Parse Genie

ATTENTION!!! - If you run into an issue with a command failing to parse, it is possible that there is a bug in the parsing library which is maintained by Cisco. For those issues, you can open an issue here.

The network genie filter takes unstructured network CLI command output from all Cisco network operating systems, and outputs structured data. While similar to other network CLI parsers already available (parse_cli, parse_cli_textfsm), this parser is powered by a very mature and robust library written by Cisco called Genie (and underlying framework pyATS). This provides over 1200 parsers that transform configuration and CLI output to structured data that is normalized and conforms to standard, OS-agnostic data models.

The Genie library can also serve as an engine to parse tabular and non-tabular free-form text using much less code than traditional parsing requires. Therefore, it can be used to parse any vendor output; not just that of Cisco devices. However, that would involve writing custom parsers. This release does not include the functionality to utilize custom parsers. The supported parsers are whatever is included in the release of Genie that the user has installed on the Ansible control machine.

The list of supported operating systems and commands, as well as the data's schema definitions (data models) which describe exactly what fields and data types will be returned for any given command, is available from Cisco at the link below.

https://pubhub.devnetcloud.com/media/genie-feature-browser/docs/#/parsers

Prerequisites

This plugin will require the following:

1. Python 3.4+
2. pyATS and Genie packages
3. Ansible 2.7+ (It should work on older versions as long as the other requirements are satisfied)

Installation

Please follow these instructions to ensure that the filter plugin will function with your playbooks:

1. Create a directory for your playbook and go into it. mkdir network_ops && cd network_ops
2. Create a virtual environment. python3 -m venv .venv
3. Activate the virtual environment. source .venv/bin/activate
4. Install Ansible. pip install ansible
5. Install Genie and pyATS. pip install genie
6. Install the parse_genie role from Ansible Galaxy. ansible-galaxy install clay584.parse_genie

Ansible to Genie OS Mappings

Below are the mappings from Ansible's ansible_network_os to Genie's os:

Ansible Network OS	Genie OS
ios	ios, iosxe
nxos	nxos
iosxr	iosxr
junos	junos

If you are working with IOS or IOS-XE there is ambiguity in that Ansible considers IOS and IOS-XE the same and therefore the ansible_network_os = ios, but Genie needs to know specifically if it is IOS or IOS-XE in order to parse the CLI output correctly. If you pass ansible_network_os to this filter plugin, and it is equal to ios, parse_genie will try to parse it with Genie using os=ios first, and if that fails, it will then try to parse it with os=iosxe.

So keep that in mind when creating your playbooks. It may be best to pass the real OS to the parse_genie. You can do that by keeping another inventory variable or host_var to specify the Genie OS for each network device and using that variable as the OS for the parse_genie.

Usage

Make sure to read in the parse_genie role before you attempt to use it later in your playbook.

...trunctated...

  tasks:
  - name: Read in parse_genie role
    include_role:
      name: clay584.parse_genie
      
...trunctated...

Short Example

To convert the output of a network device CLI command, use the parse_genie filter as shown in this example (do not use abbreviated CLI commands).

Converting CLI output of the show version command from a Cisco IOS-XE device to structured data::

{{ cli_output | parse_genie(command='show version', os='iosxe') }}

For deeper abstraction, you might want to add platform to parse_genie.

{{ cli_output | parse_genie(command='show version', os='iosxe', platform='asr1k') }}

The above example would yield the following:

{
    "version": {
        "chassis": "CSR1000V",
        "chassis_sn": "9TKUWGKX5MO",
        "curr_config_register": "0x2102",
        "disks": {
            "bootflash:.": {
                "disk_size": "7774207",
                "type_of_disk": "virtual hard disk"
            },
            "webui:.": {
                "disk_size": "0",
                "type_of_disk": "WebUI ODM Files"
            }
        },
        "hostname": "host-172-16-1-96",
        "image_id": "X86_64_LINUX_IOSD-UNIVERSALK9-M",
        "image_type": "production image",
        "last_reload_reason": "Reload Command",
        "license_level": "ax",
        "license_type": "Default. No valid license found.",
        "main_mem": "1126522",
        "mem_size": {
            "non-volatile configuration": "32768",
            "physical": "3018840"
        },
        "next_reload_license_level": "ax",
        "number_of_intfs": {
            "Gigabit Ethernet": "2"
        },
        "os": "IOS-XE",
        "platform": "Virtual XE",
        "processor_type": "VXE",
        "rom": "IOS-XE ROMMON",
        "rtr_type": "CSR1000V",
        "system_image": "bootflash:packages.conf",
        "uptime": "2 minutes",
        "uptime_this_cp": "3 minutes",
        "version": "16.5.1b,",
        "version_short": "16.5"
    }
}

