Configurations

About Configurations

Catalyst Center platform provides you with Configurations to configure a customized network experience using the following options:

  • Event Settings: Catalyst Center platform supports specific Cisco Catalyst Assurance events (or incidents) that may occur within your network. This means that Catalyst Center platform can recognize these events and permits you to configure settings that customize the type, category, and severity under which Catalyst Center reports them. Configuring this information in the GUI also permits you to customize the information that Catalyst Center sends to an external system, such as ServiceNow (or perhaps to one or more REST endpoints that you can configure).

  • General Settings: You can add or edit REST and ITSM endpoint instances within a single or multiple bundles.


Note

You can also configure various types of destinations to deliver the events from the Catalyst Center platform. From the top-left corner, click the menu icon and choose System > Settings > External Services > Destinations to access the GUI window to configure a webhook, email, syslog, SNMP trap, or ITSM destination.

Configure Event Settings

A preset number of issues (or events) that may occur within your network can be found in Event Settings in the Configurations window. You can configure the type, category, severity, and workflow of these events.


Note

The Event Settings window functionality is only applicable for an ITSM (ServiceNow) integration and not for generic event notifications. For guidance about how to use this procedure within a larger set of procedures to configure ITSM integration between Catalyst Center and ServiceNow, see the Cisco Catalyst Center ITSM Integration Guide. See the text at the top of this window and click the link (here) to access the Events window in platform, where you can subscribe to events and receive notifications by email, webhook (REST API), SNMP trap, or syslog server.

Figure 1. Event Settings Window
Figure 12: Event Settings window in COnfiguration window, configuring events.

Procedure

Step 1

From the top-left corner, click the menu icon and choose Platform > Manage > Configurations > Event Settings.

Step 2

Review the Event Settings table that appears.

The following Event Settings information is displayed:

  • Event Name: Name of the Catalyst Center event.

  • Domain: Domain of the Catalyst Center event.

  • Type: Network, App, System, Security, or Integrations type of event.

  • Category: Error, Warn, Info, Alert, Task Progress, Task Complete.

  • Severity: 1 through 5.

    Note

     

    Severity 1 is the most important or critical priority and should be assigned as such.

  • Workflow: Incident, Problem, Event, or RFC.

  • Actions: Edit.

You can adjust what is displayed in the table by clicking the Filter icon and using the filter, or by typing a keyword in the Find field. For example, to display all access point notifications, type 'AP' in the Find field. To view all network notifications, type 'Network' in the Find field. To view all severity 1 notifications, type '1' in the Find field.

You can edit the event, so that its notification is customized to your network standards and conventions.

Step 3

Click Edit in the Actions column to edit an event.

Choose a setting by clicking on the downward pointing angle and adjust the value. For example, click Network and adjust to App. This changes the event type from a network type to an application type. Click Severity and adjust to 1 from 5. This raises the severity level from 5 to 1.

Step 4

Click the box next to the event name to enable notifications.

This enables notifications through Catalyst Center when the event occurs in the future.

Step 5

Click Save to save your configuration.

What to do next

  • From the top-left corner, click the menu icon and choose Platform > Runtime Dashboard.

    Notifications for events display in the Events Summary field.

  • Click View Details to view the notifications.

Configure General Settings: Edit an Instance

You can edit an instance within a single or multiple bundles using Configurations.

Figure 2. Catalyst Center Platform Configurations Window

Before you begin

Enable, configure, and activate the bundles for your network in Bundles. For information about Bundles see Bundle Features.

Procedure

Step 1

From the top-left corner, click the menu icon and choose Platform > Manage > Configurations > General Settings.

Step 2

Review the General Settings table that appears.

The following General Settings information is displayed:

  • Name: Name of the instance and version.

  • Description: Description of the settings that contain the instances.

  • Instances: Number of instances currently configured.

  • Usage: Number of bundles where the instance or instances are used.

  • Actions: Specific task that you could perform for the setting (for example, edit or add an instance for the setting).

You can adjust what is displayed in the table by clicking the Filter icon and using the filter, or by entering a keyword in the Find field.

Step 3

Click the arrow for one of the displayed instances. For example, click the CMDB Synchronization Settings (v1) or Destination to Receive Events (v1) arrow.

The list of instances for that setting is displayed.

