Cisco ACI Programmability
1. APIC REST API
The Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) REST API is a key component of Cisco ACI programmability. It allows developers to interact with the APIC using HTTP/HTTPS requests to manage and automate network policies. This API enables the creation, modification, and deletion of policies, as well as the retrieval of network status and performance data.
Example: A network administrator can use the APIC REST API to create a new tenant in the Cisco ACI fabric. By sending a POST request with the tenant's configuration details, the administrator can automate the tenant creation process, ensuring consistency and reducing manual errors.
2. Python for ACI Automation
Python is a popular language for automating Cisco ACI environments. With libraries like acitoolkit, developers can write scripts to manage ACI policies, monitor network performance, and automate routine tasks. Python's simplicity and extensive libraries make it an ideal choice for network automation.
Example: A network engineer can write a Python script to monitor the health of the ACI fabric. The script uses the acitoolkit library to fetch health metrics from the APIC and sends alerts if any critical issues are detected.
3. ACI Orchestration
ACI orchestration involves coordinating multiple network functions and policies to work together seamlessly. This includes automating the deployment of applications, ensuring network policies are applied consistently, and managing the lifecycle of network services. Orchestration tools like Ansible can be used to automate these complex workflows.
Example: An IT team uses Ansible to orchestrate the deployment of a new application in the ACI fabric. The Ansible playbook automates the creation of tenants, application profiles, and EPGs (End Point Groups), ensuring that all network policies are applied correctly and the application is deployed efficiently.
4. ACI Policy Modeling
ACI policy modeling involves defining and managing network policies in a structured and scalable manner. Policies are modeled as objects in the APIC, allowing for easy management and automation. This approach ensures that network policies are consistent across the fabric and can be easily modified or replicated.
Example: A network administrator models a security policy in the APIC to control traffic between different EPGs. The policy is defined as an object, making it easy to apply the same policy across multiple tenants or applications.
5. ACI Integration with DevOps Tools
ACI integration with DevOps tools like Jenkins, Git, and Docker enables continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) of network policies and applications. This integration allows for automated testing, deployment, and rollback of network configurations, ensuring that changes are applied consistently and reliably.
Example: A DevOps team integrates Cisco ACI with Jenkins to automate the deployment of network policies. When a new policy is committed to a Git repository, Jenkins automatically tests and deploys the policy to the ACI fabric, ensuring that the network is always up-to-date with the latest configurations.