Configuring Device Drivers

A device driver is a set of configuration commands that NetIM uses when communicating with a network device using that device’s console command line interface (CLI). NetIM uses CLI when collecting configuration files and other device data directly from network devices. CLI is also used during AppNetwork Path analysis.

SteelCentral NetIM ships with a set of System-Defined Device Drivers. In the Device Driver wizard, system-defined device drivers are designated by a lock (

) icon. The lock indicates that the device driver cannot be deleted and the modifications you can make to a system-defined device driver are limited:

• Certain commands can be modified.
The Device Driver commands that are modified most often are the IPv4 “IPRoute” commands. For a list of the variants of the IP Route command that are allowable for each supported device, see “System-Defined Device Drivers".

Some default command types that are included in a system-defined device driver are not collected by Device Config File Collection in the default configuration. This is typically done when the output is extensive and is only needed for certain workflows, as is the case with IP Route and BGP RIB.

With the exception of BGP RIB, if a command type is included in the system-defined device driver, the output of that command can be parsed and imported into NetIM. BGP RIB can be collected and archived by NetIM but it is not imported in the database.

NetIM’s system-defined device drivers are applicable to many network devices. If you have a device in your network that does not match one of NetIM’s system-defined device drivers, you can create your own or modify an existing device driver.

While you can configure NetIM to collect the output of any device show command, only supported file formats can be imported into NetIM.

Each system-defined device driver has a System Object ID and System Description. The System Object ID/System Description pair is used in conjunction with some other information to determine the appropriate device driver to assign to a device when NetIM autoconfigures a device entry for CLI collection.

When you create a device driver, you should specify a unique System Object ID/System Description pair for the new driver. If you do not, the device driver will not be assigned to any devices during autoconfiguration of device entries. When this occurs, you must manually assign the device driver to devices using the Device Manager.

The steps you perform to enable the collection of CLI data depends on whether the device driver is system- or user-defined. For a system-defined driver, it also depends on whether it is a default command type or one that you added to the driver.

Driver Type	Command Type	Action
System-Defined	Non-default (added by user)	Add collection command to device driver. See Editing a Device Driver,.
User-Defined	Any	Add collection command to device driver. See Editing a Device Driver,.

Use the Device Drivers wizard to manage device drivers. You can modify system-defined device drivers (as described in “System-Defined Device Drivers") or you can create your own device drivers to collect CLI data from any vendor.

In addition, you can use the Device Drivers wizard to create your own command types so you can collect any CLI data. When you define your own command type, NetIM collects and archives it, but most likely will be unable to import it. The archived files are available to clients, including analysis software.

Depending on what task you want to do, follow one of these procedures to manage device drivers.

While you can create a device driver from scratch, it may be easier to choose an existing device driver that is closest to your needs, then clone and modify it. For instructions describing how to clone a device driver, see Cloning and Modifying a Device Driver,

2. Navigate to CONFIGURE->All Settings->Customize->Device Drivers.

3. Select Create Device Driver and click Next >>.

4. Enter the necessary information for the new device driver:

Each device driver should be assigned a unique System Object ID and System Description pair. For more information, see “Uniqueness of Device Drivers".

5. When finished, click Next >>.

6. For most devices, an initialize command is required to turn off paging so that the device provides the complete response to a CLI command. Depending on the device, you may need to enter multiple initialize commands. To add an initialize command complete the necessary information for the command:

7. Click Add. When finished, click Next >>.

If needed, complete Creating a Command Type, to add a command type, and then return to this procedure and continue.

The command type must be defined before you can add it to the device driver.

8. Add commands. For each command that you want to add, provide the necessary information for each command and click Add:

– Command(s): Enter a device configuration command. These are typically “show” commands.

– Expected Prompt: In most cases, you should set the expected prompt to “Automatic”. If the device prompt changes after each CLI command is sent, you should specify a regular expression that will match the changing device prompt.

9. When finished, click Next >>.

10. For some devices, a finalize command is required at the end of the session to return the device to the state it was in prior to the NetIM login. For example, you may need to re-enable paging. Depending on the device, you may need to enter multiple finalize commands. To add a finalize command complete the necessary information for each command and click Add:

11. When finished, click Next >>.

12. Review the device driver details.

13. If you need to make changes, click << Previous.

14. When the information is correct, click Finish to save the new device driver.

Perform the following procedure to create a device driver by coping an existing driver and modifying it.

2. Navigate to CONFIGURE->All Settings->Customize->Device Drivers.

3. Select Clone Device Driver.

4. From the list of Existing Device Drivers, click the device driver that you want to use as the basis for the new device driver.

6. Follow the prompts provided by the wizard as described in Creating a Device Driver,, starting with “Wizard Step 2 - Driver Details:"

Editing of a system-defined device driver is limited. See “System-Defined Device Drivers".

2. Navigate to CONFIGURE->All Settings->Customize->Device Drivers.

3. Select Edit Device Driver.

4. From the list of Existing Device Drivers, click the device driver that you want to edit.

6. Follow the prompts provided by the wizard as described in Creating a Device Driver,, starting with Wizard Step 2 - Driver Details:,

2. Navigate to CONFIGURE->All Settings->Customize->Device Drivers.

3. Select Delete Device Driver.

4. From the list of Existing Device Drivers, click the user-defined device driver that you want to delete. User-defined device drivers are indicated by an unlocked icon.

6. Review the device driver details.

7. If you selected the incorrect driver to delete, click << Previous.

8. If you selected the correct driver to delete, click Finish to delete the device driver.

If you delete a device driver that is assigned to a device entry, the device driver for that device entry will change to “Unknown.”

You will create a new command type as part of creating or editing a device driver.

2. Navigate to CONFIGURE->All Settings->Customize->Device Drivers.

3. Select Create or Edit Device Driver.

4. Perform the steps in the applicable procedure until you reach the Collection Commands. After you create the command type, return to your procedure and finish creating/modifying the device driver.

5. On the Collection Commands screen, click the Customize Command Types (

) icon to open the Command Type Manager dialog box, as shown in the following screen.

6. Click the

button in the Command Type Manager to add a new command type. Enter the following information for the command type:

7. When finished, click Save to save the changes and exit the Command Type Manager.