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Network Control Manager - onePK in Action

10/7/2013

7 Comments

 
A few weeks ago, I wrote about where I was in the world of programming.  As I said then, I am still focused on building a onePK application.  This onePK application now dubbed Network Control Manager is a central interface to the network.  It can be used to gather real time data as well as make changes to the network in a more centralized, automated, and real-time fashion.  Following the SDN model, this application can be seen as a SDN controller if you wish to call it that.  The southbound API used is Cisco’s onePK and the northbound API is self-defined as “je-nb-API” :).  The application/controller exposes northbound RESTful interfaces to be consumed by 3rd party applications and control programs, the first of which is a CLI application that interacts with the network via Network Control Manager.  
NCM_Architecture
Network Control Manager - Architecture
This CLI application is a central CLI for the complete network.  Gone should be the days of logging into each device.  Imagine needing to gather specific data from 20, 30, or even 100 nodes on the network?  Maybe it’s a serial number, maybe it’s looking at neighbors on a certain link, etc.  Whatever it maybe, the traditional ways have been tedious because the network is viewed as a collection of independent network elements. Shout out to Nitin Khanna who helped with the first version of the CLI Python application!

There have been failed attempts to deploy fancy GUIs and dashboards that network admins just don’t get in the habit of using.  Network Control Manager is an attempt to have a central console, a central CLI for the network.  Based on the architecture, the same APIs used for the CLI application can be leveraged to build a fancy GUI.  Another avenue currently being explored rather than CLI or GUI is the implementation of PowerShell or PowerCLI-like cmdlets to bring the power of enhanced programmability to the network without a full blown CLI, etc.  It’s still the early days for these types of unified network programmability/data collection applications, especially this one, so there is much more that can be done with due time.

When I first set out to build a onePK application, my goals were pretty straight forward.  They were as follows:
  • Improve operational efficiencies of all types of networks, not just DC. WAN, LAN, etc.
  • Reduce box by box management
  • De-couple the CLI and mgmt from individual network elements
  • Offer CLI and GUI to interact the network without changing the application
  • Focus first on retrieving data to ease the fear of admins with “programming” the network (although this app can make changes too)

The outcome is Network Control Manager.  Hopefully this intrigued you enough to want to learn more.

For a DEMO and short overview, take a look at this video.
For a deeper look and complete OVERVIEW of Network Control Manager, please take a look at this one.
And here is a basic slide show (no video)...

Thanks,
Jason

Twitter: @jedelman8
7 Comments
Matt M.
10/8/2013 01:37:14 pm

Jason,

Great post and piece of work! Congrats!

This definitely " intrigued me to want to learn more ".... since you're previous blog about programming journey i was totally inspired !!!

Without a doubt, this is an exciting time in networking field .... we see a transition from traditional way of engineering networks into a new way of programming networks.

Pls. keep up the great work....examples and enthusiasm when it comes to SDN....

I'm looking forward to learn from your journey....and perhaps meet you in person to exchange ideas....

@polmoz

Reply
Jason Edelman link
10/9/2013 09:29:47 am

Matt,

Thanks for commenting and for the kind words! And very glad you were intrigued and wanted to learn more.

I'm always down to meet and talk about this new stuff :)

Stay tuned for more!

-Jason

Reply
Vince H
6/19/2014 05:27:57 pm

Very Cool Jason! I'm an old school network guy, and share concern with many colleagues about the future network engineers in the workforce . You've inspired me, and renewed my faith in the industry. I think there's a lot of opportunity ahead for those willing to adapt, and I look forward to following your blog and learning more.

Reply
Alex I
9/2/2014 08:47:45 pm

Excellent contribution dear Jason,
bookmarked and hopefully made more known @round-CLN {https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/thread/74824?tstart=0}!
You deserve absolute kudos as a pio(engi)neer, really glad to see groovy facilitating SDN use-cases. I don't like playin' with snakes :D

cheers m8 8-)

Reply
Jason Edelman link
9/3/2014 02:02:19 pm

Alex, thanks for the kind words and post on CLN. In full transparency, I've been using more Python these days :)

Have you done any work yet with onePK or other device APIs?

Reply
Alex I
9/3/2014 05:30:09 pm

My honest pleasure Jason. Just some regular Perl scripts so far, hence the Python remark (notable PvsP-"wars") ;). We've used commercial NMS and CiscoWorks®/LMS/Prime® for more complex O&M tasks, but no experience with decoupled control plane to date.

Would love to get more experienced (any suggestions are more than welcome brother) with the SDN/NfV curriculum and implementations, as soon as humanly possible, and onePK® seems the reasonable way to start for any noble Cisco®-fan.
As my Java-skills are still sharp I also felt Groovy is the right path ;)

Your blog has great insight and hints, hope to see you compile all this awesome knowledge in a relevant book or S/W product.

cheers 8-)

kg
3/10/2015 11:48:18 pm

thank you for this post.you mentioned GUI so I wish you can help me, I have to developp a network supervision application and the first thing I have to do is getting the topology graph and I just don't know where to begin.

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