NAPALM Driver

Overview

NAPALM driver is based on Device Operation API, providing cross-vendor standardized network device operation functions, supporting mainstream vendor devices such as Cisco, Juniper, Arista, HP, etc.

Important Note: This document focuses on NAPALM driver-specific parameters and usage. For general API endpoints (POST /device/execute), request format, response format, etc., please refer to Device Operation API.

Driver Features

• Connection Method: SSH/HTTP/HTTPS
• Use Cases: Cross-vendor environments, need unified configuration management
• Recommended Queue Strategy: fifo (First-In-First-Out queue)
• Advantages: Standardized interface, supports configuration merge, replace, rollback

Query Operations

1. Basic Data Collection

Device Facts Collection

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "eos",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password"
  },
  "command": "get_facts",
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 300
  }
}

Multi-Method Combination Query

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "ios",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password",
    "timeout": 60,
    "optional_args": {
      "port": 22,
      "secret": "enable_password"
    }
  },
  "command": [
    "get_facts",
    "get_interfaces",
    "get_interfaces_ip",
    "get_arp_table",
    "get_mac_address_table"
  ],
  "driver_args": {
    "encoding": "text"
  },
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 600
  }
}

Routing Information Query

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "iosxr",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password",
    "optional_args": {
      "port": 22,
      "secret": "enable_password"
    }
  },
  "command": [
    "get_route_to",
    "get_bgp_neighbors",
    "get_bgp_neighbors_detail"
  ],
  "driver_args": {
    "destination": "8.8.8.8",
    "protocol": "ipv4"
  },
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 450
  }
}

2. Interface Information Query

Interface Status Query

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "ios",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password"
  },
  "command": "get_interfaces",
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 300
  }
}

Interface IP Information Query

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "eos",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password"
  },
  "command": "get_interfaces_ip",
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 300
  }
}

3. Network Protocol Query

BGP Neighbor Query

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "ios",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password"
  },
  "command": "get_bgp_neighbors",
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 300
  }
}

OSPF Neighbor Query

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "ios",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password"
  },
  "command": "get_ospf_neighbors",
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 300
  }
}

Configuration Operations

1. Basic Configuration Push

Single Command Configuration

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "ios",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password",
    "optional_args": {
      "secret": "enable_password"
    }
  },
  "config": "hostname NAPALM-Test-Device",
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 300
  }
}

Interface Configuration - With driver_args

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "ios",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password",
    "optional_args": {
      "secret": "enable_password"
    }
  },
  "config": [
    "interface GigabitEthernet0/1",
    "description NAPALM Configured Interface",
    "ip address 192.168.100.1 255.255.255.0",
    "no shutdown"
  ],
  "driver_args": {
    "message": "NAPALM interface configuration",
    "revert_in": 60
  },
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 600
  }
}

2. Configuration Replace Operations

Configuration Push - Using Template

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "junos",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password"
  },
  "config": {
    "snmp": {
      "community": "napalm_ro",
      "location": "Datacenter-01",
      "contact": "netops@company.com"
    },
    "ntp": {
      "servers": ["8.8.8.8", "8.8.4.4"]
    }
  },
  "driver_args": {
    "message": "NAPALM configuration",
    "revert_in": 120
  },
  "options": {
    "rendering": {
      "name": "jinja2",
      "template": "snmp community {{ snmp.community }} authorization read-only\nsnmp location {{ snmp.location }}\nsnmp contact {{ snmp.contact }}\n{% for server in ntp.servers %}ntp server {{ server }}\n{% endfor %}"
    },
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 600
  }
}

Configuration Merge - Incremental Configuration (Default Mode)

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "eos",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password"
  },
  "config": [
    "interface Ethernet1",
    "description Management Interface",
    "ip address 192.168.1.1/24",
    "no shutdown"
  ],
  "driver_args": {
    "message": "NAPALM merge configuration",
    "revert_in": 60
  },
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 600
  }
}

3. Advanced Configuration Operations

Configuration Rollback

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "ios",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password",
    "optional_args": {
      "secret": "enable_password"
    }
  },
  "command": "rollback",
  "driver_args": {
    "message": "Rollback to previous configuration"
  },
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 300
  }
}

Configuration Compare

Request

{
  "driver": "napalm",
  "connection_args": {
    "device_type": "ios",
    "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
    "username": "admin",
    "password": "password"
  },
  "command": "compare_config",
  "options": {
    "queue_strategy": "fifo",
    "ttl": 300
  }
}

