PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation Participant Guide

POWERSWITCH
SMARTFABRIC OS10
REST API
IMPLEMENTATION
PARTICIPANT GUIDE
PARTICIPANT GUIDE
PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation - SSP
© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page i

Table of Contents
PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation .................................. 2

PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation Introduction ............................ 3
SDN Architecture and Network Automation ............................................................ 4

Software Defined Networking Overview ............................................................................... 5
SDN Planes ......................................................................................................................... 6
SDN Approaches ................................................................................................................. 7
Control Plane ....................................................................................................................... 9
Centralized Programming .................................................................................................. 11
Where SDN Fits in Data Center Topology .......................................................................... 13
Northbound and Southbound API ...................................................................................... 14
SDN via REST API ............................................................................................................ 15
Getting Started with OS10 API ................................................................................ 16

Getting Started................................................................................................................... 17
DELL EMC Support Website .............................................................................................. 19
OS10 Automated Management Options ............................................................................. 20
OS10 Internal Files ............................................................................................................ 21
OS10 Internal Files Simulation ........................................................................................... 22
REST API RESTCONF Command ..................................................................................... 23
SmartFabric Services .............................................................................................. 27

SmartFabric Services Overview ......................................................................................... 28
SFS Deployments .............................................................................................................. 29
SFS Management .............................................................................................................. 32
SFS Components............................................................................................................... 33
REST API Tree Structure ................................................................................................... 35
PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation Lab ........................ 36

PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation Lab ....................................... 37
Page ii © Copyright 2021 Dell Inc.

PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation
© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page 1

PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API

Implementation
Page 2 © Copyright 2021 Dell Inc.


Introduction
The PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation on-demand course

provides an introduction and basic understanding of Software Defined Networking
via REST API, SmartFabric OS10 REST API, and SmartFabric Services. Upon
completing this course, you will be able to:
→ Describe how REST API fits into a Software Defined Networking (SDN)
implementation.
→ Enable RESTCONF mode on Dell EMC PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10.
→ Describe SmartFabric Services management and components.
→ Demonstrate how to translate OS10 CLI commands into testable REST API
cURL commands.

SDN Architecture and Network Automation

Software Defined Networking Overview
There is no standard definition for SDN. Different vendors have different ideas and
different methods to create SDNs.
Software Defined Networking (SDN) automates the configuration tasks that are
associated with data center virtualization. It reduces the data center complexity that
makes it difficult to manually program networks as hosts and applications are
added.
The web version of this content contains an interactive activity.

SDN Planes
SDN offers centralized, programmable networking that can dynamically meet the
changing needs of a business. In the traditional networking architecture, the
management, control, and data planes all reside in the networking device.
The management plane handles device configuration and monitoring functions. It is

the human interface to network control functions.
The control plane determines how packets are forwarded. The routing tables exist
in the control plane.
The data plane is where packets are moved from one place to another in the
network. Forwarding decisions are based on information from the control plane.

SDN Approaches
The three approaches to SDN:
OpenFlow
OpenFlow is a standard, secure communications protocol that enables remote

programming of data plane functions in switches.
Without OpenFlow and SDN, each switch and router communicate with other
switches and routers through the control plane. For example, the router information
base (RIB) in each switch is built using routing communications with other routers.
The RIB on each router is used to make forwarding decisions.
With OpenFlow, all control plane activities are done in the SDN controller. The
forwarding decisions in the data plane use cached information from the SDN
controller.
SDN Mgmt
Controller Network
When a Dell EMC switch is in

OpenFlow mode, the following are
disabled:
- Layer 2 (L2) protocols
- Layer 3 (L3) protocols
- LLDP
- Dot1x (authentication) Control Plane

- VLT
Data Plane
Programmable
Programmable framework uses an API to control network switches. Dell EMC

VxRAIL hyper-converged Infrastructure is an example of a product that uses REST
API programming to configure network switches. Dell EMC switches that are
operating in RESTCONF mode have most CLI commands disabled.

