Owner's Manual

Smart Scripting | 53
For example, you can automate any of the following tasks:
• Monitor the configuration of switch ports to verify that no change occurs and
generate an alarm if a configuration change is detected as part of a
cloud-computing deployment.
• Stage CLI command requests received from a customer. If a link flaps, the
command completion status is held in the script so you can see when the
management plane reconnects.
• Generate time-based reports to receive updates on network status on a periodic
basis.
• Query an external, configuration management database on a remote server to
retrieve information on port operation, and reconfigure switch ports based on the
data received.
• Apply additional time-based access-control lists (ACLs) to limit after hours
access.
• Monitor network requests; for example, “find a specified MAC address” or
“generate a health-check heartbeat”.
• Create a simple menu of options that a non-network administrator can use to
create requests to be sent to the network.
Smart Scripting consolidates management data inside a switch and sends it to
management consoles, databases or applications – reducing polling and network
traffic. For example, you can use a script as part of a cloud-computing deployment to
detect when the network has changed, query a database server for Configuration
Management Database (CMDB) information, and ultimately apply network changes
based on the data.
Downloading the Smart Scripting Package
The SmartScripts package can be downloaded from the Dell Force10 website as a file
named SmartScripts-Z.2.0.x.tar.gz for Z9000 and SmartScripts2.0.x.tar.gz for others
(S4810, S55, S60). The Smart Scripting package is downloaded with the following
files and functionality:
• Perl interpreter and associated files
• Python interpreter and associated files
• Expanded set of UNIX utilities
• REST-like API based on CGI scripts (see Using the REST API)
• Web-based graphical user interface (see Web Graphical User Interface)
• HTTP and HTTPS daemons (see HTTP Server)