Usage Examples

cURL Examples

# Basic device facts collection
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: your-api-key-here" \
  -d '{
    "driver": "napalm",
    "connection_args": {
      "device_type": "ios",
      "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
      "username": "admin",
      "password": "password"
    },
    "command": "get_facts"
  }' \
  http://localhost:9000/device/execute

# Multi-method combination query
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: your-api-key-here" \
  -d '{
    "driver": "napalm",
    "connection_args": {
      "device_type": "ios",
      "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
      "username": "admin",
      "password": "password"
    },
    "command": [
      "get_facts",
      "get_interfaces",
      "get_interfaces_ip"
    ]
  }' \
  http://localhost:9000/device/execute

# Configuration push
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: your-api-key-here" \
  -d '{
    "driver": "napalm",
    "connection_args": {
      "device_type": "ios",
      "hostname": "192.168.1.1",
      "username": "admin",
      "password": "password"
    },
    "config": "hostname NAPALM-Device",
    "driver_args": {
      "message": "NAPALM configuration"
    }
  }' \
  http://localhost:9000/device/execute

Python Examples

import requests
import json

class NapalmClient:
    def __init__(self, base_url, api_key):
        self.base_url = base_url
        self.headers = {
            "X-API-Key": api_key,
            "Content-Type": "application/json"
        }

    def get_facts(self, host, username, password, device_type="ios"):
        """Get device facts information"""
        payload = {
            "driver": "napalm",
            "connection_args": {
                "device_type": device_type,
                "hostname": host,
                "username": username,
                "password": password
            },
            "command": "get_facts",
            "options": {
                "queue_strategy": "fifo",
                "ttl": 300
            }
        }

        response = requests.post(
            f"{self.base_url}/device/execute",
            headers=self.headers,
            json=payload
        )
        return response.json()

    def get_interfaces(self, host, username, password, device_type="ios"):
        """Get interface information"""
        payload = {
            "driver": "napalm",
            "connection_args": {
                "device_type": device_type,
                "hostname": host,
                "username": username,
                "password": password
            },
            "command": "get_interfaces",
            "options": {
                "queue_strategy": "fifo",
                "ttl": 300
            }
        }

        response = requests.post(
            f"{self.base_url}/device/execute",
            headers=self.headers,
            json=payload
        )
        return response.json()

    def get_bgp_neighbors(self, host, username, password, device_type="ios"):
        """Get BGP neighbor information"""
        payload = {
            "driver": "napalm",
            "connection_args": {
                "device_type": device_type,
                "hostname": host,
                "username": username,
                "password": password
            },
            "command": "get_bgp_neighbors",
            "options": {
                "queue_strategy": "fifo",
                "ttl": 300
            }
        }

        response = requests.post(
            f"{self.base_url}/device/execute",
            headers=self.headers,
            json=payload
        )
        return response.json()

    def push_config(self, host, username, password, config, device_type="ios", **kwargs):
        """Push configuration"""
        payload = {
            "driver": "napalm",
            "connection_args": {
                "device_type": device_type,
                "hostname": host,
                "username": username,
                "password": password
            },
            "config": config,
            "options": {
                "queue_strategy": "fifo",
                "ttl": 600
            }
        }

        # Add driver_args
        if "driver_args" in kwargs:
            payload["driver_args"] = kwargs["driver_args"]

        response = requests.post(
            f"{self.base_url}/device/execute",
            headers=self.headers,
            json=payload
        )
        return response.json()

    def multi_method_query(self, host, username, password, methods, device_type="ios"):
        """Multi-method combination query"""
        payload = {
            "driver": "napalm",
            "connection_args": {
                "device_type": device_type,
                "hostname": host,
                "username": username,
                "password": password
            },
            "command": methods,
            "driver_args": {
                "encoding": "text"
            },
            "options": {
                "queue_strategy": "fifo",
                "ttl": 600
            }
        }

        response = requests.post(
            f"{self.base_url}/device/execute",
            headers=self.headers,
            json=payload
        )
        return response.json()

# Usage example
client = NapalmClient("http://localhost:9000", "your-api-key-here")

# Get device facts
facts = client.get_facts("192.168.1.1", "admin", "password")
print(f"Device facts: {facts}")

# Get interface information
interfaces = client.get_interfaces("192.168.1.1", "admin", "password")
print(f"Interface information: {interfaces}")