SDN Mgmt
Controller Network
One approach to SDN is to take

over the network management
plane. REST API commands are
pushed out to all network switches
from a central location. Often, CLI
commands are disabled on each
switch to ensure that changes only Control plane
come from the SDN controller.
Data plane
VXLAN Overlay
Network virtualization overlay (NVO) is a hypervisor-based network virtualization

model. It uses virtual switches to run multiple virtual overlay networks on a single
physical underlay network. Dell EMC network switches support BGP EVPN to
support L2 tunnels through an L3 network. Programmable and VXLAN Overlay
options can be used in tandem. Dell EMC SmartFabric Director is an example of
a product that uses both to create, manage, and monitor overlay networks.
Each virtual overlay

network is identified by a
VNI 1122
virtual network identifier VNI 3344
(VNI).
Virtual Tunnel End Point

(VTEP):
VNI 5500
● Provides connection between
overlay and underlay networks
● Assigned an IP address
● Services one or more VNIs

Control Plane
One characteristic of SDN is that it provides centralized control plane intelligence.
Distributed Control
With distributed control, every router has control plane intelligence. Think of control
plane intelligence as a brain on each router that communicates with other routers
that it directly connects with on the network. Each router saves the information that
it receives from the other routers. Each router uses its independent "brain" to make
routing decisions. Frames are forwarded based on the information each router has
in its forwarding database.
BGP EVPN is an example of distributed control.
Centralized Control
With centralized intelligence in the control plane, all the "brains" for making routing
decisions are in the SDN controller. OpenFlow is an example of centralized
control.
The SDN controller calculates the best paths to each end device.
What happens when the forwarding information is absent for a packet received by
a switch? In this case, the switch contacts the centralized controller for the
forwarding information. It then caches the forwarding information, so that it does
not need to contact the centralized controller again.

SDN Mgmt
Controller Network

Centralized Programming
SDN provides for centralized programming of the entire network.
Individual Switch Programming
Without SDN, each switch is programmed and configured individually through CLI
commands. If new servers are added, a network administrator must go into multiple
switches in the network to make configuration changes. These changes include
VLAN updates, configuring IP addresses and gateways, QoS, routing, redundancy,
and security policies. This way of configuring switches is prone to human error.
Individual switch programming is not sustainable as networks grow to include

hundreds of switches, and thousands of VMs.
SDN Programming
With SDN, a network operating system manages the network as a whole.

Configuration updates for each switch in the network are pushed out from a single
management console.
The SDN control software is GUI-based, offering point-and-click network

management. Most SDN software has configuration checkers that are built in that
finds errors before changes are pushed out to the network. Software-based
configuration checking eliminates human errors.
Orchestration software that creates VMs can have network configuration control
that is built in. An example of this is VMware NSX working together with Dell EMC

SmartFabric Director. As VMs are created or moved to different physical hosts,

network changes are created, checked, and implemented automatically by
software.
SDN Mgmt
Controller Network

Where SDN Fits in Data Center Topology
Software defined virtual overlay networks sit on top of physical data center
networks. The virtual tunnel endpoints are implemented either in top-of-rack
physical switches, or in virtual switches (vSwitch).
Implemented in
physical switch
Implemented
in vSwitch

Northbound and Southbound API
Business
Cloud Orchestration SDN Applications
Applications
Application Layer
Northbound APIs
SDN Controllers
Southbound APIs
Dell Networking Switches
Software Defined Networking Architecture
The northbound APIs are used for communication between the SDN controller
and the services and applications running over the network. These services and
applications include automation stacks such as Puppet, Chef, and so on, and
orchestration platforms such as OpenStack, CloudStack, and so on.
The southbound APIs provide communication between the SDN controller and
the network devices. Examples of southbound APIs include OpenFlow (1.0 and
1.3), OVSDB, NETCONF, and so on.

SDN via REST API
REST API is a common way of implementing the underlying programming for SDN.
• SDN implementation via APIs refers to southbound APIs that configure and
program the control plane active on the device.
• REST API offers different degrees of control over the network devices, data
plane, topology, etc., each having different advantages and disadvantages.
• The SDN controller uses north-bound APIs to communicate with the business
logic applications and south-bound APIs to set up controlled network devices,
such as OS10 switches.
• You can develop SDN controller network applications using REST or north-
bound APIs to business logic applications.
• The SDN controller uses OpenFlow south-bound APIs to communicate with the
switches and relay information from business logic applications.
Advantages of an SDN include customization, accelerating new feature

development, lower operating costs, and fostering an open, multi-vendor
environment.

