METHODS

        my $ucs = Cisco::UCS->new (     
                                cluster  => $cluster, 
                                port     => $port,
                                proto    => $proto,
                                username => $username,
                                passwd   => $passwd
                                );

Constructor method. Creates a new Cisco::UCS object representing a connection to the Cisco UCSM XML API.

Parameters are:

cluster

The common name of the target cluster. This name should be resolvable on the host from which the script is run.

username

The username to use for the connection. This username needs to have the correct RBAC role for the operations that one intends to perform.

passwd

The plaintext password of the username specified for the username attribute for the connection.

port

The port on which to connect to the UCSM XML API on the target cluster. This parameter is optional and will default to 443 if not provided.

proto

The protocol with which to connect to the UCSM XML API on the target cluster. This value is optional hould be one of 'http' or 'https' and will default to 'https' if not provided.

login ()

        $ucs->login;
        print "Authentication token is $ucs->cookie\n";

Creates a connection to the XML API interface of a USCM management instance. If sucessful, the attributes of the UCSM management instance are inherited by the object. Most important of these parameters is 'cookie' representing the authetication token that uniquely identifies the connection and which is subsequently passed transparently on all further communications.

The default time-out value for a token is 10 minutes, therefore if you intend to create a long-running session you should periodically call refresh.

refresh ()

        $ucs->refresh;

Resets the expiry time limit of the existing authentication token to the default timeout period of 10m. Usually not necessary for short-lived connections.

logout ()

        $ucs->logout;

Expires the current authentication token. This method should always be called on completion of a script to expire the authentication token and free the current session for use by others. The UCS XML API has a maximum number of available connections, and a maximum number of sessions per user. In order to ensure that the session remain available (especially if using common credentials), you should always call this method on completion of a script, as an argument to die, or in any eval where a script may fail and exit before logging out;

cookie ()

        print $ucs->cookie;

Returns the value of the authentication token.

cluster ()

        print $ucs->cluster;

Returns the value of cluster as given in the constructor.

dn ()

        print $ucs->dn;

Returns the distinguished name that specifies the base scope of the Cisco::UCS object.

get_error_id ( $ID )

        my %error = $ucs->get_error_id($id);

        while (my($key,$value) = each %error) {
                print "$key:\t$value\n";
        }

This method is deprecated, please use the equivalent get_error method.

Returns a hash containing the UCSM event detail for the given error id. This method takes a single argument; the UCSM error_id of the desired error.

error ( $id )

        my $error = $ucs->get_error($id);
        print $error->id . ":" . $error->desc . "\n";

Returns a Cisco::UCS::Fault object representing the specified error. Note that this is a caching method and will return a cached object that has been retrieved on previous queries should on be available.

If you require a fresh object, consider using the equivalent non-caching get_error method below.

get_error ( $ID )

get_errors ()

        map {
                print '-'x50,"\n";
                print "ID               : " . $_->id . "\n";
                print "Severity         : " . $_->severity . "\n";
                print "Description      : " . $_->description . "\n";
        } grep {
                $_->severity !~ /cleared/i;
        } $ucs->get_errors;

Returns an array of Cisco::UCS::Fault objects with each object representative of a fault on the target system.

resolve_class ( %ARGS )

This method is used to retrieve objects from the UCSM management heirachy by resolving the classId for specific object types. This method reflects one of the base methods provided by the UCS XML API for resolution of objects. The method returns an XML::Simple parsed object from the UCSM containing the response.

This method accepts a hash containing the value of the classID to be resolved and unless you have read the UCS XML API Guide and are certain that you know what you want to do, you shouldn't need to alter this method.

resolve_classes ( %ARGS )

This method is used to retrieve objects from the UCSM management heirachy by resolving several classIds for specific object types. This method reflects one of the base methods provided by the UCS XML API for resolution of objects. The method returns an XML::Simple object from the UCSM containing the parsed response.

