Previously on this blog….

In our last session on scripting we generated a script that read output from a Juniper switch and created output that we could paste into a Cisco switch to produce an identical port configuration. Today we will explore how to utilize the API provided by DNA Center to remove the step of having to paste the code in at the CLI.

Most of the time those Notepad++ (or insert favorite text editor) templates are enough. Especially once an environment is built and you are performing the same tasks day after day. But let’s say you are building out a new environment or migrating from one platform to another in which configs aren’t compatible. There are a lot of similar configuration items but the input is just slightly different. Let’s use migrating from a Juniper EX series switch to a Nexus switch for example.

A couple of weeks ago a few colleagues who are very accomplished network architects but who do not have any programming experience asked me “Why is using an API better than scripting out CLI commands?” I found this very hard to explain in a way that was easily relatable to them.