# Get BGP neighbors
bgp_neighbors = client.get_bgp_neighbors("192.168.1.1", "admin", "password")
print(f"BGP neighbors: {bgp_neighbors}")

# Multi-method query
methods = ["get_facts", "get_interfaces", "get_interfaces_ip", "get_arp_table"]
result = client.multi_method_query("192.168.1.1", "admin", "password", methods)
print(f"Multi-method query result: {result}")

# Configuration push
config = "hostname NAPALM-Device"
result = client.push_config(
    "192.168.1.1", "admin", "password", config,
    driver_args={
        "message": "NAPALM configuration",
        "revert_in": 60
    }
)
print(f"Configuration push result: {result}")

NAPALM Driver-Specific Parameters

Note: For general connection parameters (hostname, username, password, etc.), please refer to parameter descriptions in Device Operation API. This section only describes NAPALM driver-specific parameters.

connection_args Specific Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
device_type	string	-	Device type (required), supports: ios, iosxr, junos, eos, nxos
hostname	string	-	Device IP address (NAPALM uses hostname instead of host)
optional_args	object	{}	Optional parameters object, can include: port, secret, transport, etc.

optional_args Common Parameters: - port: SSH port number - secret: enable password - transport: transport protocol (ssh/http/https)

driver_args Specific Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
encoding	string	"text"	Encoding format (only for query operations, CLI commands)
message	string	-	Configuration commit message (only for configuration operations, passed to commit_config)
revert_in	integer	-	Configuration confirmation time (seconds), used for automatic rollback (only for configuration operations, passed to commit_config)

Note: options parameter is a global option, common to all drivers. For detailed description, please refer to Device Operation API.

NAPALM Recommended Configuration: - queue_strategy: Recommended to use "fifo", suitable for HTTP/SSH short connections - ttl: Set based on operation complexity, query operations recommend 300 seconds, configuration operations recommend 600 seconds

Supported Device Types

Device Type	Vendor	Description
ios	Cisco	Cisco IOS
iosxr	Cisco	Cisco IOS XR
junos	Juniper	Juniper Junos
eos	Arista	Arista EOS
nxos	Cisco	Cisco NX-OS

Supported Methods

Method	Description	Return Value
get_facts	Get device facts	Device basic information
get_interfaces	Get interface information	Interface status and configuration
get_interfaces_ip	Get interface IP information	Interface IP addresses
get_arp_table	Get ARP table	ARP entries
get_mac_address_table	Get MAC address table	MAC address entries
get_route_to	Get routing information	Routing table
get_bgp_neighbors	Get BGP neighbors	BGP neighbor information
get_bgp_neighbors_detail	Get BGP neighbor details	Detailed BGP information
get_ospf_neighbors	Get OSPF neighbors	OSPF neighbor information
get_lldp_neighbors	Get LLDP neighbors	LLDP neighbor information
get_lldp_neighbors_detail	Get LLDP neighbor details	Detailed LLDP information
get_environment	Get environment information	Temperature, power, etc.
get_config	Get configuration	Device configuration
compare_config	Compare configuration	Configuration differences
rollback	Configuration rollback	Rollback result

NAPALM Driver Best Practices

1. Query Operations

• Use fifo queue strategy
• Set timeout appropriately
• Use multi-method combination queries (e.g.: get_facts, get_interfaces, get_interfaces_ip)

2. Configuration Operations

• Enable confirmation mechanism (set revert_in parameter)
• Set commit message (message parameter)
• Use template rendering to generate configuration
• NAPALM configuration operations default to merge mode (incremental configuration)

3. Configuration Management

• Configuration operations default to merge mode (incremental configuration)
• Use rollback function for configuration rollback (rollback as command call)

For detailed best practices, see: API Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Connection Timeout
2. Check network connection
3. Adjust timeout

4. Verify device reachability

5. Authentication Failed

6. Verify username and password
7. Check account permissions

8. Confirm authentication method

9. Method Not Supported

10. Check device type
11. Verify method support
12. View error logs

Debug Commands

# Test network connectivity
ping 192.168.1.1

# Test SSH connection
ssh admin@192.168.1.1

# View connection logs
tail -f /var/log/netpulse.log

Related Documentation

• