Cloud Managed Networks

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  • 1.  New Central/CNX and initial switch onboarding...

    Posted 13 days ago

    Hello,

    I just made POC where I created basic configuration to switches using USB (ZT)P (needed to do firmware update first from cli because lack of usb ztp support in out-of-box firmware... But anyway)
    Idea is to send switches to installation site in cardboard boxes and when people installs them to racks, they will use given usb stick to install basic configuration to switches.
    Basic configuration removes vlan 1 L3 interface and create separate control vlan 101 having static ip plus proper routing/DNS server addresses/hostnames/lag configurations to bring system alive when switches are connected to core. 

    In Classic Central I can onboard & move switch described above to proper device group using "Keep existing sw configuration" and switch will get group's configurations and apped them to existing configuration and ip addresses/default gw/dns stuff remains untouched.

    In New Central there is no option to "Keep existing configuration" and all existing configuration including ip address of switch will be deleted... How this kind of situation should be handled in CNX where 3rd party is installs devices and initial configuration from usb, there is no dhcp mgmt network and vlan 1 L3 is removed by default. 
    How do I pre-configure ip addresses to devices beforehand so that I don't need console connection to device to fix missing configuration?



    ------------------------------
    Jori Luoto
    AV-IT Specialist
    Audico Systems oy
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: New Central/CNX and initial switch onboarding...

    Posted 12 days ago
    Edited by Pavan Arshewar 12 days ago
    In the new Central platform, only connectivity-related configurations are imported from the switch during onboarding. Please refer to this user guide: https://arubanetworking.hpe.com/techdocs/new-central/content/get-started/onboard-cx.htm. Under the "Sample Connectivity Configurations" section, you will find the list of configurations that Central imports.
    This behavior is by design—Central imports only connectivity-related settings, and there is no option to retain the full existing configuration.
    You can keep the management IP on VLAN 1 until the device is connected and onboarded. Afterward, you can push VLAN 101 from Central.



    ------------------------------
    Pavan Arshewar
    Technical Lead Aruba ERT


    If my post addresses your query, give kudos!
    Note: Please note that the views, opinions, and statements expressed are solely my own and are provided in my personal capacity. They do not represent, reflect, or bind the Aruba HPE Networking in any manner.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: New Central/CNX and initial switch onboarding...

    Posted 12 days ago

    Hello,

    End of linked page "Auto-Import of Basic Connectivity Configurations" seems to be false information:
    If I onboard switch containing vlan/lag/def route/dns/etc configuration to new central group, all configuration in switch will be overwritten by configurations from central.

    Tested that today with old central (which was doing thing right importing data to central) and new central (which was overwriting all configurations in switch losing connectivity because of overwrite) If I need to remove "vid 101" configuration from new central to do "auto-impoort", there is need to always remember to NOT to add vid 101 there because it will be overwritten in switches losing connectivity again.

    As I wrote our plan is to order switches directly to installation site, do physical installation, do fw upgrade from usb and after upgrade run usb ztp and use switch serial number specific configuration using our asset data containing hostname/control vid/def gw/dns/ntp/lag configurations ready there and then connection to preconfigured core which connects to preconfigured fw and wan... That sounds that if classic central will go away and development path in new central remains same I'm in deep s...



    ------------------------------
    Jori Luoto
    AV-IT Specialist
    Audico Systems oy
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: New Central/CNX and initial switch onboarding...

    Posted 12 days ago

    Who told you that Classic Central is going away for configuration? I haven't seen such official communication.

    Sounds to me that a workflow where you put/prepare the configuration in a management system instead of on a customized USB stick, it's more clean; it just needs a different approach. It may be good to speak/work with your local HPE Networking SE to explore the best workflow for the longer term.



    ------------------------------
    Herman Robers
    ------------------------
    If you have urgent issues, always contact your HPE Aruba Networking partner, distributor, or Aruba TAC Support. Check https://www.arubanetworks.com/support-services/contact-support/ for how to contact HPE Aruba Networking TAC. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of Hewlett Packard Enterprise or HPE Aruba Networking.

    In case your problem is solved, please invest the time to post a follow-up with the information on how you solved it. Others can benefit from that.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: New Central/CNX and initial switch onboarding...

    Posted 12 days ago

    No one told the actual date when old central "goes away" just information that CNX will replace eventually classic one and that is one problem: I do not have date when thing hit the fan.