Unless you have read the UCS XML API Guide and are certain that you know what you want to do, you shouldn't need to alter this method.

resolve_dn ( %ARGS )

        my $blade = $ucs->resolve_dn( dn => 'sys/chassis-1/blade-2');

This method is used to retrieve objects from the UCSM management heirachy by resolving a specific distinguished name (dn) for a managed object. This method reflects one of the base methods provided by the UCS XML API for resolution of objects. The method returns an XML::Simple parsed object from the UCSM containing the response.

The method accepts a single key/value pair, with the value being the distinguished name of the object. If not known, the dn can be usually be retrieved by first using one of the other methods to retrieve a list of all object types (i.e. get_blades) and then enumerating the results to extract the dn from the desired object.

        my @blades = $ucs->get_blades;

        foreach my $blade in (@blades) {
                print "Dn is $blade->{dn}\n";
        }

Unless you have read the UCS XML API Guide and are certain that you know what you want to do, you shouldn't need to alter this method.

resolve_children ( %ARGS )

        use Data::Dumper;

        my $children = $ucs->resolve_children(dn => 'sys');
        print Dumper($children);

This method is used to resolve all child objects for a given distinguished named (dn) object in the UCSM management heirachy. This method reflects one of the base methods provided by the UCS XML API for resolution of objects. The method returns an XML::Simple parsed object from the UCSM containing the response.

In combination with Data::Dumper this is an extremely useful method for further development by enumerating the child objects of the specified dn. Note however, that the response returned from UCSM may not always accurately reflect all elements due to folding.

Unless you have read the UCS XML API Guide and are certain that you know what you want to do, you shouldn't need to alter this method.

get_cluster_status ()

        my $status = $ucs->get_cluster_status;

This method returns an anonymous hash representing a brief overall cluster status. In the standard configuration of a HA pair of Fabric Interconnects, this status is representative of the cluster as a single managed entity.

resolve_class_filter ( %ARGS )

        my $associated_servers = 
                $ucs->resolve_class_filter(     
                                        classId         => 'computeBlade',
                                        association     => 'associatied'        
                                        );

This method is used to retrieve objects from the UCSM management heirachy by resolving the classId for specific object types matching a specified filter composed of any number of key/value pairs that correlate to object attributes.

This method is very similar to the resolve_class method, however a filter can be specified to restrict the objects returned to those having certain characteristics. This method is largely exploited by subclasses to return specific object types.

The filter is to be specified as any number of name/value pairs in addition to the classId parameter.

version ()

        my $version = $ucs->version;

This method returns a string containign the running UCSM software version.

mgmt_entity ( $id )

        print "HA status : " 
                . $ucs->mgmt_entity(A)->ha_readiness 
                . "\n";
        
        my $mgmt_entity = $ucs->mgmt_entity('B');
        print $mgmt_entity->leadership;

Returns a Cisco::UCS::MgmtEntity object for the specified management instance (either 'A' or 'B').

This is a caching method and will return a cached copy of a previously retrieved Cisco::UCS::MgmtEntity object should one be available. If you require a fresh copy of the object then consider using the get_mgmt_entity method below.

Please see the Caching Methods section in NOTES for further information.

get_mgmt_entity ( $id )

        print "Management services state : " 
                . $ucs->get_mgmt_entity(A)->mgmt_services_state 
                . "\n";

Returns a Cisco::UCS::MgmtEntity object for the specified management instance (either 'A' or 'B').

This method always queries the UCSM for information on the specified management entity - consequently this method may be more expensive that the equivalent caching method get_mgmt_entity.

Please see the Caching Methods section in NOTES for further information.

get_mgmt_entities ()

        my @mgmt_entities = $ucs->get_mgmt_entities;

        foreach $entity ( @mgmt_entities ) {
                print "Management entity " 
                        . $entity->id 
                        . " is the " 
                        . $entity->leadership 
                        . " entity\n";
        }

Returns an array of Cisco::UCS::MgmtEntity objects representing all management entities in the cluster (usually two - 'A' and 'B').

get_primary_mgmt_entity ()

        my $primary = $ucs->get_primary_mgmt_entity;
        print "Management entity $entity->{id} is primary\n";

Returns an anonymous hash containing information on the primary UCSM management entity object. This is the active managing instance of UCSM in the target cluster.

get_subordinate_mgmt_entity ()

        print   'Management entity ', 
                $ucs->get_subordinate_mgmt_entity->{id}, 
                ' is the subordinate management entity in cluster ',
                $ucs->{cluster},"\n";

Returns an anonymous hash containing information on the subordinate UCSM management entity object.

service_profile ( $ID )

Returns a Cisco::UCS::ServiceProfile object where $ID is the user-specified name of the service profile.

