API Guide: Port Assignment For Keysight & Cyperf

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API Guide: Port Assignment for Keysight & Cyperf

Hey guys! Let's dive into the nitty-gritty of port assignment using the Keysight and cyperf-api-wrapper, specifically focusing on how to create stuff programmatically. We're going to create three killer samples that show you how to assign ports by different methods: by_port, by_tag, and by_id. I know that getting started can sometimes feel like trying to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions, but don’t worry, this guide is your instruction manual! I've also run into the same hurdles, especially when dealing with the APS compute node. So let's get you up and running with some practical, easy-to-follow examples. I'll make sure you can assign a port to an APS compute node.

Understanding the Basics of Port Assignment via API

Before we jump into the samples, let's get on the same page about what we're actually doing. In the context of the Keysight and cyperf-api-wrapper, port assignment is all about telling the system which physical or virtual ports should be associated with specific network functions, virtual machines (VMs), or APS compute nodes. Think of it like a traffic controller directing data flow. You're essentially defining how data travels in your network. This is crucial for setting up your network topology and testing, allowing you to simulate and analyze network behavior effectively. You could have a _by_port where you assign ports directly using their physical port number; or you could use a _by_tag approach and use labels like 'Server' or 'Storage', etc., to apply settings to a group of ports. The _by_id assignment is when you are pointing to the unique ID of the device to be configured. These methods give you flexibility in managing your network resources, and each has its own use case.

Now, the API wrappers like cyperf-api-wrapper are your remote control. They provide the functions and methods needed to interact with the Keysight hardware and software. They abstract away the complexity of the underlying systems, letting you define, configure, and manage your network setup with Python code (or whatever language the wrapper is written in). These wrappers handle the communication protocols, authentication, and error handling, making your life a whole lot easier. When you have samples for by_port, by_tag, and by_id, you can select the method to use.

Why Create Samples?

So why are we creating these samples? Because the existing documentation can sometimes be a bit vague. The samples are designed to be hands-on guides. The samples are not just about showing the code; they're about helping you understand the underlying concepts. They offer you ready-to-use code snippets that you can adapt to your environment, saving you tons of time and effort. I'm hoping that these examples help you move from reading about port assignment to actually doing it, letting you test out different configurations, troubleshoot issues, and understand how the API works under the hood. The ultimate goal is to give you a solid foundation for network configuration and automation, and to make sure that you can apply these techniques to your own projects and, more importantly, to your specific use cases.

Sample 1: Port Assignment by Port

Alright, let's start with the simplest case: port assignment by port. This method is the most straightforward. You're directly specifying the physical port number to which you want to assign a function or a resource. It's like saying, "Hey, port 1 on this device needs to connect to this server." This is perfect for when you need precise control over which ports are used for specific connections, like setting up dedicated links for critical services or performance testing.

In this example, we'll assume you have a Keysight device, and you want to assign a specific port (let's say port number 1) to a given network function. This example will show you how to identify the port, and how to assign something to that port. Here is an example with placeholder values that you can use as a starting point. Make sure to replace the values with your actual device and port information:

# Import the necessary libraries (assuming you have cyperf-api-wrapper installed).
import cyperf_api_wrapper as cyperf

# Configuration parameters
device_ip = "192.168.1.100"  # Replace with the IP address of your Keysight device
port_number = 1                # The physical port number you want to assign
network_function_name = "MyNetworkFunction"  # Replace with the name or ID of your network function

# Initialize the API client
api = cyperf.ApiClient(device_ip)

# --- Step 1: Establish Connection to the Device ---

# First, we need to ensure we can connect to the Keysight device using its IP address.
# This might involve some setup like authentication or other necessary configurations
# that depend on your specific device setup and how the cyperf-api-wrapper works.
# For example:

# api.login(username="admin", password="password") # Example of authentication

# --- Step 2: Assign the port ---

# Here's where the magic happens.  You'll typically use a function provided by the API wrapper
# to assign a network function to a specific port.  The syntax will depend on
# how the API is designed, but it will likely involve the port number and the ID or name
# of the network function you want to assign.

try:
    # This is a placeholder. Adapt this line based on the cyperf-api-wrapper's methods.
    api.assign_port(port=port_number, network_function=network_function_name)
    print(f"Successfully assigned port {port_number} to {network_function_name}")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error assigning port: {e}")

# --- Step 3: Verification (Optional) ---

# Verify the assignment (This step is critical to ensure that the port is assigned correctly)
# Query the device using an appropriate API call to confirm the assignment.
# The specific API call will depend on the API wrapper you are using

try:
    assigned_ports = api.get_assigned_ports()
    if port_number in assigned_ports:
        print(f"Port {port_number} is successfully assigned.")
    else:
        print(f"Port {port_number} is not assigned as expected.")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error verifying port assignment: {e}")

Key Points for Success

  • Adaptability: This code is a template. Make sure you adjust the device_ip, port_number, and network_function_name variables to match your actual hardware and network setup. This is a very important step because if the values are not accurate, the code will fail.
  • API Calls: The exact API calls (like api.assign_port) and their parameters will vary depending on the cyperf-api-wrapper. Refer to the wrapper’s documentation. Make sure to consult the documentation for your specific cyperf-api-wrapper version for the precise method names and parameters.
  • Error Handling: Always include error handling (try...except blocks) to catch potential issues like connection problems or incorrect parameters. This will save you loads of debugging time. If something fails, the error messages will help you understand where the issue lies.
  • Verification: Verify the assignment. After running your assignment code, double-check that the port is correctly assigned by querying the device for its configuration.