    About USB ZTP (old way to do device preparation but added to cx in 10.16...): it is perfectly fine way to prepare device for onboarding and with existing data it's easy to create basic configurations to all devices which needs to be prepared by non-it installers: I insert device names and their ip addresses to our asset system and use that data to create basic configuration which I can use nicely in classic central when devices gets internet connectivity in some point project.
    Non-it guys just opens up the box, installs device, insert usb and fires device up to all basic stuff to switch in few minutes (currently installers would need to use console to access cli and update firmware first to 10.16 to initiate actual ZTP)
    After onboarding all other data will be added from Central to switch and I'm good to go for production. 

    I don't see other problem here but the fact CNX want me to do minimum of double work by inserting hostnames/control ip addresses to two places (our asset db and central) 



    ------------------------------
    Jori Luoto
    AV-IT Specialist
    Audico Systems oy
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: New Central/CNX and initial switch onboarding...

    Posted 12 days ago

    Hi Jori,

    Currently this is the limitation in new central, in future release we may provide support to keep sw configuration while onboarding. For more details on this I would encourage you to follow up with your Aruba Account manager.



    ------------------------------
    Pavan Arshewar
    Technical Lead Aruba ERT


    If my post addresses your query, give kudos!
    Note: Please note that the views, opinions, and statements expressed are solely my own and are provided in my personal capacity. They do not represent, reflect, or bind the Aruba HPE Networking in any manner.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: New Central/CNX and initial switch onboarding...

    Posted 12 days ago

    "...in future release we may provide support..." 

    Yet another uncertainty factor...



    ------------------------------
    Jori Luoto
    AV-IT Specialist
    Audico Systems oy
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: New Central/CNX and initial switch onboarding...

    Posted 11 days ago

    The communication that you may have seen is for Monitoring Reporting and Troubleshooting (MRT) tasks will be going away from Classic Central. But there was no announcement on the configuration side of things. what this means is that you can continue to do your configuration in Classic as before and do all your MRT from the New Central side of things. 



    ------------------------------
    If my post was useful accept solution and/or give kudos.
    Any opinions expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily that of HPE or Aruba.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: New Central/CNX and initial switch onboarding...

    Posted 5 days ago

    I think you are hitting the current New Central + Switches = No-go problem.

    Any switches managed from New Central i my opinion should/needs to be managed using a dedicated OOB management interface linked to a separate management Network. 
    It's quite simply not "workable" to manage switches in New Central via VLAN SVI interfaces due to the way New central applies config changes.
    It applies config linie by line instead of uploading a combined config file and enabling that as running-config at our command (pressing sync/apply). This causes complete havoc and loss of connection/rollback when manipulating IP interfaces, routes, uplink interfaces and such.
    This means you cannot onboard switches with VLAN SVI managament interfaces without several "manual" steps pr switch because you will loose connection to the switch on it's former management/ztp interface. Also, once you have management setup via a VLAN SVI you need to VERY carefully about touching the actual Uplink L2/L3 interface and routing/dns with new config (fx. A port profile or such).  
    Examples are many but New Central fx. Starts many config profile operations by "cleaning the config" and applyying the new - almost same - config.
    This will cause loss of Central connectivity, and nothing new is ever applied if it pertains to the management link (Interface/SVI/VRF). Sometimes it will roll back, sometimes you need to get your console cable out on location. So you cannot fx. Apply a standard "Uplink" port profile to the actual uplink port - it will never complete and be stuck in a catch22 deleting, lossing connectivty and sometimes attempt rollback.

    Classic has some of these problems as well, but you can to some extent control that using multiple steps in the CLI editor.

    I am more and more concluding New Central is not for me and my customers when it comes to switch config. It really needs a lot new features, and workarounds to become "usable" in real life. I like the idea though, so one day when it's mature and all my customers has a separate OOB management network in place……. 

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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: New Central/CNX and initial switch onboarding...

    Posted 5 days ago

    Hello,

    Yes that's it... Well this was more like yet another "¡¡Wake up development!!"-call (and slight try to get info about what do I do wrong here)

    With Classic Central the onboarding with workflow I described works fine (tested today with actual devices and L2 configurations from central so 100% sure it works) because Classic Central provides possibility to "Retain CX-Switch configuration" where it picks up ip addresses/hostname and basic stuff to central.

    Also I still need "MultiEdit" to tweak devices to production order so CNX is still no-go for me too... 



    ------------------------------
    Jori Luoto
    AV-IT Specialist
    Audico Systems oy
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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