Managing Variable Files

Aruba Central (on-premises) allows you to configure multiple devices in bulk using templates. However, in some cases, the configuration parameters may vary per device. To address this, Aruba Central (on-premises) identifies some customizable CLI parameters as variables and allows you to modify the definitions for these variables as per your requirements.

You can download a sample file with variables for a template group or for the devices deployed in a template group, update the variable definitions, upload the file with the customized definitions, and apply these configuration changes in bulk.

Downloading Sample Variables File

The sample variables file includes a set of sample variables that the users can customize. You can download the sample variables file in the JSONJavaScript Object Notation. JSON is an open-standard, language-independent, lightweight data-interchange format used to transmit data objects consisting of attribute–value pairs. JSON uses a "self-describing" text format that is easy for humans to read and write, and that can be used as a data format by any programming language. or CSVComma-Separated Values. A file format that stores tabular data in the plain text format separated by commas. format.

To download a sample variables file:

1. In the Network Operations app, set the filter to one of the template group under Groups.

2. Under Manage, click Devices > Switches.

3. Click the Config icon.

4. Click Variables.

5. Select one of the following formats to download the sample variables file:

JSON—shows the file in JSON format.

CSV—Shows the variables in different columns.

6. Click Download Sample Variables File. The sample variables file is saved to your local directory.

Modifying a Variable File

The CSV file includes the following columns for which the variable definitions are mandatory:

_sys_serial—For serial number of the device

_sys_lan_mac—For MACMedia Access Control. A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on a network. address of the device

modified—To indicate the modification status of the device. The value for this column is set to N in the sample variables file. When you edit a variable definition, set the modified column to Y to allow Aruba Central to parse the modified definition.

Predefined Variables for Aruba Switches

The system defined variables in the sample variables files are indicated with _sys prefix.

Table 1 lists the predefined variables for switches.

Predefined Variables for APs

For APs, the sample variables file includes the _sys_allowed_ap variable for which you can specify a value to allow new APs to join the AP cluster.

Important Points to Note

The following conditions apply to the variable files:

The variable names must be on the left side of condition and its value must be defined on the right side. For example, %if var=100% is supported and %if 100=var% is not supported.

The < or <= or > or >= operators should have only numeric integer value on the right side. The variables used in these 4 operations are compared as integer after flooring. For example, if any float value is set as %if dpi_value > 2.8%, it is converted as %if dpi_value > 2 for comparison.

The variable names should not include white space, and the & and % special characters. The variable names must match regular expression [a-zA-Z0-9_]. If the variables values with % are defined, ensure that the variable is surrounded by space. For example, wlan ssid-profile %ssid_name%.

The first character of the variable name must be an alphabet. Numeric values are not accepted.

The values defined for the variable must not include spaces. If quotes are required, they must be included as part of the variable value. For example, if the intended variable name is wlan ssid-profile "emp ssid”, then the recommended format for the syntax is "wlan ssid-profile %ssid_name%” and variable as “ssid_name”: "\"emp ssid\"".

If the configuration text has the percentage sign % in it—for example, "url "/portal/scope.cust-5001098/Splash%20Profile%201/capture"—Aruba Central treats it as a variable when you save the template. To allow the use of percentage % as an escape character, use \" in the variable definition as shown in the following example:

Template text

wlan external-captive-portal "Splash Profile 1_#guest#_"

server naw1.cloudguest.central.arubanetworks.com

port 443

url %url%

Variable

"url": "\"/portal/scope.cust-5001098/Splash%20Profile%201/capture\""

Aruba Central supports adding multiple lines of variables in AP configuration templates. If you want to add multiple lines of variables, you must add the HAS_MULTILINE_VARIABLE directive at the beginning of the template.

Example

#define HAS_MULTILINE_VARIABLE 1

%if allowed_aps%

%allowed_aps%

%endif%

Variable

“allowed_aps”: “allowed-ap 24:de:c6:cb:76:4e\n allowed-ap ac:a3:1e:c5:db:d8\n allowed-ap 84:d4:7e:c4:8f:2c"

Examples

The following example shows the contents of a variable file in the JSON format for APs:

{

"CK0036968": {

"_sys_serial": "CK0036968",

"ssid": "s1",

"_sys_lan_mac": "ac:a3:1e:c5:db:7a",

"vc_name": "test_config_CK0036968",

"org": "Uber_org_test",

"vc_dns_ip":"22.22.22.22",

"zonename": "Uber_1",

"uplinkvlan": "0",

"swarmmode": "cluster",

"md5_checksum": "ed8a67a3d1be58261640ca53f8fd3bb8",

"hostname": "Uber_1"

