Using Cisco Network Insights Base

This chapter contains the following sections:

About Cisco Network Insights Base on Cisco DCNM

The Cisco Network Insights Base (Cisco NI Base) application provides TAC Assist functionalities which are useful when working with Cisco TAC. It provides a way for Cisco Customers to collect tech support across multiple devices and upload those tech supports to Cisco Cloud. These tech support are accessible to our TAC teams when helping customers through a resolution of a Service Request. Additionally, it enables capability for our TAC teams to collect tech support on demand for a particular device.

Cisco NI Base app consists of the following components:

  • Devices

  • TAC Assist

    • Log Collection

    • Technical Support to Cloud

    • Enhanced TAC Assist

The Cisco NI Base app collects the CPU, device name, device pid, serial number, version, memory, device type, and disk usage information for the nodes in the fabric.

Cisco NI Base Initial Setup

This section contains the steps required to set up Cisco NI Base app in the Cisco DCNM. This set up is required for Cisco NI Base app to show important information and gather relevant data.

Procedure

Step 1

Once Cisco NI Base app is installed and after your first log in, a welcome dialog appears. Click Begin Setup.

A Setup dialog appears.

Step 2

In Data Collection Setup, click Configure.

The Data Collection Setup dialog appears. In the Fabrics list are pods that were discovered during the Cisco NI Base application installation.

Step 3

Check only the pods you want visible to the Cisco NI Base application.

Step 4

Click Ok.

The Setup dialog appears with the selected fabrics appearing in Data Collection Setup. You can edit the selected fabric(s) by clicking Edit configuration. You can return to the setup utility anytime by clicking the settings icon and choose Rerun Setup.

Cisco NI Base Settings

Settings

Displayed across the top of the work pane is a group of icons and a list menu comprising the Cisco NI Base app settings. The following table describes each:

Property Description

Fabric

Choose a fabric containing the pod you want visible to the Cisco NI Base application.

Device Connector Status: Identifies the current connection status of the Cisco NI Base application to the Cisco Intersight cloud and the device connector claim condition. Possible connection statuses are:

  • Not Connected: The Cisco NI Base application is not connected to the Cisco Intersight cloud.

  • Connected / Not Claimed: The Cisco NI Base application is connected to the Cisco Intersight cloud but the device connector has not been claimed by the customer.

  • Connected / Claimed: The Cisco NI Base application is connected to the Cisco Intersight cloud and the device connector has been claimed by the customer.

For more information, see Configuring the Intersight Device Connector.

Clicking on this icon invokes a list menu allowing you to make changes to the following:

  • About Network Insights—Displays an information dialog identifying the version number of the Cisco NI Base application. Click Update to Latest to fetch the latest published version. This requires that the using of the Cisco Intersight Device Connecter is connected and claimed. See Configuring the Intersight Device Connector for details.

  • Rerun Setup—Allows you to edit the Data Collection Setup by adding or removing fabrics.

Displays the online help for Cisco Network Insights Base application on Cisco DCNM.

Setting Up the Device Connector

This section describes setting up the device connector for Cisco NI Base app on Cisco DCNM.

About Device Connector

Devices are connected to the Intersight portal through a Device Connector that is embedded in the management controller of each system. Device Connector provides a secure way for the connected devices to send information and receive control instructions from the Cisco Intersight portal, using a secure Internet connection.

When an Intersight-enabled device or application starts, the Device Connector starts at boot by default, and attempts to connect to the cloud service. If the Auto Update option is enabled, the Device Connector is automatically updated to the latest version through a refresh by the Intersight service when you connect to Intersight. For more information on the Auto Update option, see Configuring the Intersight Device Connector.

Configuring the Intersight Device Connector

Cisco NI Base application is connected to the Cisco Intersight cloud portal through a Device Connector which is embedded in the management controller of the Cisco DCNM platform. Cisco Intersight is a virtual appliance that helps manage and monitor devices through the Cisco NI Base app. The Device Connector provides a secure way for connected Cisco DCNM to send and receive information from the Cisco Intersight portal, using a secure Internet connection.

To setup the Device Connector, follow these steps:

Procedure

Step 1

On the Cisco DCNM navigation pane, click Administration.

Step 2

Under the Cisco DCNM Server list, click Device Connector.

The Device Connector work pane appears:
Step 3

At the far right of the screen, click Settings.

The Settings - General dialog appears:

Device Connector (switch)

This is the main switch for the Device Connector communication with Cisco Intersight. When the switch is on (green highlight), the system is claimed and the capabilities of the Cisco Intersight can be leveraged. If the switch is off (gray highlight), no communication can occur between the platform and Cisco intersight.

Access Mode

Read-only: This option ensures that no changes are made to this device from Intersight. For example, actions such as upgrading firmware or a profile deployment will not be allowed in the Read-Only mode. However, the actions depend on the features available for a particular system.

Allow Control: This option (selected by default) enables you to perform full read/write operations from the appliance, based on the features available in Cisco Intersight. This function is not used for changes from Cisco Cloud to customer network.

Step 4

Set the Device Connector to on (green highlight) and choose Allow Control.

Step 5

Click Proxy Configuration.

The Settings - Proxy Configuration dialog appears.

Enable Proxy (switch)

Enable HTTPS Proxy to configure the proxy settings.

Proxy Hostname/IP* and Proxy Port*: Enter a proxy hostname or IP address, and a proxy port number.

Authentication (switch)

Enable proxy access through authentication. When the switch is on (green highlight), authentication to the proxy server is required. If the switch is off (gray highlight), no authentication is required.

Username* and Password: Enter a user name and password for authentication.

Note 

Proxy settings are required for Network Insights.
Step 6

Enable the proxy (green highlight) and enter a hostname and port number.
Step 7

Optional: If proxy authentication is required, enable it (green highlight) and enter a username and password.

Step 8

Click Save.

Claiming a Device

Before you begin

Configure the Intersight Device Connector information from the Cisco DCNM site using the instructions provided in Configuring the Intersight Device Connector.

Procedure

Step 1

Log into the Cisco Intersight cloud site:

https://www.intersight.com
Step 2

In the Cisco Intersight cloud site, under the Devices tab, click Claim a New Device.

The Claim a New Device page appears.

Step 3

Go back to the Cisco DCNM site and navigate back to the Intersight - Device Connector page.

  1. On the menu bar, choose System > System Settings.

  2. In the Navigation pane, click Intersight.

Step 4

Copy the Device ID and Claim Code from the Cisco DCNM site and paste them into the proper fields in the Claim a New Device page in the Intersight cloud site.

Click on the clipboard next to the fields in the Cisco DCNM site to copy the field information into the clipboard.

Step 5

In the Claim a New Device page in the Intersight cloud site, click Claim.

You should see the message "Your device has been successfully claimed" in the Claim a New Device page. Also, in the main page, you should see your Cisco DCNM system, with Connected shown in the Status column.

Step 6

Go back to the Intersight - Device Connector page in the Cisco DCNM GUI and verify that the system was claimed successfully.

You should see green dotted lines connecting Internet to Intersight in the Device Connector graphic, and the text Claimed underneath the graphic.

Note 

You may have to click Refresh in the Intersight - Device Connector page to update the information in the page to the current state.

If you decide to unclaim this device for some reason, locate the Unclaim link in the Intersight - Device Connector page and click that link.

Navigating Cisco NI Base

The Cisco NI Base application window is divided into two parts: the Navigation pane and the Work pane.

Navigation Pane

The Cisco NI Base app navigation pane divides the collected data into the following categories:

1 Devices: Sorts devices by device name, serial number, IP address, version, and platform.

2 TAC Assist: Collects logs for specified devices that can be attached to service requests using the Cisco Intersight Cloud.

Devices

The Devices page displays the devices by device name, serial number, IP address, version, and platform.

TAC Assist

The TAC Assist work pane lets you collect logs for specified devices that can be attached to service requests using the Cisco Intersight Cloud. It lets you check the device(s) for which you can collect logs to assist TAC.