Sample 2: Port Assignment by Tag

Now, let's explore port assignment by tag. This method uses tags (or labels) to group ports and apply configurations to all ports with a specific tag. It is a fantastic tool to create bulk configuration updates to your devices. This approach is highly efficient when you want to apply the same settings across multiple ports. For example, you might tag all ports connected to a server cluster as "ServerPorts" and then assign specific configurations to this tag. This way, if you need to change settings for all server ports, you only need to update the tag configuration.

# Import the necessary libraries
import cyperf_api_wrapper as cyperf

# Configuration parameters
device_ip = "192.168.1.100"  # Replace with the IP address of your Keysight device
port_tag = "ServerPorts"    # The tag you want to assign to a group of ports
network_function_name = "MyNetworkFunction"  # The network function

# Initialize the API client
api = cyperf.ApiClient(device_ip)

# --- Step 1: Establish Connection ---

# Same as before, connect to your device

# --- Step 2: Define/Assign the Tag ---
# The way to define or assign a tag to a port varies. Check the cyperf-api-wrapper's documentation
# to find the specific API call. You might need to use a function like
# api.assign_tag(port_number=1, tag=port_tag) or similar.

# Here's a conceptual example:

try:
    # Assuming you have a function to assign a tag to a port, replace with the right one:
    # This part depends on the wrapper's implementation, and must be based on its documentation.
    api.assign_tag(port_number=1, tag=port_tag)
    api.assign_tag(port_number=2, tag=port_tag)  # Assign multiple ports
    print(f"Successfully assigned the tag '{port_tag}' to selected ports.")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error assigning the tag: {e}")

# --- Step 3: Assign the Network Function to the Tag ---
# You will use another function, likely with the tag's name as an argument.

try:
    # Again, a placeholder. Refer to documentation.
    api.assign_function_by_tag(tag=port_tag, network_function=network_function_name)
    print(f"Successfully assigned {network_function_name} to ports with tag {port_tag}.")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error assigning function by tag: {e}")

# --- Step 4: Verification ---
# Verify the function assignment.

try:
    # Again, example API call - check your API wrapper.
    assigned_functions = api.get_functions_by_tag(port_tag)
    if network_function_name in assigned_functions:
        print(f"Network function {network_function_name} is assigned to ports with tag {port_tag}.")
    else:
        print(f"Network function not assigned as expected.")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error verifying assignment: {e}")

Key Considerations

  • Tagging Strategy: Plan your tagging strategy. Group ports logically based on their function or location. This will make your configurations easier to manage and scale.
  • Wrapper Specifics: As always, the specific functions and parameters will vary. Look for functions like assign_tag, assign_function_by_tag, and any relevant methods for retrieving and managing tags within your cyperf-api-wrapper. For example, when you tag a port, that port then inherits any configuration assigned to the tag. This is how you can batch change the configurations.
  • Testing: Test your configurations thoroughly. After assigning tags and functions, verify the network setup to ensure everything works as expected.

Sample 3: Port Assignment by ID

Finally, let's look at port assignment by ID. This method is particularly useful when you need to assign ports to specific devices identified by their unique IDs. This is especially helpful in dynamic environments where IP addresses or port numbers might change. If you have a specific VM or APS compute node you need to configure, this is the way to go. The method requires you to have the ID of the device to be configured. In this sample, we'll demonstrate how to assign a port to an APS compute node, as requested in the original question.

# Import the necessary libraries
import cyperf_api_wrapper as cyperf

# Configuration parameters
device_ip = "192.168.1.100" # Replace with the IP address of your Keysight device
aps_node_id = "aps_compute_node_id_123" # Replace with the actual ID of your APS compute node
port_number = 3 # The port number

# Initialize the API client
api = cyperf.ApiClient(device_ip)

# --- Step 1: Establish Connection ---

# Connect to your device

# --- Step 2: Assign the Port to the APS Compute Node ---
# The assignment process here involves using the APS compute node's ID.

try:
    # Assuming you have a function like this in your API wrapper.
    api.assign_port_to_aps_node(port=port_number, aps_node_id=aps_node_id)
    print(f"Successfully assigned port {port_number} to APS compute node {aps_node_id}.")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error assigning port by ID: {e}")

# --- Step 3: Verification ---

# Verify
try:
    assigned_ports = api.get_aps_node_ports(aps_node_id) # Example API call
    if port_number in assigned_ports:
        print(f"Port {port_number} is successfully assigned to {aps_node_id}.")
    else:
        print(f"Port {port_number} is not assigned as expected.")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error verifying port assignment: {e}")

Important Considerations:

  • ID Retrieval: Make sure you have the correct aps_node_id. If you don't already know the ID, you may need to use another API call, possibly something like api.get_aps_nodes() to list and identify available nodes.
  • Wrapper Specifics: API methods and syntax will differ; follow the documentation closely. Some wrappers require parameters in a certain order. And, of course, the underlying implementation and the way the API interacts with the hardware, this needs to be consulted.
  • Testing and Validation: Always verify your configurations. Double-check that the port is correctly assigned to the compute node.

Conclusion

There you have it, guys! We've covered the basics of port assignment using by_port, by_tag, and by_id with the Keysight and cyperf-api-wrapper. These samples should give you a good starting point for your own automation projects. Remember to adapt the code to fit your environment, and always refer to the specific documentation for your API wrapper for the most accurate and up-to-date information. The best way to use these examples is to learn from them, customize them to your specific needs, and of course, experiment. Happy coding, and happy network automation!

I hope this guide helps you configure your devices! If you have any questions or need further assistance, don't hesitate to ask!