Full Example #1

Playbook:

---

- hosts: localhost
  connection: local
  vars:
    show_version_output: |
      Cisco IOS XE Software, Version 16.05.01b
      Cisco IOS Software [Everest], Virtual XE Software (X86_64_LINUX_IOSD-UNIVERSALK9-M), Version 16.5.1b, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
      Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
      Copyright (c) 1986-2017 by Cisco Systems, Inc.
      Compiled Tue 11-Apr-17 16:41 by mcpre


      Cisco IOS-XE software, Copyright (c) 2005-2017 by cisco Systems, Inc.
      All rights reserved.  Certain components of Cisco IOS-XE software are
      licensed under the GNU General Public License ("GPL") Version 2.0.  The
      software code licensed under GPL Version 2.0 is free software that comes
      with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.  You can redistribute and/or modify such
      GPL code under the terms of GPL Version 2.0.  For more details, see the
      documentation or "License Notice" file accompanying the IOS-XE software,
      or the applicable URL provided on the flyer accompanying the IOS-XE
      software.


      ROM: IOS-XE ROMMON

      host-172-16-1-96 uptime is 2 minutes
      Uptime for this control processor is 3 minutes
      System returned to ROM by reload
      System image file is "bootflash:packages.conf"
      Last reload reason: Reload Command



      This product contains cryptographic features and is subject to United
      States and local country laws governing import, export, transfer and
      use. Delivery of Cisco cryptographic products does not imply
      third-party authority to import, export, distribute or use encryption.
      Importers, exporters, distributors and users are responsible for
      compliance with U.S. and local country laws. By using this product you
      agree to comply with applicable laws and regulations. If you are unable
      to comply with U.S. and local laws, return this product immediately.

      A summary of U.S. laws governing Cisco cryptographic products may be found at:
      http://www.cisco.com/wwl/export/crypto/tool/stqrg.html

      If you require further assistance please contact us by sending email to
      [email protected].

      License Level: ax
      License Type: Default. No valid license found.
      Next reload license Level: ax

      cisco CSR1000V (VXE) processor (revision VXE) with 1126522K/3075K bytes of memory.
      Processor board ID 9TKUWGKX5MO
      2 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces
      32768K bytes of non-volatile configuration memory.
      3018840K bytes of physical memory.
      7774207K bytes of virtual hard disk at bootflash:.
      0K bytes of WebUI ODM Files at webui:.

      Configuration register is 0x2102

  tasks:
  - name: Read in parse_genie role
    include_role:
      name: clay584.parse_genie

  - name: Debug Genie Filter
    debug:
      msg: "{{ show_version_output | parse_genie(command='show version', os='iosxe') }}"
    delegate_to: localhost

Output:

$ ansible-playbook -i inventory debug.yml

PLAY [localhost] *************************************************************************

TASK [Gathering Facts] *******************************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [Read in parse_genie role] **********************************************************

TASK [Debug Genie Filter] ****************************************************************
ok: [localhost -> localhost] => {
    "msg": {
        "version": {
            "chassis": "CSR1000V",
            "chassis_sn": "9TKUWGKX5MO",
            "curr_config_register": "0x2102",
            "disks": {
                "bootflash:.": {
                    "disk_size": "7774207",
                    "type_of_disk": "virtual hard disk"
                },
                "webui:.": {
                    "disk_size": "0",
                    "type_of_disk": "WebUI ODM Files"
                }
            },
            "hostname": "host-172-16-1-96",
            "image_id": "X86_64_LINUX_IOSD-UNIVERSALK9-M",
            "image_type": "production image",
            "last_reload_reason": "Reload Command",
            "license_level": "ax",
            "license_type": "Default. No valid license found.",
            "main_mem": "1126522",
            "mem_size": {
                "non-volatile configuration": "32768",
                "physical": "3018840"
            },
            "next_reload_license_level": "ax",
            "number_of_intfs": {
                "Gigabit Ethernet": "2"
            },
            "os": "IOS-XE",
            "platform": "Virtual XE",
            "processor_type": "VXE",
            "rom": "IOS-XE ROMMON",
            "rtr_type": "CSR1000V",
            "system_image": "bootflash:packages.conf",
            "uptime": "2 minutes",
            "uptime_this_cp": "3 minutes",
            "version": "16.5.1b,",
            "version_short": "16.5"
        }
    }
}

Full Example #2

Playbook:

---

- hosts: csr1000v
  gather_facts: False
  tasks:
  - name: Read in parse_genie role
    include_role:
      name: clay584.parse_genie