Step 4

In the Usage column, hover your mouse pointer over Bundles.

Catalyst Center displays the bundles that use the specified instance.

Step 5

Click the Edit icon ('Pad and Pen' icon) in the Actions column to edit an existing instance.

Edit the appropriate instance for your requirements in the following steps.

Step 6

(Optional) To edit the CMDB synchronization details for a CMDB Synchronization Settings instance, choose Edit > Actions and edit one or more of the following instance fields in the slide-in panes that appear:

  • ServiceNow Access Settings: Select an instance from the drop-down menu.

  • CMDB Inventory Settings: Enter an Instance Name and Description.

  • Select Destination: Enter Destination Type and Destination URI. Options include Synchronize device inventory directly with CMDB or Post device inventory details to a staging table.

  • Select Inventory Data Fields: Select both the Inventory Data Fields to synchronize, as well as whether the data field is an attribute or reference.

  • Update Transforms: Accept or update the CI class to the device family.

  • Set Source Identifier and Operational Limit: Configure the discovery source and maximum limit.

  • Summary: Review the configuration and make any changes before saving.

Step 7

(Optional) To edit a Destination to receive events instance, choose Edit > Actions and edit one or more of the following fields in the slide-in pane:

  • Instance Name: Name of instance.

  • Description: Description of instance.

  • Destination to Receive Events: Choose one of the following:

    • Event Management: When setting up Catalyst Center integration with ServiceNow without using the Cisco Catalyst app, choose the Event Management option. The Event Management option also requires that you have the Event Management plugin configured within the ServiceNow instance.

    • REST API Endpoint: The REST API Endpoint option can be used with the Cisco Catalyst app. Data is sent to a REST API endpoint within the Cisco Catalyst app with the REST API Endpoint option.

    • Generic REST Endpoint in ServiceNow: For the Generic REST Endpoint in ServiceNow option, you can send the data to a different staging table in ServiceNow.

  • Destination URI: Enter a destination URI for the Generic REST Endpoint in ServiceNow option. This field is mandatory for this option.

For detailed information about integrating Catalyst Center with ServiceNow, see the Cisco Catalyst Center ITSM Integration Guide for this release.

Step 8

Click Update to save your edits to the instance.

The edits to the instance immediately take effect.

Configure General Settings: Add an Instance

You can add an instance within a single or multiple bundles using Configurations.

Before you begin

Enable, configure, and activate the bundles for your network in Bundles. For information about Bundles see Bundle Features.

Procedure

Step 1

From the top-left corner, click the menu icon and choose Platform > Manage > Configurations > General Settings.

Step 2

Review the General Settings table that appears.

The following General Settings information is displayed:

  • Name: Name of the instance and version.

  • Description: Description of the settings that contain the instances.

  • Instances: Number of instances in setting.

  • Usage: Number of bundles where the instance or instances are used.

  • Actions: Specific task that you could perform for the setting (for example, edit or add an instance for the setting).

You can adjust what is displayed in the table by clicking the Filter icon and using the filter, or by entering a keyword in the Find field.

Step 3

Click the arrow for one of the displayed instances. For example, click the CMDB Synchronization Settings (v1) or Destination to Receive Events (v1) arrow.

The list of instances for that setting is displayed.

Step 4

In the Usage column, hover your mouse pointer over Bundles.

Catalyst Center displays the bundles that use the specified instance.

Step 5

Click the Add Instances link in the Actions column to add an instance.

Add the appropriate instance or instances for your requirements in the following steps.

Step 6

(Optional) To add a CMDB Synchronization Settings instance, click Add Instance in the Actions column and enter the following instance fields in the slide-in panes that appear:

  • ServiceNow Access Settings: Select an instance from the drop-down menu.

  • CMDB Inventory Settings: Enter an Instance Name and Description.

  • Select Destination: Enter Destination Type and Destination URI. Options include Synchronize device inventory directly with CMDB or Post device inventory details to a staging table.

  • Select Inventory Data Fields: Select both the Inventory Data Fields to synchronize, as well as whether the data field is an attribute or reference.

  • Update Transforms: Accept or update the CI class to the device family.

  • Set Source Identifier and Operational Limit: Configure the discovery source and maximum limit.

