Dell FORCE10 Open Automation User Manual

Smart Scripting | 15
• Reporting switch memory usage, configured VLANs, and other operating and
configuration parameters.
• Creating custom APIs for external applications to access the switch.
• Automating custom provisioning of network devices to support server
virtualization.
For example, you can automate any of the following tasks:
• Monitor the configuration of switch ports to verify that no change occurs and
generate an alarm if a configuration change is detected as part of a
cloud-computing deployment.
• Stage CLI command requests received from a customer. If a link flaps, the
command completion status is held in the script so you can see when the
management plane reconnects.
• Generate time-based reports to receive updates on network status on a periodic
basis.
• Query an external, configuration management database on a remote server to
retrieve information on port operation, and reconfigure switch ports based on the
data received.
• Apply additional time-based access-control lists (ACLs) to limit after hours
access.
• Monitor network requests; for example, “find a specified MAC address” or
“generate a health-check heartbeat”.
• Create a simple menu of options that a non-network administrator can use to
create requests to be sent to the network.
Smart Scripting consolidates management data inside a switch and sends it to
management consoles, databases or applications – reducing polling and network
traffic. For example, you can use a script as part of a cloud-computing deployment to
detect when the network has changed, query a database server for Configuration
Management Database (CMDB) information, and ultimately apply network changes
based on the data.
Downloading the Smart Scripting Package
The SmartScripts package can be downloaded from the Dell Force10 website as a file
named SmartScripts2.0.x.tar.gz for platforms such as S4810, S55, and S60; for
Z9000 the file name is SmartScripts-Z.2.0.x.tar.gz. The Smart Scripting package is
downloaded with the following files and functionality:
• PERL interpreter and associated files
• Python interpreter and associated files
• Expanded set of UNIX utilities
• REST-like API based on CGI scripts (see Using the REST API)
• Web-based graphical user interface (see Web Graphical User Interface)
• HTTP and HTTPS daemons (see HTTP Server)

Dell FORCE10 Open Automation Specifications

General

Brand	Dell
Model	FORCE10 Open Automation
Category	Server
Language	English