1 Configuration Development Kit Overview

This chapter provides an overview of the Configuration Development Kit (CDK) and the concept of driver scripts.

About the Configuration Development Kit

The CDK is an optional Oracle Communications IP Service Activator module that extends the capabilities of the core system. It provides a means of defining device configurations through command scripts that are applied directly to network devices. The CDK supports Python version 2.2, which is automatically installed with IP Service Activator.

The CDK provides a method of implementing configuration tasks that could otherwise not be achieved from within the core system. For example, scripts can be written to create interfaces or sub-interfaces, set up IP addresses or run device-specific routing commands.

Key features of the CDK are as follows:

• Scripts are written in Python v2.2, a freely-available and fully-featured object-oriented language that is easy to learn.

• No programming experience is required to set up and apply existing scripts. Users can view existing scripts directly from the IP Service Activator user interface (client), set up any variables required and associate the scripts with appropriate devices, interfaces or VPNs in the network.

• Experienced Python developers can produce their own scripts. New scripts can be entered directly into the user interface; alternatively scripts can be written using a text editor and imported.

• The CDK is supported by all the fully-featured device drivers and by the CatOS script driver.

• Each script has a defined type, which specifies whether it configures devices, interfaces, sub-interfaces, ATM PVCs or Frame Relay PVCs. However, a script can be applied to objects throughout the network topology (networks, VPNs, devices, interfaces, sub-interfaces, and PVCs) and is applied by a process of inheritance.

• User-defined variables can be associated with the particular objects to which scripts can be applied, so for example you can define a generic script that, when run, applies different values to different interfaces.

• Users can select when a script is run. For example, a script can be run either before or after any other configuration tasks, and can be run once only or repeated at every subsequent propagate.

• Data can be shared between the scripts that are run for a particular device, which has a range of applications including control of script application order and optimization of script usage.

Restrictions

Users of the CDK should be aware of the following:

• Commands applied via a script are not processed by the policy server which means that they are not checked or validated in any way. Applying untested scripts, or inadvertently applying scripts to the wrong devices can have a serious effect on network functionality, for example by removing routing capability.

• The ability to create or apply driver scripts is dependent on a user's access level. For security reasons, Oracle advises that access should be restricted to a small set of trusted users.

Pre-Defined Scripts

As of IP Service Activator 7.2, two pre-defined scripts are supplied:

• NVRAM.py: This Cisco driver script copies the running IOS configuration to startup configuration.

• CatosAddVlan.py: This CatOS driver script adds VLAN to a CatOS switch.

For full details, see "Pre-defined Scripts".