Cisco Catalyst Center Platform Overview

Cisco Catalyst Center is at the heart of Cisco’s intent-based network architecture. Catalyst Center supports the expression of business intent for network use cases, such as base automation capabilities in the enterprise network. The Analytics and Assurance features of Catalyst Center provide end-to-end visibility into the network with full context through data and insights.

Cisco customers and partners can use the Catalyst Center platform to create value-added applications that leverage the native capabilities of Catalyst Center. Use Catalyst Center Intent APIs, Integration Flows, Events and Notification Services to enhance the overall network experience by optimizing end-to-end IT processes, reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), and creating value-added networks.

Cisco DNA Center has been rebranded as Catalyst Center. During the rebranding process, you will see both names used in different collaterals, but both names refer to the same product.

Intent API (Northbound)

The Intent API is a Northbound REST API that exposes specific capabilities of the Catalyst Center platform. The Intent API provides policy-based abstraction of business intent, allowing focus on an outcome rather than struggling with individual mechanisms steps. The RESTful Catalyst Center Intent API uses HTTPS verbs (GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE) with JSON structures to discover and control the network. For more information, see Intent API. The Intent API is grouped, hierarchically into functional 'domains' and 'subdomains' of service. These are:

Authentication Domain

The Catalyst Center platform REST methods require caller Authentication.

• Authentication method obtains a security token that identifies the privileges of an authenticated REST caller. Catalyst Center authorizes each requested operation according to the access privileges associated with the security token that accompanies the request.

Know Your Network Domain

Use the Know Your Network REST methods to GET information about clients, sites, topology, devices, and issues; Create (POST) and manage (PUT, DELETE) sites, devices, IP Pools, edge and border devices, and authentication profiles. Know Your Network methods are organized into the following subdomains:

• Sites Create and manage sites, assign devices to sites, obtain site information, site count, and site membership. Sites are hierarchial collections of other sites and buildings.
• Topology Retrieve network health information, and site and network physical, Layer 2, Layer 3, and VLAN information.
• Devices Create, manage, and retrieve detailed information about devices by a wide range of attributes such as timestamp, MAC address, UUID, name, or nwDeviceName, functional capabilities, interfaces, device config, certificate validation status, values of specified fields,modules, and VLAN data associated with specified interfaces.
• Clients Obtain (GET) detailed client and client health information.
• Users Obtain (GET) detailed information about a 'User' given an identifying network user-id or MAC address.
• Issues Obtain (GET) detailed information and recommended mitigation for an 'Issue' given an identifying issue-id or MAC address.

Site Management

• Site Design These include methods to create and obtain information about provisioned NFV devices.
• Network Settings Includes methods to GET device credentials, global pool information, and service provider details. It also supports deletion of device credentials, service provider profiles, and global IP pools.
• Software Image Management (SWIM) Software Image Management (SWIM) manages the software image and update repository for network devices. Software images can be stored on the Catalyst Center or imported from a designated URL. These methods support phases of Software Image Management including the ability to import software images, and distribute and activate images to and on devices.
• Device Onboarding (PnP) This set of methods support management of device onboarding projects, settings, workflows, virtual accounts, and PnP-managed devices. They provide means of zero-touch deployment of Cisco Enterprise Network routers, switches and wireless controllers, and wireless access points.
• Configuration TemplatesConfiguration Templates with the Template Programmer/Editor is a centralized CLI-management tool that facilitates design and provisioning of workflows in Catalyst Center. CLI templates also known as configuration templates. These methods provide management of CLI templates. CLI templates may be grouped into projects. Use this API to create, view, edit, delete and version templates and projects.

Connectivity

Connectivity methods provides the means for configuring and managing Fabric Wired and Non-Fabric Wireless networks.

• Fabric Wired These include methods to manage fabric wired devices, including creation, update, and deletion of edge, border, user devices, and authentiation profiles,
• Non-Fabric Wireless These include methods to manage and provision non-fabric wireless devices, including Enterprise SSIDs, wireless profiles, RF profiles, and access points.

Operational Tasks

Operational Tools enable access to CLI keywords, discover network devices, trace paths through the network, identify and discover network components using SNMP and other discovery protocols,

• Command Runner These methods support retrieval of CLI keywords and enable execution of read-only commands on a target network device.
• Network DiscoveryDiscovery is the process of scanning a target network in order to add existing devices to the device Inventory. Discovery service methods using SNMP and other protocols to create, update, delete and manage discovery tasks and associated credentials.
• Path Trace These methods provide flow-analysis between two endpoints on the network. New path-traces analysis can be initiated, and prior path-traces can be read. Multiple prior path traces can be summarized.
• File File services to list file namespaces, files in a namespace, and to download a specific file.
• TaskTasks are Catalyst Center activities methods initiated for asynchronous execution via an API request. These GET methods include status information about a single task, indicating completion or if, in-progress. Task methods also can return a count of tasks, and lists of tasks by 'tree', task-id, OperationId.
• Tags A 'tag' is a named set of attributes that can be associated with 'members'. Tags services provide the means to create, discover, update membership of, and remove tags.

Policy

• Application Policy The Catalyst Center platform enables creation of application policies used to reflect your organization's business intent and translates it into network-specific and device-specific configurations required by the different types, makes, models, operating systems, roles, and resource constraints of your network devices. Application Policy methods supports the creation, update, adn management of applications and application sets.

Event Management

• Event Management The Catalyst Center platform provides the ability to receive custom notifications when specific events are triggered, such as Cisco Catalyst Assurance and Automation (SWIM) events. This mechanism enables third party systems to take business actions in response to a particular event. For example, a custom application could execute a software upgrade action in response to notification of network devices that are out of compliance. Event subscriptions allow association of a notification method with a Catalyst Center event. These methods provide the means to create, read, update, and delete event subscriptions.

Events and Notifications (Eastbound)

The Catalyst Center platform provides the ability to establish a notification handler when specific events are triggered, such as Assurance and Automation (SWIM) events. This mechanism enables external systems to take actions in response to an event. For example, a custom application could execute a software upgrade action in response to notification of network devices that are out of compliance. Notifications may also be triggered by internal Catalyst Center events. For example, Assurance events can be customized for IT Service Management incidents.

Integration API (Westbound)

Integration capabilities are part of Westbound interfaces. To meet the need to scale and accelerate operations in modern data centers, IT operators require intelligent, end-to-end work flows built with open APIs. The Catalyst Center platform provides mechanisms for integrating Assurance workflows and data with third-party IT Service Management (ITSM) solutions.

IT Service Management (ITSM) minimizes handoffs, reduces duplication of issues, and optimizes processes by integrating the Catalyst Center platform into incident-management, change-management and problem-management systems. It also integrates the Catalyst Center platform into approval and pre-approval chains, and it links the Catalyst Center platform with formal change and maintenance window schedules.

The platform also integrates with Reporting and Analytics capabilities for capacity planning, asset management, compliance control, and auditing. The Catalyst Center platform boosts IT efficiency and automation by integrating seamlessly with other IT systems through RESTful APIs.

The Catalyst Center platform supports the IT4IT™ Reference Architecture, including the standards for events, incidents, problems, and request for changes. If you are using an ITSM system that supports this reference architecture, then the Catalyst Center platform can integrate with your system.