Getting Started with OS10 API

Getting Started
Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 is a network operating system (NOS) supporting

multiple architectures and environments. The SmartFabric OS10 solution allows
multi-layered disaggregation of network functionality.
SmartFabric OS10 bundles industry-standard management, monitoring, Layer 2,

and Layer 3 networking stacks over CLI, SNMP, and REST interfaces. Users can
choose their own third-party networking, monitoring, management, and
orchestration applications.
L2 and L3 Networks
To develop scalable L2 and L3 networks, the SmartFabric OS10 delivers a modular

and disaggregated solution in a single-binary image.
SmartFabric OS10 Key Features
Listed are SmartFabric OS10 key features:
• OS10 gives standard networking features, interfaces, and scripting functions for
legacy network operations integration.

• Supports standards-based switching hardware abstraction through the Switch

Abstraction Interface (SAI).
• Contains pervasive, unrestricted developer environment through Control Plane
Services (CPS).
• Supports Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing protocols with integrated IP
services, quality of service, manageability, and automation features.
• Increases VM Mobility region by extending L2 VLAN within or across two DCs
with Virtual Extensible LAN (VxLAN) capabilities.
• Provides programmatic APIs and CLI automation using batch and aliases to
simplify configuration management.
• Supports converged network support for Data Center Bridging (DCB), with
priority flow control (802.1Qbb), Enhanced Transmission Selection or ETS
(802.1Qaz), DCBx, and Internet Small Computer Systems Interface or iSCSI
TLV.

DELL EMC Support Website
You can refer the Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 User Guide for configuring and
maintaining OS10 networks. Refer to the RESTCONF API chapter to learn more
about RESTCONF API on an OS10 interface.
Note: Refer the Dell EMC support website for SmartFabric OS10
User Guide to learn more about SmartFabric OS10.
For more documents, refer the DELL Support website.

OS10 Automated Management Options
OS10 supports automated switch provisioning (configuration and monitoring) using:
• RESTCONF API: REST-like protocol that uses HTTPS connections. Use the
OS10 RESTCONF API to set up the configuration parameters1 on OS10
switches with JSON structured messages. You can use any programming
language to create and send HTTPS requests that use JSON file format.
• SmartFabric Services fabric automation: Automate the configuration of OS10
switches in Isilon backend, PowerEdge MX, and VxRail turnkey solutions.
• Linux DevOps ecosystem: OS10 provides access to an unmodified Linux
(Debian) operating system that allows you to benefit from the Linux DevOps
ecosystem. Programmers can write applications in Python or C or C++ to
execute on an OS10 switch.
• Ansible: Third-party DevOps tool Ansible2 is a powerful, open-source IT
automation engine that provides a simple way to automate application software
and IT infrastructure. Ansible can remove complexity from the environments
and accelerate DevOps initiatives.
1 You can also get the current state, status, counters, etc.
2 Ansible works by connecting to your nodes using SSH and pushing out small
programs, called Ansible modules, to them. Ansible includes hundreds of network
modules to support a wide variety of network device vendors. Ansible uses a
simple, powerful, and agentless automation framework.

OS10 Internal Files
RESTCONF is a REST-like protocol that uses HTTPS connections. You can use
the OS10 RESTCONF API to set up the configuration parameters on OS10
switches using JSON-structured messages. You can also use any programming
language to create and send HTTPS requests that use JSON file format.
• To obtain RESTCONF API documentation from OS10, use the OpenAPI

Specification (OAS) files3 (oas.tgz). OAS files are available in the support-
bundle directory in OS10. You can download the OAS files using the standard
copy command: copy supportbundle://oas.tgz
• Use tar -zxvf oas.tgz command to view the JSON files, decompress, and
untar the oas.tgz file. All the OAS JSON files are extracted inside the html
folder. You can import the OAS files into RESTCONF tools (Swagger and
Postman are third-party tools, while RESTCONF is DELL-specific
implementation of REST API) to use it.
Note: The OS10 RESTCONF implementation complies with RFC

8040. You can use the RESTCONF API to configure and monitor an
OS10 switch.
3 The OpenAPI Specification (OAS) defines a standard, language-agnostic

interface to RESTful APIs which allows both humans and computers to discover
and understand the capabilities of the service without access to source code,
documentation, or through network traffic inspection.

