IxVision-ZTA - Zero-Touch Automation Utility for Ixia Vision Network Packet Brokers

Overview

IxVision-ZTA is a command-line utility that helps you to apply a set of configuration steps, or actions, to an Ixia Vision Network Packet Broker (NPB). It is also capable of running discovery operations - identifying connected NPB ports, setting up proper speed and duplex parameters, parse LLDP neighbor information to identify a role of a port. When running ixvztp, you choose one of the actions from the following list:

• sysinfo Display system information
• portup Perform link status discovery for all currently disabled ports. Successfully connected ports would be configured in Network (ingress) mode.
• lldptag Search for LLDP neighbor port descriptions that match one or more supplied tags. Tag the ports, connected to the matched neighbors, with corresponding keywords.
• portmode Set port mode to the specified value for ports that match one or more supplied tags.
• pgform Form a group of ports that have keywords matching supplied tags. Both Network and Tool Port Groups are supported.
• dfform Form a dynamic filter with specified input, output and filtering mode.
• dfupdate Update a dynamic filter with new criteria

By sequencially combining several ixvztp invocations, each time with a needed action, one can create a script describing a complex configuration policy to be applied to a target NPB.

Installation

Prerequisites:

• OpenSSL library with TLS1.2 support
• Python 2.7
• PIP
• virtualenv - optional, used in the examples here

Create virtual environment called ixvision in a directory of your choice:

export PYENV=ixvision
virtualenv -p python2.7 $PYENV; cd $PYENV; export PYENV_DIR=`pwd`
source "$PYENV_DIR/bin/activate"

Download VisionNPB library from GitHub:

cd "$PYENV_DIR"; git clone https://github.com/OpenIxia/VisionNPB.git

Clone IxVision-ZTA repository

git clone https://github.com/OpenIxia/ixvision-zta.git

Install pre-requisite packages:

pip install -r ixvision-zta/requirements.txt

Test by exporting a config from an NPB, using default credentials (you might need to change those):

WEB_API_USERNAME=admin
WEB_API_PASSWORD=admin
DEVICE_IP=<ip_address_of_ixia_npb>

"$PYENV_DIR/VisionNPB/RestApi/Python/exportConfig.py" -u $WEB_API_USERNAME -p $WEB_API_PASSWORD -h $DEVICE_IP

Test by inquering system information

"$PYENV_DIR/ixvision-zta/ixvztp" -u $WEB_API_USERNAME -p $WEB_API_PASSWORD -d $DEVICE_IP sysinfo

Usage

Initialize python environment (you might need to adapt this to your setup, depending on the directory tree structure)

export PYENV=ixvision
cd $PYENV; export PYENV_DIR=`pwd`
. "$PYENV_DIR/bin/activate"
PATH="$PYENV_DIR/ixvision-zta":$PATH

Remember to use proper credentials

WEB_API_USERNAME=admin
WEB_API_PASSWORD=admin
DEVICE_IP=<ip_address_of_ixia_npb>

Perform port/link discovery

ixvztp -u $WEB_API_USERNAME -p $WEB_API_PASSWORD -d $DEVICE_IP portup

Use LLDP neighbor information to look for TAP, SPAN or probe keywords in LLDP port descriptions and tag NPB ports with corresponding keywords. Since it takes time for LLDP neighbor database to populate, you might need to give it some time before running lldptag action.

ixvztp -u $WEB_API_USERNAME -p $WEB_API_PASSWORD -d $DEVICE_IP lldptag -t TAP,SPAN,probe

Create/update port groups based on keywords from the previous step. Network side - combine TAP ports as TAPs port group, and SPAN ports as SPANs port group.

ixvztp -u $WEB_API_USERNAME -p $WEB_API_PASSWORD -d $DEVICE_IP pgform -t tap -n TAPs -m net
ixvztp -u $WEB_API_USERNAME -p $WEB_API_PASSWORD -d $DEVICE_IP pgform -t span -n SPANs -m net

Tool side - probe ports as PROBES load-balancing group.

ixvztp -u $WEB_API_USERNAME -p $WEB_API_PASSWORD -d $DEVICE_IP pgform -t probe -n PROBES -m lb

Finally, connect inputs to outputs by creating filters. Use AllTraffic filter to direct traffic from TAPs and SPANs input port groups to PROBES port group.

ixvztp -u $WEB_API_USERNAME -p $WEB_API_PASSWORD -d $DEVICE_IP dfform -n "AllTraffic" -i TAPs -o PROBES -m all
ixvztp -u $WEB_API_USERNAME -p $WEB_API_PASSWORD -d $DEVICE_IP dfform -n "AllTraffic" -i SPANs -o PROBES -m all

Copyright notice

Author: Alex Bortok (https://github.com/bortok)

COPYRIGHT 2018 - 2019 Keysight Technologies.

This code is provided under the MIT license.
You can find the complete terms in LICENSE.txt