},

"CJ0219729": {

"_sys_serial": "CJ0219729",

"ssid": "s1",

"_sys_lan_mac": "ac:a3:1e:cb:04:92",

"vc_name": "test_config_CK0036968",

"org": "Uber_org_test",

"vc_dns_ip":"22.22.22.22",

"zonename": "Uber_1",

"uplinkvlan": "0",

"swarmmode": "cluster",

"md5_checksum": "ed8a67a3d1be58261640ca53f8fd3bb8",

"hostname": "Uber_2"

},

"CK0112486": {

"_sys_serial": "CK0112486",

"ssid": "s1",

"_sys_lan_mac": "ac:a3:1e:c8:29:76",

"vc_name": "test_config_CK0036968",

"org": "Uber_org_test",

"vc_dns_ip":"22.22.22.22",

"zonename": "Uber_1",

"uplinkvlan": "0",

"swarmmode": "cluster",

"md5_checksum": "ed8a67a3d1be58261640ca53f8fd3bb8",

"hostname": "Uber_3"

},

"CT0779001": {

"_sys_serial": "CT0779001",

"ssid": "s1",

"_sys_lan_mac": "84:d4:7e:c5:c6:b0",

"vc_name": "test_config_CK0036968",

"org": "Uber_org_test",

"vc_dns_ip":"22.22.22.22",

"zonename": "Uber_1",

"uplinkvlan": "0",

"swarmmode": "cluster",

"md5_checksum": "ed8a67a3d1be58261640ca53f8fd3bb8",

"hostname": "Uber_4"

},

"CM0640401": {

"_sys_serial": "CM0640401",

"ssid": "s1",

"_sys_lan_mac": "84:d4:7e:c4:8f:2c",

"vc_name": "test_config_CK0036968",

"org": "Uber_org_test",

"vc_dns_ip":"22.22.22.22",

"zonename": "Uber_1",

"uplinkvlan": "0",

"swarmmode": "cluster",

"md5_checksum": "ed8a67a3d1be58261640ca53f8fd3bb8",

"hostname": "Uber_6"

},

"CK0037015": {

"_sys_serial": "CK0037015",

"ssid": "s1",

"_sys_lan_mac": "ac:a3:1e:c5:db:d8",

"vc_name": "test_config_CK0036968",

"org": "Uber_org_test",

"vc_dns_ip":"22.22.22.22",

"zonename": "Uber_1",

"uplinkvlan": "0",

"swarmmode": "cluster",

"md5_checksum": "ed8a67a3d1be58261640ca53f8fd3bb8",

"hostname": "Uber_7"

},

"CK0324517": {

"_sys_serial": "CK0324517",

"ssid": "s1",

"_sys_lan_mac": "f0:5c:19:c0:71:24",

"vc_name": "test_config_CK0036968",

"org": "Uber_org_test",

"vc_dns_ip":"22.22.22.22",

"zonename": "Uber_1",

"uplinkvlan": "0",

"swarmmode": "cluster",

"md5_checksum": "ed8a67a3d1be58261640ca53f8fd3bb8",

"hostname": "Uber_8"

}

}

Figure 1 shows a sample variables file in the CSV format:

Figure 1  Variables File in the CSV Format

Uploading Variable Files

To upload a variable file, complete the following steps:

1. Ensure that the _sys_serial and _sys_lan_mac variables are defined with the serial number and MAC address of the devices, respectively.

2. In the Network Operations app, set the filter to one of the template groups under Groups.

3. Under Manage, click Devices > Switches.

4. Click the Config icon.

5. Click Variables.

6. Click Upload Variables File and select the variable file to upload.

7. Click Open. The contents of the variable file is displayed in the Variables table.

8. To search for a variable, specify a search term and click Search icon.

9. To download variable file with device-specific definitions, click the download icon in the Variables table.

Modifying Variables

To modify variables without downloading a variable file, modifying the variable file, and uploading the customized variable file:

1. In the Network Operations app, set the filter to one of the template groups under Groups.

2. Under Manage, click Devices > Switches.

3. Click the Config icon.

4. Click Variables.

5. Select a device and variable.

6. Modify the value and click Add to Modifications.

7. Click Save.

Alternatively, to modify a single variable without downloading a variable file, modifying the variable file, and uploading the customized variable file:

1. In the Network Operations app, set the filter to one of the template groups under Groups.

2. Under Manage, click Devices > Switches.

3. Click the Config icon.

4. Hover over a desired variable and click Edit.

5. Modify the value and click Save.

6. Click Save.