the GUI window above is used to map the CI classes to their respective device families.

This table displays the Catalyst Center default CI classes for each device family. The default CI classes can be modified by the user. In case of other device families not listed below, Cisco will not have any default values specified in the CI Class column. The ServiceNow application user needs to either manually create the corresponding CI Classes and attributes/references mapping or use a pre-existing CI class a 'parent' CI class.

Table 1. Default device family to CI class mapping list
Device family Corresponding CI class

Unified AP

cmdb_ci_wap_network

Wireless Controller

x_caci_cisco_dna_wireless_lan_controller

Routers

cmdb_ci_ip_router

Switches and Hubs

cmdb_ci_ip_switch

Meraki Access Point

cmdb_ci_wap_network

Meraki Cameras

cmdb_ci_netgear

Meraki Dashboard

cmdb_ci_netgear

Meraki Security Appliances

cmdb_ci_netgear

Meraki Switches

cmdb_ci_ip_switch

After accepting or updating the information in this window, click Next.

Step 20

In the Set Source Identifier and Operational Limit window, configure the data source and maximum limit.

Figure 10. Set Source Identifier and Operational Limit window
Figure 11: Displays Set Source Identifier and Operational Limit window.

Configure these values:

  • Enter Discovery Source: Enter the same value as previously selected or keep the value at its default, Other Automated.

    • Synchronize device inventory directly with CMDB

    • Post device inventory details to a staging table

    Note

     

    Other Automated is a preconfigured value for the discovery source attribute in an OOB ServiceNow instance. This is the value that indicates the data source from where the ServiceNow CI was discovered. As a default, Cisco uses one of the existing preconfigured values for the integration.

  • Enter the Max Limit: Maximum number of devices that can be synchronized in an iteration (single API call).

After entering the above information, click Next.

Step 21

In the Summary window, review the configuration summary.

After reviewing the information, click Configure.

For a successful configuration, you receive a Done! Bundle Configured message.


What to do next

Configure the Integration Flow for this bundle (Schedule to Publish Inventory Details - ServiceNow Connector), using one of the preceding methods.

Review your configuration, choose Manage > Configurations > General Settings, and use the Filter or Find tools to locate the instance configured in this procedure. If necessary, later on you can edit, update, or delete the instance in the General Settings window. For additional information, see Configure General Settings: edit an instance.

You can test the CMDB synchronization by doing these tasks:

  • In the Catalyst Center platform GUI, click the menu icon and choose Platform > Runtime Dashboard > Event Summary. Click Refresh to refresh the GUI view. Click the individual events in the window to view the event data and access links to ServiceNow.

  • Go to ServiceNow and search for a synchronized device. Check the Configuration and Other Attributes tabs for the synchronized data in that device's record.