  - name: Get Data From Device
    ios_command:
      commands: show arp vrf Mgmt-intf
    register: arp_output

  - name: Print Structured Data
    debug:
      msg: "{{ arp_output['stdout'][0] | parse_genie(command='show arp vrf Mgmt-intf', os='iosxe') }}"
    delegate_to: localhost

Output:

$ ansible-playbook -i inventory playbook.yml

PLAY [csr1000v] **************************************************************************

TASK [Read in parse_genie role] **********************************************************

TASK [Get Data From Device] **************************************************************
ok: [csr1000v]

TASK [Print Structured Data] *************************************************************
ok: [csr1000v -> localhost] => {
    "msg": {
        "interfaces": {
            "GigabitEthernet1": {
                "ipv4": {
                    "neighbors": {
                        "172.16.1.111": {
                            "age": "0",
                            "ip": "172.16.1.111",
                            "link_layer_address": "5e00.4004.0000",
                            "origin": "dynamic",
                            "protocol": "Internet",
                            "type": "ARPA"
                        },
                        "172.16.1.114": {
                            "age": "-",
                            "ip": "172.16.1.114",
                            "link_layer_address": "5e00.4001.0000",
                            "origin": "static",
                            "protocol": "Internet",
                            "type": "ARPA"
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Generic Tabular Parsing

Cisco Genie has support for 1200 commands and counting, but for those show commands where there is not a parser that has been built by Cisco, there is the generic tabular parsing functionality. For more information on the Genie tabular parsing functionality, see their oper_fill_tabular documentation.

How Tabular Parsing Works

In order to parse a command output when there is a parser that has been built, all that is required is the command, command ouput, and os. But if there is not a parser built, you must specify some additional information to help the parser determine how to parse the command output. This additional data is two-fold:

1. Headers - The column headers as shown in the command's output.
2. Index - The key of the dictionary items that the parser will return.

Consider the following example:

1. Command: show ip sla summary
2. Command Output:

IPSLAs Latest Operation Summary
Codes: * active, ^ inactive, ~ pending
All Stats are in milliseconds. Stats with u are in microseconds

ID           Type           Destination       Stats               Return        Last
                                                                  Code          Run
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*1           udp-jitter      10.0.0.2          RTT=900u           OK             20 seconds ago
*2           icmp-echo       10.0.0.2          RTT=1              OK              3 seconds ago

3. Headers - ID, Type, Destination, Stats, Return Code, and Last Run.
4. Index - We want to use the ID column as the index for this data when we get it back from the parser.
5. Parser Output:

{'*1': {'Destination ': '10.0.0.2',
        'ID ': '*1',
        'Last Run': '20 seconds ago',
        'Return Code': 'OK',
        'Stats ': 'RTT=900u',
        'Type ': 'udp-jitter'},
 '*2': {'Destination ': '10.0.0.2',
        'ID ': '*2',
        'Last Run': '3 seconds ago',
        'Return Code': 'OK',
        'Stats ': 'RTT=1',
        'Type ': 'icmp-echo'}}

Preparing to Use the Tabular Parser

In order to use this tabular parser we must first construct the headers and index for a given command on a given OS in a format that can be read into an Ansible playbook, and subsequently fed into the parse_genie filter plugin.

In order to do this, you must create a vars file in your playbook that is in the following format. It is organized by OS, then by command. Then under each command, the headers and index are defined. You can define as many commands as you like for each network OS as long as it is within this data structure.

parse_genie:
  ios:
    "show ip sla summary":
      headers:
        - - ID
          - Type
          - Destination
          - Stats
          - Return
          - Last
        - - ''
          - ''
          - ''
          - ''
          - Code
          - Run
      index:
        - 0
  iosxe:
    "show ip sla summary":
      headers:
        - - ID
          - Type
          - Destination
          - Stats
          - Return
          - Last
        - - ''
          - ''
          - ''
          - ''
          - Code
          - Run
      index:
        - 1

The python equivalent of the above yaml format is:

python_dict = {
  "parse_genie": {
    "ios": {
      "show ip sla summary": {
        "headers": [
          [
            "ID", 
            "Type", 
            "Destination", 
            "Stats", 
            "Return", 
            "Last"
          ], 
          [
            "", 
            "", 
            "", 
            "", 
            "Code", 
            "Run"
          ]
        ], 
        "index": [
          0
        ]
      }
    }, 
    "iosxe": {
      "show ip sla summary": {
        "headers": [
          [
            "ID", 
            "Type", 
            "Destination", 
            "Stats", 
            "Return", 
            "Last"
          ], 
          [
            "", 
            "", 
            "", 
            "", 
            "Code", 
            "Run"
          ]
        ], 
        "index": [
          1
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Calling the Tabular Parser in a Playbook

Now that we have defined a generic tabular command and its headers and index, we can actually call it from a playbook.

