NetMRI's Job Management feature set (Config Management > Job Management) enables automation of processes for monitoring and analyzing the network, and to perform routine maintenance. Job Management is also the enabling feature in the Automation Change Manager (ACM) system, which leverages support by the NetMRI appliance to automate tasks in the Infoblox NIOS grid network. Job Management and Job Automation operations involve the following NetMRI tools:
- Scripts: Used for automation tasks across numerous devices across the network, which execute Command Line Interface commands on network devices. You can write scripts in Infoblox’s proprietary CCS language, Perl, or in Python, using the standard Perl and Python API.
- Jobs: These are scheduled instances of scripts that run against selected devices or device groups. You can also use end-user credentials for specific jobs.
- Custom issues: These scripts can raise to point out conditions discovered during script processing. See the section Creating Custom Issues for more information on custom issues and their use in jobs.
Job automation ensures consistency across related devices in the managed network and saves valuable time. Since NetMRI supports Perl, Python, and its own proprietary CCS scripting language, change automation offers the following significant benefits:
- Users can define generic configuration templates for large collections of like devices such as Cisco or Juniper routers and switches.
- Users can execute mass change rollouts through the downloading of template files, reducing the need to execute sequences of CLI commands, and enabling larger-scale automated changes across the network.
- Perl and Python support ensures an almost infinite capability for expansion of automation features.
- Apply complex script logic and looping through Perl/Python, with script logic modules and subroutines.
- Scripts can reference external tables and lists to populate variables when executing actions on devices.
Note
When using Perl/Python scripting for automation, isolate NetMRI appliance performance from errant or excessive consumption of resources by the script. Job Scripting describes many aspects of Perl-based job automation and Python-based job automation.
NetMRI provides a dedicated guest virtual machine (VM) environment under which Perl/Python scripts execute in isolation. The guest VM’s disk and memory resource allocations are strictly limited and cannot be adjusted from within the VM. Process scheduling functions in the appliance such as nice and ulimit also apply, because the guest VM is subject to standard scheduling rules.
The guest VM provides limited communication with the host NetMRI appliance and with other systems on the network. Network services that operate within the VM include OpenSSH and Samba (SMB) for communications and file sharing between the NetMRI host and the guest VM running the Perl/Python script.
Job scripting implementation is done through the NetMRI Job Wizard. Substantial planning and preparation may be needed before implementing jobs.