Automation with Meraki Provisioning API

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2 DEVNET-2120 Automation with Meraki Provisioning API Courtney M. Batiste, Solutions Architect- Cisco Meraki

3 Cisco Spark How Questions? Use Cisco Spark to communicate with the speaker after the session 1. Find this session in the Cisco Live Mobile App 2. Click Join the Discussion 3. Install Spark or go directly to the space 4. Enter messages/questions in the space cs.co/ciscolivebot#devnet-2120

4 Agenda Introduction What is a RESTful API? Cisco Meraki Dashboard API Introduction Accessing the API with Postman Advanced API Usage with Python Scripts

5 Cisco Meraki Dashboard API Introduction

6 What is a RESTful API? An HTTP based application interface leveraging GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE HTTP calls Follows the same basic principle as CRUD Create, Read, Update, Delete CREATE HTTP POST READ HTTP GET UPDATE HTTP PUT DELETE HTTP DELETE DEVNET

7 Meraki Dashboard API What is it? RESTful API Interface to the Cisco Meraki Cloud Infrastructure Enables scalable provisioning and deployment via automation and scripting Get bulk organization, network, device, and client information Rapid deployment of fully configured networks API calls are extremely powerful BE CAREFUL Reach out to Cisco Meraki Support for API Guidance Cisco Meraki DevNET Community - Dashboard API GitHub Repository: DEVNET

8 Enabling API Access Navigate to user s my profile page in Dashboard Generate a new API key API key s are per user and provide same privileges as user account API documentation available under Help API Docs DEVNET

9 API Usage Guidelines Where possible direct API calls at Redirection will occur to your controller Non-redirect capable clients point directly to The type of action usually relates to the call type: Pull info from Dashboard = GET Add items to Dashboard = POST Edit existing items = PUT Remove items = DELETE If a call fails, check the returned data as it may contain errors in a JSON data structure DEVNET

10 Accessing the API Using Postman

11 What is Postman? Simple to use REST client for quick/simple API interactions Easy to install - Instant access to API calls and results API calls can be saved/shared in collections and executed in bulk For example, create a collection with create network, add device, and bind to template. DEVNET

12 Using Postman with the Meraki API Access to the Meraki Dashboard Postman Collection available here: Add a header named X-Cisco-Meraki-API-Key with the value provided at the session See a sample of what this should look like below: DEVNET

13 Pulling Information via API Where do we start? All calls are GET Returns all of the organizations that the API key has access to Note the ID of the organization that is returned, you will use this throughout the workshop Lets find out more about our organization - Returns Organization License State - Returns Organization Device Inventory - Returns all Networks in an Organization DEVNET

14 Creating Objects via API Attributes for object are passed as JSON data in the body of the request Make sure you set the Body Content as Raw and application/json as shown below JSON attributes are detailed in API Help in Dashboard Remember the errors JSON can contain helpful information for failed calls DEVNET

15 Postman Lab Postman is installed on your lab MacBook Open a browser to the following URL for the lab directions: DEVNET

16 Advanced API Usage with Python Scripts

17 The Power of Scripting with API Interfaces Use any tool you would like or are comfortable with Must be able to establish TLS session and handle HTTP redirect for API calls Can create a streamlined process to perform provisioning tasks in bulk Python module available at api-module DEVNET

18 Python Scripting Demo What we need to accomplish: Create 5 networks in the current Dashboard Organization Name them Network Your First Name # 1 through 5 Lets tag them with the tags API, and Workshop Bind the networks to the template with the name DevNet Template Hint We need to perform a get to find the correct template ID for this How Can we Accomplish This? DEVNET

19 Python Scripting Demo

20 Leveraging Multiple API Platforms

21 Multi-Platform API s { Piecing It : All Together } Challenge Teleworker solution deployed at massive scale, how do we migrate to a new solution? Remote site and/or teleworker devices out in the wild Solution Components Automation! Push the provisioning out to the user Secure and authenticated user self provisioning Similar to credit card activation Tropo ( API based communications platform Voice trigger to middleware web listener Dashboard API Middleware calls Dashboard API to provision site DEVNET

22 Potential Workflow DEVNET

23 Q & A

24 Cisco Spark How Questions? Use Cisco Spark to communicate with the speaker after the session 1. Find this session in the Cisco Live Mobile App 2. Click Join the Discussion 3. Install Spark or go directly to the space 4. Enter messages/questions in the space cs.co/ciscolivebot#devnet-2120

25 Please complete your Online Session Evaluations after each session Complete 4 Session Evaluations & the Overall Conference Evaluation (available from Thursday) to receive your Cisco Live T-shirt All surveys can be completed via the Cisco Live Mobile App or the Communication Stations Complete Your Online Session Evaluation Don t forget: Cisco Live sessions will be available for viewing on-demand after the event at

26 Continue Your Education Cisco Meraki DevNET Community - Cisco Meraki Developers Program Dashboard API GitHub Repository: Related sessions DEVNET-1795-Everything about Bluetooth Apps and Asset Tracking DEVNET-2115-DevNet Workshop: Analytics with Meraki CMX Location API DEVNET

27 Thank you

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