  • Summary: Review the configuration and make any changes before saving.

Step 7

(Optional) To add a Destination to receive events instance, click Add Instance in the Actions column and enter the following instance fields in the slide-in pane:

  • Instance Name: Name of instance.

  • Description: Description of instance.

  • Destination to Receive Events: Choose one of the following:

    • Event Management: When setting up Catalyst Center integration with ServiceNow without using the Cisco Catalyst app, choose the Event Management option. The Event Management option also requires that you have the Event Management plug-in configured within the ServiceNow instance.

    • REST API Endpoint: The REST API Endpoint option can be used with the Cisco Catalyst app. Data is sent to a REST API endpoint within the Cisco Catalyst app with the REST API Endpoint option.

    • Generic REST Endpoint in ServiceNow: For the Generic REST Endpoint in ServiceNow option, you can send the data to a different staging table in ServiceNow.

  • Destination URI: Enter a destination URI for the Generic REST Endpoint in ServiceNow option. This field is mandatory for this option.

For detailed information about integrating Catalyst Center with ServiceNow, see the Cisco Catalyst Center ITSM Integration Guide for this release.

Step 8

Click Add to save your instance addition.

The additions to the instance take effect immediately.

Configure a Webhook Destination

Catalyst Center supports a webhook destination for both events and reports.

To configure a webhook destination for events or reports, perform the following steps using the Catalyst Center GUI.

Procedure

Step 1

From the top-left corner, click the menu icon and choose System > Settings > External Services > Destination > Webhook.

Step 2

Review the Webhook tab.

The following fields are displayed:

  • Name: Name of the webhook.

  • Description: Description (user provided) of the webhook.

  • URL: URL of webhook (callback URL).

  • Method: REST API method of webhook (POST).

  • Edit: Link that opens field to edit the configured webhook fields. After editing the webhook configuration, click Update to save your changes.

For this release, you can configure an IPv6 value for the URL.

Step 3

Click Add to configure a webhook.

An Add Webhook slide-in pane is displayed.

Step 4

Enter values in the fields in the Add Webhook slide-in pane to configure the webhook.

  • Name: Name of the webhook.

  • Description: Description of the webhook.

  • URL: URL address of the webhook (callback URL).

Step 5

Depending upon your webhook configuration, choose whether a trust certificate is associated with the webhook URL.

For the Trust Certificate radio button, click Yes or No.

Step 6

Depending upon your webhook configuration, choose the authentication type associated with your webhook URL.

For the Authentication radio button, choose one of the following:

  • Basic: Authentication where the client sends HTTP requests with an Authorization header that contains the word Basic , followed by a space and a base64-encoded string username:password . If you select Basic in the GUI, the Header Key field is automatically populated with the Authorization value.

  • Token: Authentication where users are authenticated using a security token that is provided by the server. If you select Token, the Header Key field below enters the value X-Auth-Token.

  • No Authentication: No authentication needed.

Step 7

Under Headers, enter values for the Header Name and Header Value.

Click Add to add the header name and value.

Note

 

Depending on the type of authentication you chose, header names and values may be automatically populated.

Step 8

Click Save to save your webhook destination configuration.

What to do next

Configure a webhook destination for either an event or a report. For information about the procedures to configure an event or a report using the webhook destination, see Work with Event Notifications and Run Your First Report.

Configure an Email Destination

Catalyst Center supports email notification for both events and reports.


Note

For the emails to have the correct Catalyst Center hyperlink, enter the IP address or hostname of Catalyst Center in the Integrations Settings window. To enter this information using the GUI, click the menu icon and choose System > Settings > System Configuration > Integration Settings. For more information, see Configure Integration Settings.

You must have the appropriate permissions to perform the tasks described in this procedure. For information about role-based access control for the Catalyst Center platform, see Role-Based Access Control Support for Platform.

Perform the following steps to configure an email destination for events or reports using the Catalyst Center GUI.

Procedure

Step 1

From the top-left corner, click the menu icon and choose System > Settings > External Services > Destinations > Email.

Step 2

Configure the required Primary SMTP Server fields:

  • Hostname/IP: Enter the Hostname or IP address of the primary SMTP server.

  • Type: Choose the protocol type from the drop-down list.

  • Port: Choose the port number of the server form the drop-down list.

