Importing device adapters

In addition to the built-in device adapters provided by TrueSight Network Automation, you can import new adapter files. Ensure that you follow the rules that apply to device adapter definition files and validate the device type adapters.

You can also re-import an existing device adapter after modifying it. Re-importing is possible for the following types of device adapters:

• Device Type
• Configuration Trail (except Running/Startup)
• Custom Action
• External Script Action

Before you begin

You need a user name and password with administrator privileges on the TrueSight Network Automation server.

To import an adapter

1. Log on to the server.
2. On the Admin tab, click Network Admin > Device Adapters.
3. Click Import.
   
   

4. In the Import dialog box, click Browse, and then select the file that you want to import.

   Note

   The selected file must be named with the .xml extension (case-insensitive).

   If you are re-importing a device adapter that you modified, the modified file can have any file name that you find useful. The adapter to be replaced is identified by the GUID contained within the file.

5. (Optional) If you want the newly-added adapters to be enabled following the import, select the Enable New Device Adapters option. Otherwise, new adapters start out as disabled. Existing adapters are not affected.
6. Click Import.
   The file is imported and scanned for errors. Error messages are displayed in the user interface.
   If the import is successful a User event is logged with the name of the adapter being imported.
   If the adapter is enabled (the default mentioned in step 5), it becomes available to users.

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After a successful import

If you have import changes to an existing device type, you might need to perform a Refresh Device Status action on the devices of that device type. If you modify the <supportedTrail> elements such that you remove one or more trails, your devices might contain stale information from the trails you removed. This includes configurations, discrepancies, compliance violations, and values from the configuration-profiled dynamic fields. When you perform a refresh, the stale configurations are deleted, and the discrepancies and violations based on those configurations are cleared, and the profiled dynamic field values extracted from the stale configurations are removed.

Rules that apply to device adapter definition files

• The XML code must conform to the schema defined in the DeviceTypeMap.xsd file that is located in the following directory:
  
  BCAN_HOME\public\bmc\bca-networks\xml
• Each adapter must have a unique GUID. To generate a new GUID, use the create_guid.sh or create_guid.bat script in the BCAN_HOME/tools directory.
  
  If you import an adapter file with the same GUID as an existing adapter, the imported file replaces the current adapter.

• Each adapter of the same type (Vendor, Device Type, Custom Action, Configuration Trail, or External Script Action) must have a unique name.

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Validation of device type adapters

When you import a new or modified device type adapter, TrueSight Network Automation validates the XML and also performs the following validations:

• Supported trail declarations must contain a reference to a valid trail GUID.
• Snapshot, Deploy to Active, and Deploy to Stored command GUIDs must have a corresponding implementation in the imported definition. (Snapshot, Deploy to Active, or Deploy to Stored commands pointing to a custom action are not required to have an implementation in the imported definition).
• The imported definition must have implementations for the following commands:
  • Login
  • Discover Core
  • Logout
  • Reboot

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Related topics

Modifying device adapters
Exporting device adapters
Testing considerations when adding a device type