The Log Collection section displays the new job triggered for TAC Assist. The Job Details page lists the TAC Assist logs.

All information about TAC Assist job including, status, devices, fabric, start time, job id, device name, log location, and cloud upload appear in the work pane.

Using the Cisco NI Base Application

Main Dashboard

The Cisco NI Base application main dashboard provides immediate access to a high-level view of Devices and access to TAC Assist logs in your network.

Property Description

Devices

Displays devices by device name, serial number, IP address, version, and platform in your network.

TAC Assist

Displays the total number of TAC assist logs currently being collected or finished being collected.

Devices

The Devices dashboard displays devices by serial numbers, software versions, and hardware platforms. You can sort devices by device name, serial number, IP address, software version, and hardware platform.

TAC Assist

The TAC Assist dashboard allows you to collect logs for devices in your network. These logs can be attached to Service Requests (SRs) for further analysis.

  1. Click Begin to initiate the log collection process.

  2. To display specific devices in the list, use the filter utility:

    • Operators - display devices using an operator. Valid operators are:

      • = = - display devices with an exact match. This operator must be followed by text and/or symbols that are the exact software version, product ID, device name, or assigned IP address of the device.

      • contains - display device names or platform identifiers containing entered text or symbols. This operator must be followed by text and/or symbols.

    • Version - display devices that are running a specific software version.

    • Platform - display devices that are a specific type defined by the platform ID.

    • Device Name - display devices that are specifically named.

    • Serial Number - display devices that are running a specific serial number.

    • IP Address - display devices that are assigned a specific IP address.

  3. Place a check in the checkbox next to the device for which you want to collect logs. If you want to choose all of the devices in the list, place a check in the checkbox next to the Device Name column title.

  4. Click Collect Logs.

    The Collect Logs dialog appears on the TAC Assist dashboard. Once the logs are collected, Cisco NI Base app lets you view the collected log details. The TAC Assist detailed page displays the location where the logs are collected and lets you upload to the Cisco Intersight Cloud.

The following table describes the status messages for TAC Assist.

Property Description

Pending

Displays when connecting to Intersight Device Connector is pending.

Collection in Progress

Displays when collecting the logs locally to Intersight Device Connector is in progress.

Collection Complete

Displays when collecting the logs locally to Intersight Device Connector is complete.

Retry Upload

Displays when there is a failure to collect logs.

Upload Pending

Displays when uploading the logs from Intersight Device Connector to Cisco Intersight Cloud is pending.

Upload in Progress

Displays when uploading the logs from Intersight Device Connector to Cisco Intersight Cloud is in progress.

Complete

Displays when upload to Cisco Intersight Cloud is complete.

TAC Assist

This section contains the steps required for you to trigger a TAC Assist job to collect logs for specified devices and upload the logs to cloud. The collected logs for specified devices then can be attached to the service requests (SRs).

Before you begin

Before you upload the collected logs to cloud, make sure the fabric is conneced to Cisco Intersight cloud. See Configuring the Intersight Device Connector for details.

Procedure

Step 1

Click TAC Assist in the Cisco DCNM navigation pane.

Step 2

Click Begin to choose the fabric device(s).

Step 3

From the Collect Logs page check the device(s) for which to collect logs to assist TAC.

The Log Collection section displays the new job triggered for TAC Assist.

Step 4

Click View Details from the list of logs to display the Job Details page.

All information about TAC Assist job including, status, devices, fabric, start time, job id, device name, log location, and cloud upload appear in the work pane.

Step 5

Click Upload to upload the collected logs to Cisco Intersight Cloud.

The Cloud status shows Complete when the upload of collected logs to Cisco Intersight Cloud is complete.

Enhanced TAC Assist

The Enhanced TAC Assist feature triggered by TAC enables collection of logs for specified devices and uploads the logs to cloud. Click View Details from list of logs to display the job details page.

The View Details page shows a message that the job is triggered by TAC and hence no subsequent actions can be invoked on this job.