    Note

     
    The default port number is 25.

  • Username: Enter the username for authenticating the primary SMTP server.

  • Password: Enter the password for authenticating the primary SMTP server.

Step 3

Configure the optional Secondary SMTP Server fields:

  • Hostname/IP: Enter the Hostname or IP address of the secondary SMTP server.

  • Type: Choose the protocol type from the drop-down list.

  • Port: Choose the port number of the server form the drop-down list.

    Note

     
    The default port number is 25.

  • Username: Enter the username for authenticating the secondary SMTP server.

  • Password: Enter the password for authenticating the secondary SMTP server.

Step 4

Configure the Senders and Receivers test email fields:

  • From: Sender of the test email.

  • To: Recipient of the test email.

  • Subject: Enter text (up to a maximum of 200 characters) for a subject line for the test email.

Step 5

To test the email configuration, click Test.

After you click Test, a test email is sent using the parameters that you configure (for both primary and secondary SMTP server settings with Catalyst Center SMTP configuration test email as the subject line). A success (configuration validation) or failure message appears based on the test email connectivity results.

Step 6

To save the configuration, click Save.

To cancel the configuration, click Cancel.

What to do next

Configure an email destination for either an event or a report. For information, see Work with Event Notifications and Run Your First Report.

Configure a Syslog Server Destination

Catalyst Center supports a syslog server destination for event notifications.

Perform the following steps to configure a syslog server destination for event notifications using the Catalyst Center GUI.

Procedure

Step 1

From the top-left corner, click the menu icon and choose System > Settings > External Services > Destination > Syslog.

Step 2

Review the Syslog tab.

The following fields are displayed:

  • Name: Name of the syslog server.

  • Description: Description of the syslog server.

  • Hostname/IP: Hostname or IP address of the syslog server.

  • Port: Port number of the syslog server.

  • Protocol: Either TCP or UDP protocol.

Step 3

To configure a syslog server, click the Addition icon (+).

Step 4

In the Name field, enter a name for the syslog server.

Step 5

In the Description field, enter a brief description of the syslog server.

Step 6

In the Hostname/IP Address field, enter a hostname or IP address.

Step 7

In the Port field, enter a port number.

Step 8

In the Protocol field, choose a protocol from the drop-down list.

Step 9

(Optional) To test out the configuration, click Validate.

After your configuration succeeds, a validation message appears.

Step 10

To save your syslog server destination configuration, click Save.

To cancel your configuration, click Cancel.

What to do next

Configure a syslog server destination for an event notification. For information, see Work with Event Notifications.

Configure a Trap Notification

Catalyst Center supports SNMP trap event notifications.

Perform the following steps to configure SNMP trap event notifications using the Catalyst Center GUI.

Procedure

Step 1

From the top-left corner, click the menu icon and choose System > Settings > External Services > Destination > SNMP.

Step 2

Review the SNMP window.

Step 3

Click Add to configure a trap.

Step 4

Configure the following fields:

  • Name: Name of the event.

  • Description: Word or phrase about the event.

  • Hostname/IP Address: Enter the hostname or IP address for the SNMP trap receiver (server).

    You can configure an IPv6 value for the Hostname/IP address.

  • Port: Enter the port number for the SNMP trap receiver (server).

  • SNMP Version: Choose the SNMP version from the drop-down list:

    • SNMP V2C: For SNMP Version 2C, enter the community string.

    • SNMP V3: For SNMP Version 3, enter the following additional information:

      • Username

      • Mode: Choose a mode from the drop-down list.

        • For No Authentication, No Privacy selection, no further configuration is required.

        • For Authentication, No Privacy, configure the Authentication Type (SHA or MD5), Authentication Password, and Confirm Authentication Password.

        • For Authentication and Privacy, configure the Authentication Type (SHA or MD5), Authentication Password, Confirm Authentication Password. Additionally, configure the Privacy Type (AES128, DES), Privacy Password, and Confirm Privacy Password.

Step 5

Click Save.

What to do next

Access the Event Notifications window to select one or more events and subscribe to the configured SNMP trap destination. From the top-left corner, click the menu icon and choose Platform > Developer Toolkit > Event Notifications. Choose an event that supports subscription to an SNMP trap destination (SYSTEM type event) and subscribe.