OS10 Internal Files Simulation
OS10 enables you to find equivalent RESTCONF requests (cURL commands) of

the CLI commands. You can use the generated cURL command4 with minimal
modifications to the $USER_NAME5, $PASSWORD6, and $MGMT_IP7.
The web version of this content contains an interactive activity.
4cURL is a Linux shell command that generates HTTPS requests and is executed
on an external server.
5 Username of any CLI user account
6 Password of any user account
7 Management IP address

REST API RESTCONF Command
To use the RESTCONF API on an OS10 interface, you must enable the
RESTCONF API service using the rest api restconf command. You can also
configure HTTPS access including:
• Hostname required in a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) self-signed server

certificate8.
• Timeout for the HTTPS connection.
• Cipher suites for encrypting data in an HTTPS connection.
Enter the configuration mode
Enter the configuration mode by using configure terminal command.
8 A document that associates a network device with its public key. When
exchanged between participating devices, certificates are used to validate device
identity and the public key that is associated with the device.

RESTCONF API configuration
After you enable the RESTCONF API, you can send HTTPS requests from a
remote device.
1. Configuring the hostname9 is a requirement.

OS10(config)# rest https server-certificate name hostname
9 Configuring the hostname is a requirement in the SSL self-signed server

certificate in a RESTCONF HTTPS connection in CONFIGURATION mode, using a
maximum of 30 alphanumeric characters. Enter the IP address or domain name of
the OS10 switch. By default, the domain name of the OS10 switch is used as the
'hostname'.

2. Configure the timeout that a RESTCONF HTTPS session uses in

CONFIGURATION mode, 30–65,535 seconds; default 30.
OS10(config)# rest https session timeout seconds
3. Limit the ciphers that the switch uses in a RESTCONF HTTPS session to
encrypt and decrypt data in CONFIGURATION mode. By default, all cipher suites
that are installed on OS10 are supported.
OS10(config)# rest https cipher-suite
4. Enable RESTCONF API in CONFIGURATION mode.

OS10(config)# rest api restconf
CLI commands for RESTCONF
Enable the RESTCONF API service on the switch.
Syntax rest api restconf
Parameters None
Default RESTCONF API is disabled.
Command Mode CONFIGURATION
Usage Information • After you enable the RESTCONF API, you

can send cURL commands in HTTPS
requests from a remote device.
• The no version of the command disables the
RESTCONF API.
Example OS10(config)# rest api restconf

Example
RESTCONF API configuration:

SmartFabric Services

SmartFabric Services Overview
SmartFabric Services (SFS) is an automation framework that is built into Dell EMC
SmartFabric OS10, to integrate converged and hyperconverged infrastructure
systems. It provides network fabric10 automation and API-based programmability.
In OS10, SFS provides:

• Network fabric infrastructure automation including discovery of devices such as
switches, servers, and automation of configuration on all the switches in the
fabric.
• Workload automation for server, storage, or hyperconverged devices using
APIs.
• Single pane of glass for monitoring the fabric.
• Upgrade and replace switches using APIs.
There are two types of SFS called SFS personalities:

• SFS for leaf and spine11
• SFS for PowerEdge MX12
10A network fabric consists of physical resources, such as servers, switches,

logical resources-networks, templates, and uplinks.
11Supported on selected Dell EMC S-series and Z-series PowerSwitches. In leaf

and spine architecture, SFS enables discovery, automation, and provision of
network devices connected in a Layer 3 (L3) fabric topology.
12SFS is a capability of Dell EMC Networking OS10 Enterprise Edition running on

Ethernet switches (IOMs) that are designed for the PowerEdge MX 7000 platform.
SFS discovers the IOMs deployed in a chassis and provides APIs to the
management modules in the chassis to monitor the state of the IOMs.

SFS Deployments
SFS is intended for solution-specific deployments such as VxRail, MX, and

PowerScale (Isilon).
VxRail
With SFS, switches are automatically configured during VxRail deployment. When
additional VxRail nodes are connected to the SmartFabric, the fabric identifies
them as VxRail nodes and automatically onboards them to the required networks.

