Genie Configuration Recipes

Note

This section assumes pyATS and Genie are installed and ready to be used.

1. Summary

Note

This section gives a summary of what is an Conf object. Dig into the documentation for more information.

Using a python object, set some attributes and the configuration is generated for you. With Genie you configure a device by only thinking of the network by following a common structure which works across mutliple platforms. Each object follows a structure which is based on the feature.

Here are some use cases where these objects are useful:

Have to configure multiple devices of different operating system.
Maintain one script which works across multiple operating system.
Drive configuration with Python object

2. Configure a device without using any command - `Conf` object

Think of what you want to apply on your device, not how to do it on this platform. Genie conf provides a structure which is feature based and not platform based. This mean, it stays the same for all platform and figure out how to apply on the device.

from genie import testbed
from genie.conf.base import Interface
# Load Genie testbed
testbed = testbed.load(testbed=<path of testbed file>)
uut = testbed.devices['uut']
uut.connect()
# Create an NXOS interface
nxos_interface = Interface(device=uut, name='Ethernet4/3')
# Add some configuration
nxos_interface.ipv4 = '200.1.1.2'
nxos_interface.ipv4.netmask ='255.255.255.0'
nxos_interface.switchport_enable = False
nxos_interface.shutdown = False
# Verify configuration generated
print(nxos_interface.build_config(apply=False))
# interface Ethernet4/3
#  no shutdown
#  no switchport
#  ip address 200.1.1.2 255.255.255.0
#  exit
nxos_interface.build_config() # To apply on the device
nxos_interface.build_unconfig() # To remove configuration

Doing the same for IOSXE, will generate iosxe configuration.

iosxe_interface = Interface(device=iosxe_device, name='Ethernet4/3')
# Add some configuration
iosxe_interface.ipv4 = '200.1.1.2'
iosxe_interface.ipv4.netmask ='255.255.255.0'
iosxe_interface.switchport_enable = False
iosxe_interface.shutdown = False
# Verify configuration generated
print(iosxe_interface.build_config(apply=False))
# interface Ethernet4/3
#  ip address 200.1.1.2 255.255.255.1
#  no shutdown
#  exit

Every one of those configuration object are driven with such attributes following a specific structure.

3. Configure single/partial attributes on a device with `Conf` object

By default, all attributes set will generate configuration on the device.

Passing argument attributes limits which what configuration will be generated for the device.

Let’s revisit a similar example as seen above.

# Instantiate IOSXE interface conf object
iosxe_interface = Interface(device=iosxe_device, name='Ethernet2/1')

# Lets set multiple attributes of this Interface Conf object
iosxe_interface.mtu = 2500
iosxe_interface.switchport_enable = True
iosxe_interface.ipv4 = '200.1.1.2'
iosxe_interface.ipv4.netmask ='255.255.255.0'
iosxe_interface.shutdown = False

# Lets generate configuration for specific attribute 'ipv4' only
temp_config1 = iosxe_interface.build_config(apply=False, attributes={'ipv4': None})
print(temp_config1)
# interface Ethernet2/1
#  ip address 200.1.1.2 255.255.255.0
#  exit

# Lets generate configuration for specific attribute 'switchport_enable' only
temp_config2 = iosxe_interface.build_config(apply=False, attributes={'switchport_enable': None})
print(temp_config2)
# interface Ethernet2/1
#  switchport
#  exit

# Lets generate configuration for multiple specific attributes 'mtu' and 'shutdown'
temp_config3 = iosxe_interface.build_config(apply=False, attributes={'mtu': None, 'shutdown': None})
print(temp_config3)
# interface Ethernet2/1
#  mtu 2500
#  no shutdown
#  exit

# Lets unconfigure specific attribute 'mtu' only
temp_config4 = iosxe_interface.build_unconfig(apply=False, attributes={'mtu': None})
print(temp_config4)
# interface Ethernet2/1
#  no mtu 2500
#  exit

# Lets unconfigure multiple specific attributes 'ipv4' and 'switchport'
temp_config5 = iosxe_interface.build_unconfig(apply=False, attributes={'ipv4': None, 'switchport_enable': None})
print(temp_config5)
# interface Ethernet2/1
#   no ip address 200.1.1.2 255.255.255.0
#   no switchport
#   exit

# Generate config strings from all attributes set above and apply to device
iosxe_interface.build_config()

# Generate un-config strings from all attributes set above and remove from device
iosxe_interface.build_unconfig() # To remove configuration

As seen in the examples above, by explicitly specifying the attributes we want, Genie builds configuration strings only for those specific attributes which can then be applied or removed from the device accordingly.

4. Configure multiple device with `Conf` object

You can also apply configuration from a testbed point of view instead of per feature or device level.

# To verify what will applied on the devices
testbed.build_config(apply=False)
# And to apply on the devices
testbed.build_config()

This can be useful for driving multiple devices. If there is more than 1 device, then the configuration is applied in parallel on the devices.

5. Configure a device with different context. (Cli, Yang, …)

The greatness of Genie Conf is the structure remains agnostic of the OS, or the interface management.

The following code generates different output depending of the device but the code itself does not change.

iosxe_interface = Interface(device=iosxe_device, name='GigabitEthernet0/0/1')
# Add some configuration
iosxe_interface.ipv4 = '200.1.1.2'
iosxe_interface.ipv4.netmask ='255.255.255.0'
iosxe_interface.shutdown = False
# Verify configuration generated
print(iosxe_interface.build_config(apply=False))
# interface Ethernet4/3
#  ip address 200.1.1.2 255.255.255.0
#  no shutdown
#  exit

With the following testbed, then the Yang configuration is generated.

devices:
  nx-osv-1:
      alias: 'uut'
      type: 'Iosxe'
      os: 'iosxe'
      tacacs:
          login_prompt: "login:"
          password_prompt: "Password:"
          username: "admin"
      passwords:
          tacacs: Cisc0123
          enable: admin
          line: admin
      connections:
          defaults:
            class: 'unicon.Unicon'
          vty:
              protocol: telnet
              ip: "172.25.192.90"
      custom:
        abstraction:
          order: [os, context]
          context: 'yang'

Then this configuration is generated:

<edit-config xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
   <target>
     <running></running>
   </target>
   <config>
     <GigabitEthernet xmlns="...">
       <name>0/0/1</name>
       <ip>
         <address>
           <primary>
             <address>1.2.3.4</address>
             <mask>255.255.255.252</mask>
           </primary>
         </address>
       </ip>
       <shutdown xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" nc:operation="delete"/>
     </GigabitEthernet>
   </config>
 </edit-config>

6. Quickly find what you are looking for with the `find` object

Want to find an Ethernet interface which connect two devices dynamically? The find api is what you are looking for! Take a quick read on how it works for dictionary and Ops object.

Then go over the find documentation!

7. Where are the object models located ?

All the objects models are displayed on our models page.

8. How to contribute

To contribute to the code of Genie, take a look at our commit guideline!

To contribute to the Conf object models, visit the confConf contribution page.