The Command node is to retrieve data from a device passed from the upstream Device node with a command and then parse the data that interest you from the retrieved data.

The system provides built-in parsers for most CLI commands. A parser is a file that parses and extracts major variables from command lines or device configurations for specific device types. When you enter part of a command, the related parsers (commands with applicable device types) are displayed in a drop-down list. When you select a parser, the parsed variables will be loaded in the Variable Tree pane.

Tip: The system offers hundreds of built-in parsers, which covers the majorities of CLI commands you will use in the network troubleshooting. Moreover, you can create parsers based on your needs. See creating parsers for details.

CLI Command is the most frequently used command type, which enables you to retrieve device data via show commands. Totally, the system provides six command types for different task scenarios:

Configuring a Command Node

Extend a Command node from a Device node. You can select the following options to retrieve sample data.

Note: If you have defined multiple branches in the Device node, you can extend one command per branch.

CLI

The CLI command node is used to retrieve data via the command-line interface. You need to specify a CLI Command parser to parse the data.

1)Click the Command node in the workflow.

2)Enter a CLI command in the Command field and select a CLI Command parser from the drop-down list. The related command, parser, and variables will be auto-loaded.

Alternatively, you can click Select Parser to select a CLI command parser from the Parser library and click OK.

Configuration

The Configuration node refers to the system built-in data type, that is, the configuration file. The way to retrieve configurations is already defined in the system for all supported device types.

1)Click the Configuration node in the workflow.

2)Specify the data source to retrieve the configuration.

▪Current Baseline — the latest baseline data in the system database.

▪User-defined options at run time — the data source specified by users at runtime.

3)Click Select Parser to select a Configuration parser from the Parser library and click OK. The related configuration, parser, and variables will be auto-loaded.

Ping

The Ping node is used to test reachability between two devices.

1)Click the Ping node in the workflow.

2)Select the source and destination from the corresponding drop-down lists.

▪The source device has the following options in the From field:

oFront Server — Front Servers associated with your domain are listed, besides the specific Front Server displayed in the Network Settings.

oDevice — select the device node name from the drop-down list or specify a device in your workspace.

▪The destination device has the following options in the To field:

oIP Host — enter the IP address or the domain name.

oDevice — select the device node name from the drop-down list or specify a device in your workspace, as well as an interface.

3)Click Retrieve to select a device to retrieve sample data and click OK.
The Ping command has a default parser with three built-in variables: $lost_rate, $average_time and $ping_result. After the sample data is retrieved, the parser will be auto-applied.

Click Advanced to configure more settings:

▪For the first group of settings, see Ping options for more details.

▪Define the conditions to execute the configuration command.

▪Specify the commands to be issued before executing the configuration command.
Traceroute

The Traceroute node is used to check the route packets and connections between a source and destination.

1)Click the Traceroute node in the workflow.

2)Refer to the Ping node to set the source and destination devices.

3)Click Retrieve to select a device to retrieve sample data and click OK.
The Traceroute command has a default parser with two built-in variables: $last_hop and $traceroute_result. After you retrieve the sample data, the parser will be auto-applied.

Click Advanced to configure more settings:

▪For the first group of settings, see Traceroute options for more details.

▪Define the conditions to execute the configuration command.

▪Specify the commands to be issued before executing the configuration command.
SNMP

The SNMP node is used to retrieve device data via SNMP OID.

1)Click the SNMP node in the workflow.

2)Enter an SNMP OID in the SNMP OID field and select an SNMP parser from the drop-down list. The parser and variables will be auto-loaded.

Alternatively, you can click Select Parser to select an SNMP parser from the Parser library and click OK.

API

The API node is used to retrieve data from a network controller or a third-party API server.

1)Click the API node in the workflow.

2)Click Select Parser, select an API parser and click OK in the Select Parser dialog.

The sample data and variables will be auto-loaded.

 

See also:

▪Creating a CLI Command Parser

▪Creating a Configuration Parser

▪Creating an SNMP Parser

▪Creating an API Parser