This is a caching method and will return a cached copy of a previously retrieved Cisco::UCS::ServiceProfile object should one be available. If you require a fresh copy of the object then consider using the get_service_profile method below.

Please see the Caching Methods section in NOTES for further information.

get_service_profile ( $ID )

Returns a Cisco::UCS::ServiceProfile object where $ID is the user-specified name of the service profile.

This method always queries the UCSM for information on the specified service profile - consequently this method may be more expensive that the equivalent caching method service_profile.

Please see the Caching Methods section in NOTES for further information.

get_service_profiles ()

        my @service_profiles = $ucs->get_service_profiles;

        foreach my $service_profile (@service_profiles) {
                print "Service Profile: " 
                        . $service_profile->name 
                        . " associated to blade: " 
                        . $service_profile->pnDn 
                        . "\n";
        }

Returns an array of Cisco::UCS::ServiceProfile objects representing all service profiles currently present on the target UCS cluster.

interconnect ( $ID )

        my $serial = $ucs->interconnect(A)->serial;

        print "Interconnect $_ serial: " 
                . $ucs->interconnect($_) 
                . "\n" 
        for qw(A B);

Returns a Cisco::UCS::Interconnect object for the specified interconnect ID (either A or B).

Note that the default behaviour of this method is to return a cached copy of a previously retrieved Cisco::UCS::Interconnect object if one is available. Please see the Caching Methods section in NOTES for further information.

get_interconnect ( $ID )

        my $interconnect = $ucs->get_interconnect(A);

        print $interconnect->model;

Returns a Cisco::UCS::Interconnect object for the specified interconnect ID (either A or B).

This method always queries the UCSM for information on the specified interconnect - contrast this with the behaviour of the caching method interconnect().

Please see the Caching Methods section in NOTES for further information.

get_interconnects ()

        my @interconnects = $ucs->get_interconnects;

        foreach my $ic (@interconnects) {
                print "Interconnect $ic->id operability is $ic->operability\n";
        }

Returns an array of Cisco::UCS::Interconnect objects. This is a non-caching method.

blade ( $ID )

        print "Blade 1/1 serial : " . $ucs->blade('1/1')->serial . "\n;

Returns a Cisco::UCS::Blade object representing the specified blade as given by the value of $ID. The blade ID should be given using the standard Cisco UCS blade identification form as used in the UCSM CLI; namely chassis_id/blade_id where both chassis_id and blade_id are valid numerical values for the target cluster. Note that you will have to enclose the value of $ID in quotation marks to avoid a syntax error.

Note that this is a caching method and the default behaviour of this method is to return a cached copy of a previously retrieved Cisco::UCS::Blade object if one is available. If a non-cached object is required, then please consider using the equivalent get_blade method below.

Please see the Caching Methods section in NOTES for further information.

get_blade ( $ID )

        print "Blade 1/1 serial : " . $ucs->get_blade('1/1')->serial . "\n;

Returns a Cisco::UCS::Blade object representing the specified blade as given by the value of $ID. The blade ID should be given using the standard Cisco UCS blade identification form as used in the UCSM CLI; namely chassis_id/blade_id where both chassis_id and blade_id are valid numerical values for the target cluster. Note that you will have to enclose the value of $ID in quotation marks to avoid a syntax error.

