1. Install Cisco Crosswork Change Automation and Cisco Crosswork Health Insights applications, and set up Cisco Crosswork Data Gateway.

See the Cisco Crosswork Network Controller Installation Guide and the Cisco Crosswork Network Controller Administration Guide.

2. Do the basic reachability checks.

See Setup Workflow in the Cisco Crosswork Network Controller Administration Guide.

3. Configure the Change Automation settings.

Configure Change Automation Settings

4. Remediate common failure scenarios and automate routine tasks with custom Playbooks.

Workflow: Develop Custom Playbooks

5. (Optional) Schedule Playbooks to perform routine maintenance.

Workflow: Schedule Playbooks

6. Create KPI Profiles to monitor device Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for issues and anomalies.

Workflow: Monitor Key Performance Indicators

7. (Optional) Link KPIs to playbooks.

Workflow: Closed-Loop Automation

8. (Optional) Expand telemetry insight with custom KPIs.

Workflow: Develop Custom KPIs

1. Group your devices logically as per your requirement.

Follow the instructions in these topics in the Cisco Crosswork Network Controller 6.0 Administration Guide:

• Create Device Groups Individually

• Modify Device Groups

• Create Rules for Dynamic Device Grouping

2. Set display preferences for your topology.

Follow the instructions in the topic Customize Your Map For Your Needs.

1. (Optional) Tag all of the devices whose KPIs you plan to monitor with a tag indicating the function they perform, per your plan.

See the topic Manage Tags in the Cisco Crosswork Network Controller Administration Guide.

2. Plan which Cisco-supplied KPIs you want to begin using, based on each device's function and the device performance characteristics you want to monitor.

Review the Cisco-supplied KPIs documented in List of Health Insights KPIs.

To create a new KPI that fits your requirements, see Create a New KPI.

3. Based on your experience or by using the recommendation engine, group the KPIs to form KPI Profiles.

Follow the instructions in Create a New KPI Profile.

4. Enable the appropriate KPI Profiles on the devices you want to monitor.

Follow the instructions in Enable KPI Profiles on Devices.

1. Research the KPIs that are triggering alerts, and determine the best corrective action to take for the situation your network has experienced.

Follow the instructions in Monitor Network Health and KPIs, using the View Alerts for Network Devices to research the alerts and their possible causes.

2. Review the plays and Playbooks to determine which will best address the alerting KPI.

For example:

• Look for an existing Playbook that could resolve the issue.

• Look for existing plays that could be combined to resolve the issue. Create a new Playbook with those plays.

Review the list of Plays, Playbooks, and generic parameters in the "Playbooks" and "Plays" references in the Change Automation Developer Guide on Cisco Devnet.

See Create a Custom Play Using Templates and Create a Custom Playbook Through the UI.

3. Try out the selected Playbooks and see if they are applicable to your purposes. As you experiment, adjust the Playbook parameters as needed.

See:

Perform a Dry Run of a Playbook

Run Playbooks In Single Stepping Mode

Run Playbooks In Continuous Mode

4. If required, build new plays and then build new playbooks with the combination of plays needed to make the desired change(s) to the network.

See Create a Custom Play Using Templates and Create a Custom Playbook Through the UI.

5. (Optional) For frequently triggered KPIs with a known remediation Playbook, link the Playbook to the KPI to make executing the Playbook easier for the operator.

Follow the steps for linking and triggering Playbook runs under operator control in Link KPIs to Playbooks and Run Them Manually. Use the Remediation icon shown in View Alerts for Network Devices to trigger a run of a linked Playbook from a device or KPI alert.

6. (Optional) For frequently triggered KPIs with a known remediation Playbook and no danger of runaway execution, link the Playbook to the KPI and set it to run automatically.

Follow the steps in Link KPIs to Playbooks and Run Them Automatically to trigger an automatic run of a linked Playbook upon receipt of a device or KPI alert.

1. Identify routine maintenance tasks (such as throughput checks, software upgrades, SMU installs, and so on) that you perform on a regular schedule and that may be suitable for automation using one or more Cisco Crosswork Change Automation Playbooks.

See About Running Playbooks and View the Playbook List.

2. Configure Playbooks to perform these tasks at the desired time.

See About Running Playbooks and Schedule Playbook Runs.

3. Review the Change Automation Job History to review the current status of the Playbook. If the job fails, the details will be available.

See Use the Change Automation Dashboard and View or Abort Playbook Jobs.

1. Review the existing KPIs to make sure the telemetry you want to monitor is not already available.

Review the KPIs in List of Health Insights KPIs.

2. Review the data available from the devices you want to monitor to see if they can supply the needed information:

• If they can, proceed with building a custom KPI.

• If they cannot, Contact Cisco.

The latest information on the data your devices can provide is always available at the Cisco Telemetry Data Mapper (https://tdm.cisco.com).

See Create a New KPI.

3. Build the custom KPI and add it to a KPI Profile.

See Create a New KPI and Create a New KPI Profile.

4. Enable the new KPI Profile on a test device.

See Enable KPI Profiles on Devices.

5. Confirm that collections are working.

6. Confirm that the data reported matches your expectations and if necessary, investigate the alarms that are raised by the new KPI. Be aware that KPIs that depend on data over time to establish baseline performance will need some time to establish a baseline before they provide meaningful data.

See View Alerts for Network Devices.

7. If the KPI Profile is meeting expectations, enable it on all devices where you consider it applicable.

Follow the steps in Enable KPI Profiles on Devices.

8. Make sure the KPI Profile got deployed on the device (MDT only) and Crosswork Data Gateway (all).

See Verify the Deployment Status of Enabled KPIs.

1. Review the existing Plays and Playbooks to see if any of them meet your needs fully or partially.

From the main menu, choose Network Automation > Play List or Playbook List.

2. If required, build new plays and then a new Playbook with new or existing Plays, as necessary, to meet your requirements.

See About Custom Plays and About Customizing Playbooks.

3. For a Playbook you have developed that meets your needs, you can optionally:

• Link to a KPI for manual or automated execution.

• Schedule the playbook to run automatically.

• Manually run the playbook, as needed.

See:

• Link KPIs to Playbooks and Run Them Manually

• Link KPIs to Playbooks and Run Them Automatically

• About Running Playbooks

• Schedule Playbook Runs