First, we read in the vars file that contains the tabular command parsing metadata.

- name: Include vars file with generic command metadata
  include_vars:
    file: parse_genie_generic_commands.yml
    name: parse_genie

Next, we pass the command output to parse_genie but with a couple of extra parameters.

- name: Parse generic tabular command output
  debug:
    msg: "{{ command_output | parse_genie(command='show ip sla summary', os='ios', generic_tabular=True, generic_tabular_metadata=parse_genie) }}"
  delegate_to: localhost

The resulting parsed output will show as follows:

ok: [localhost -> localhost] => {
    "msg": {
        "*1": {
            "Destination ": "10.0.0.2",
            "ID ": "*1",
            "Last Run": "20 seconds ago",
            "Return Code": "OK",
            "Stats ": "RTT=900u",
            "Type ": "udp-jitter"
        },
        "*2": {
            "Destination ": "10.0.0.2",
            "ID ": "*2",
            "Last Run": "3 seconds ago",
            "Return Code": "OK",
            "Stats ": "RTT=1",
            "Type ": "icmp-echo"
        }
    }
}

Full Example #1

Playbook:

---

- hosts: localhost
  connection: local
  vars:
    out_ios_sla: |
      IPSLAs Latest Operation Summary
      Codes: * active, ^ inactive, ~ pending
      All Stats are in milliseconds. Stats with u are in microseconds

      ID           Type           Destination       Stats               Return        Last
                                                                        Code          Run
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      *1           udp-jitter      10.0.0.2          RTT=900u           OK             20 seconds ago
      *2           icmp-echo       10.0.0.2          RTT=1              OK              3 seconds ago

  tasks:
    - name: Include Parse Genie Role
      include_role:
        name: clay584.parse_genie

    - name: Include vars file that has generic tabular command metadata
      include_vars:
        file: parse_genie_generic_commands.yml
        name: parse_genie

    - name: Test Genie Filter for generic tabular data
      debug:
        msg: "{{ out_ios_sla | parse_genie(command='test show ip sla summary', os='ios', generic_tabular=True, generic_tabular_metadata=parse_genie) }}"
      delegate_to: localhost

parse_genie_generic_commands.yml contents:

---

parse_genie:
  ios:
    "test show ip sla summary":
      headers:
        - - ID
          - Type
          - Destination
          - Stats
          - Return
          - Last
        - - ''
          - ''
          - ''
          - ''
          - Code
          - Run
      index:
        - 0
  iosxe:
    "test show ip sla summary":
      headers:
        - - ID
          - Type
          - Destination
          - Stats
          - Return
          - Last
        - - ''
          - ''
          - ''
          - ''
          - Code
          - Run
      index:
        - 1

Playbook Output:

PLAY [localhost] ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

TASK [Gathering Facts] ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [Include Parse Genie Role] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

TASK [Include vars] ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [Test Genie Filter for generic tabular data] *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
ok: [localhost -> localhost] => {
    "msg": {
        "*1": {
            "Destination ": "10.0.0.2",
            "ID ": "*1",
            "Last Run": "20 seconds ago",
            "Return Code": "OK",
            "Stats ": "RTT=900u",
            "Type ": "udp-jitter"
        },
        "*2": {
            "Destination ": "10.0.0.2",
            "ID ": "*2",
            "Last Run": "3 seconds ago",
            "Return Code": "OK",
            "Stats ": "RTT=1",
            "Type ": "icmp-echo"
        }
    }
}

PLAY RECAP ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
localhost                  : ok=3    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0   

Development

Set up your development environment:

1. Clone the repo and go into it. git clone https://github.com/clay584/parse_genie.git && cd parse_genie
2. Create a virtual environment. python3 -m venv .venv
3. Activate the virtual environment. source .venv/bin/activate
4. Install Ansible. pip install ansible
5. Install Genie and pyATS. pip install genie
6. Install yamllint. pip install yamllint

Testing

Run these commands to test locally:

1. Lint all of the YAML files. yamllint -c yamllint_config.yml *
2. Run the test playbook. ansible-playbook tests/test.yml --connection=local -i tests/inventory

Pushing

Ansible Galaxy works on tags.

1. git commit -m"whatever'
2. git tag -a X.X.X - where X.X.X is a symantec versioning number.
3. git push origin master
4. git push X.X.X