PowerEdge MX
In MX platform, SFS provides:

• A single pane of glass to monitor and manage the life cycle operations on the
IOMs
• APIs to manage VLT fabric, data uplinks, storage uplinks, and server templates
for the entire fabric.

PowerScale
Typical Dell PowerScale cluster topology - back-end and front-end network connections.
The deployment of PowerScale with SFS is divided into two different procedures.
Each procedure is directly related to the following:

• Back-end network connection13
• Front-end network connection14
13The first version of SFS automates PowerScale's back-end network deployment,

and it does not require customer intervention. When a customer purchases a
PowerScale cluster, the Dell EMC switches arrive preconfigured with the necessary
network profiles using SFS.
14Phase 2 of SFS allows PowerScale's front-end connectivity to the fabric using a

static on-board procedure. This is a user driven procedure via OMNI(explained in
the next slide).

SFS Management
Dell EMC OpenManage Network Integration (OMNI) is a management application

that is designed to complement SFS, providing a web-based UI for operating one
or more automated network fabrics deployed using SFS called SmartFabric
instances.
It integrates with VMware vCenter for zero-touch fabric automation of the physical
network infrastructure corresponding to the virtual network operations within
vCenter.
There is also a REST API available to application programmers.
Resource: For more information, click the following links.

1. OMNI SFS User Guide
2. Data Centers Fabric Architecture Overview
3. The Power of Network Automation Using REST APIs

SFS Components
The Dell EMC SFS architecture consists of four components:

• External Fabric Manager (EFM)15
• SFS Controller (SFS-C)16
15This component is an optional agent that makes REST API calls to manage the
fabric or switch cluster. It sits outside the cluster construct. It can be part of a
solution management application, fabric user interface, or software module. In the
case of VxRail and MX, the EFM component is the OMNI and OME-M respectively.

• Fabric agent17
• Distributed database18
16SFS Controller runs on the master node. The services controller is the end-point
connection to the EFM, without it no fabric orchestration would take place. The
controller also exposes fabric data models and APIs needed for the fabric
configuration such as Layer 2, Layer 3, cluster management, and more.
17The fabric agent is a small software module that runs on all nodes, and it
manages all change requests for each individual node. The controller
communicates directly with this agent when making configuration changes on the
fabric.
18This database regulates and synchronizes all fabric configuration across the
entire fabric.

REST API Tree Structure
From the top-level root, the RESTful interface branches out to cover a number of
Collections, which each in turn includes multiple sub-items, creating a tree-like
structure. The administrator can drill down through this structure to find information
and settings of interest.
The REST API tree structure that is used for SFS is different than the one used for
normal operations. To manage a switch in standard full switch mode is different
than managing a switch in SFS mode.
show smartfabric personality is a CLI command to determine if the switch is in SFS mode.
Resource model for OS10 API commands:
• https://[IP or DNS name]/api/$metadata
Redfish scheme used for SFS commands:
• HTTPS://[IP or DNS name]/redfish/v1

PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation Lab
PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API

Implementation Lab


Lab
About the Lab Guide
This course uses an on-demand lab to reinforce the content.
The lab guide is attached to this course as a PDF.
Challenges
Use the on-demand lab to perform the below tasks with the help of the lab guide.
• Configure switches for RESTCONF operation.
• Translating CLI commands into REST API request.
• Use Postman to run REST API commands.
• Run advanced OS10 RESTCONF commands.
Launching the Live Lab
To launch the live lab, go to the enrolled course page on Saba. You can find two
assets, the course, and the lab. Click Launch for the lab asset.
The example shows the saba page for the PowerScale Troubleshooting course.

Saba page example showing a PowerScale troubleshooting course and the associated lab.


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POWERSWITCH

© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page i

PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation .................................. 2

SDN Architecture and Network Automation ............................................................ 4

Getting Started with OS10 API ................................................................................ 16

SmartFabric Services .............................................................................................. 27

PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation Lab ........................ 36

PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation - SSP

Page ii © Copyright 2021 Dell Inc.

PowerSwitch SmartFabric OS10 REST API Implementation - SSP

© Copyright 2021 Dell Inc. Page 1