Pop-up API Stub is a way to integrate with maps and runbooks to collect network data or troubleshoot network issues in third-party systems. Users can directly define a pop-up API stub, use maps and runbooks by clicking a hyperlink in their third-party systems, without the need to predefine API tasks, and only a few scripts are required.

The general workflow to use Pop-up API Stub is as follows:

1.In a third-party system: Define Scripts to Generate a Hyperlink for NetBrain Pop-up API Stub.

2.Click the hyperlink to Define Pop-up API Stub, such as map and runbook settings.
 

Step 1: Define Scripts to Generate a Hyperlink for Pop-up API Stub

For a third-party system like ServiceNow, a hyperlink can be created to track an incident. You can write scripts in the third-party system to generate a hyperlink for NetBrain pop-up API stub.

A sample script is as follows (replace sample parameters with real instances):

import urllib.parse
data1={
    'tenant': 'tenant_name‘,
    'domain':'domain_name',
    'vendor':'ServiceNow',  # the vendor name of your third-party system 
    'device':'device_name', # the hostname of the problem device
    'search':'device_to_search',   # this parameter is optional
    'interface':'interface_name',  # one interface of the problem devices and it is required to extend neighbors from the interface
    'source':’172.24.32.210‘,   # the source of a path, only used for calculating a path
    'destination':'172.24.31.125',   # the destination of a path, only used for calculating a path
}
print('https://IP address of your NetBrain Domain/apimaplink.html?'+ urllib.parse.urlencode(data1))

 

Step 2: Define Pop-up API Stub

1.Click the generated hyperlink, and you will be required to log in to the NetBrain system. Then the Pop-up API Stub dialog prompts as follows, with the parameters defined in the scripts populated.

Tip: To have the vendor logo displayed at the upper-right corner, you need to manually add it to the system. See Adding an API Vendor for more details.

2.Select a way to create a map in the Define Map area. By default, the pop-up API stub creates a map as per the definitions in your scripts.

▪Map Device and its Neighbors — draw the problem device and its neighbors on a map. You need to specify the neighbor interfaces that you want to extend in the third-party system.

▪Map a Path — draw the traffic flow from a device to another. For a path, you can also define path parameters, such as data source, and protocol, by clicking the Path Settings hyperlink.

Note: You need to specify the destination and source devices when writing scripts in the third-party system.

▪Open Site Map of the Device — open the site where the problem device locates. To avoid changing the original site data, select the Make a copy of the Site Map checkbox.

▪Open Existing Map — open an existing map in your domain.

▪Open Context Map — open the context map of the problem device. Select a device category (Legacy Device or Cisco ACI Device) for the problem device.

▪New Empty Map — create a map page without any devices on it.

3.In the Open Runbook field, select a runbook to be executed on the map.

Tip: You can predefine your preferred runbooks for a third-party vendor in the System. See Adding an API Vendor for more details.

4.Select whether to search for devices. See Searching for Devices for more details.

5.Click Create Map.