CUCM/Unity/IMP Build Automation

[theumang]

We are a provider to many customers and use HCS to provide our solution. However the question below is not related to HCS.
We are currently undergoing a project to automate the build of CUCM and other UC apps like Unity , IMP and are done with the initial install using the touchless method...

we now wanted to use the AXL scripts to do the basic configuration such as starting services, updating enterprise parameters etc.
Now a lot of these steps required OSadmin privlidges and cant be done from a AXL user..

Below are some examples that we are not able to do
============================================
Change CUCM Hostname to IP Address
Create Admin AXL access User
Services Activation
CUCM Locale Installation
Install Device Packs or Phone Support COP files

Thanks

Umang

[dstaudt]

A few comments:

* Change CUCM Hostname to IP Address - not possible via AXL.  You may be able to automate this via scripted SSH command session (though as a 'screen scrape' workaround, results may not always be deterministic)

* Create Admin AXL access User - assuming you know the system's initial admin account, you should be able to create the required user group (with AXL access role), and AXL user.  Your automation could then 'de-escalate' to using the newly created AXL credentials for subsequent requests

* Services Activation - please see the Control Center Services API: https://developer.cisco.com/site/sxml/documents/api-reference/service-control/

- Installing COP files (locale/device packs) - not possible via AXL.  Again you might be able to automate SSH CLI sessions or reverse-engineer/scrape HTTP interactions to hack these.

[theumang]

Hi,

Appreciate the response,

# can you tell me bit more detail about "Screen Scrape" workaround that you've mentioned.

we are going to use Vmware Orchestrator to automate the SSH commands (and yet to try it) but concerned about how the outputs can be analyzed to understand if what we wanted to do was "done".

Thanks in advance

[dstaudt]

You've pretty much precisely described the problem with trying to automate via SSH commands - the format of what you send and what you get back is not defined (as in an API definition or schema) so results may be inconsistent, or may change without notice due to system changes or upgrades, for example.

As a result, it's not something we can really recommend (or support), but some folks have been able to achieve some modest success, so it is perhaps worth mentioning.

[theumang]

Hi,

Okay yes, i agree on that one with you.. we are trying to use "Expect" tool to analyze outputs before sending other SSH commands. But yes its bit tricky... can you suggest alternates on that .. like if I want to install a cop file / locale.. anyother way i can do it beside SSH if i dont want to use the webpage ??

One more question ..If its available can you please point me to the rest of the APIs as you gave for the one above with Service Control. I need to be able to modify Service / Enterprise parameters on CUCM with it.

Thanks

Umang

[dstaudt]

AXL SOAP information here:

https://developer.cisco.com/site/axl/

Unfortunately, no further suggestions on automating locale/COP operations...