Note that this method is non-caching and always queries the UCSM for information. Consequently may be more expensive than the equivalent caching blade method described above.

get_blades ()

        my @blades = $ucs->get_blades();

        foreach my $blade ( @blades ) {
                print "Model: $blade->{model}\n";
        }

Returns an array of Cisco::UCS::Blade objects with each object representing a blade within the UCS cluster.

chassis ( $ID )

        my $chassis = $ucs->chassis(1);
        print "Chassis 1 serial : " . $chassis->serial . "\n";
        # or
        print "Chassis 1 serial : " . $ucs->chassis(1)->serial . "\n";

        foreach my $psu ( $ucs->chassis(1)->get_psus ) {
                print $psu->id . " thermal : " . $psu->thermal . "\n"
        }

Returns a Cisco::UCS::Chassis object representing the chassis identified by by the specified value of ID.

Note that this is a caching method and the default behaviour of this method is to return a cached copy of a previously retrieved Cisco::UCS::Chassis object if one is available. If a non-cached object is required, then please consider using the equivalent get_chassis method below.

Please see the Caching Methods section in NOTES for further information.

get_chassis ( $ID )

        my $chassis = $ucs->get_chassis(1);
        print "Chassis 1 label : " . $chassis->label . "\n";
        # or
        print "Chassis 1 label : " . $ucs->get_chassis(1)->label . "\n";

Returns a Cisco::UCS::Chassis object representing the chassis identified by the specified value of ID.

Note that this method is non-caching and always queries the UCSM for information. Consequently may be more expensive than the equivalent caching chassis method described above.

get_chassiss

        my @chassis = $ucs->get_chassiss();

        foreach my $chassis (@chassis) {
                print "Chassis $chassis->{id} serial number: $chassis->{serial}\n";
        }

Returns an array of Cisco::UCS::Chassis objects representing all chassis present within the cluster.

Note that this method is named get_chassiss (spelt with two sets of double-s's) as there exists no English language collective plural for the word chassis.

full_state_backup

This method generates a new "full state" type backup for the target UCS cluster. Internally, this method is implemented as a wrapper method around the private backup method. Required parameters for this method:

backup_proto

The protocol to use for transferring the backup from the target UCS cluster to the backup host. Must be one of: ftp, tftp, scp or sftp.

backup_host

The host to which the backup will be transferred.

backup_target

The fully qualified name of the file to which the backup is to be saved on the backup host. This should include the full directory path and the target filename.

backup_username

The username to be used for creation of the backup file on the backup host. This username should have write/modify file system access to the backup target location on the backup host using the protocol specified in the backup-proto attribute.

backup_passwd

The plaintext password of the user specified for the backup_username attribute.

all_config_backup

This method generates a new "all configuration" backup for the target UCS cluster. Internally, this method is implemented as a wrapper method around the private backup method. For the required parameters for this method, please refer to the documentation of the full_state_backup method.

system_config_backup

This method generates a new "system configuration" backup for the target UCS cluster. Internally, this method is implemented as a wrapper method around the private backup method. For the required parameters for this method, please refer to the documentation of the full_state_backup method.

logical_config_backup

This method generates a new "logical configuration" backup for the target UCS cluster. Internally, this method is implemented as a wrapper method around the private backup method. For the required parameters for this method, please refer to the documentation of the full_state_backup method.

Caching Methods

As a matter of convention, all caching methods are named after the singular object (i.e. interconnect(), chassis()) whilst non-caching methods are named get_<object>. Non-caching methods will always query UCSM for the object, as will requests for cached objects not present in cache.

• The documentation could be cleaner and more thorough. The module was written some time ago with only minor amounts of time and effort invested since. There's still a vast opportunity for improvement.
• Better error detection and handling. Liberal use of Carp::croak should ensure that we get some minimal diagnostics and die nicely, and if used according to instructions, things should generally work. When they don't however, it would be nice to know why.
• Detection of request and return type. Most of the methods are fairly explanatory in what they return, however it would be nice to make better use of wantarray to detect what the user wants and handle it accordingly.
• Clean up of the UCS package to remove unused methods and improve the ones that we keep. I'm still split on leaving some of the methods common to most object type (fans, psus) in the main package.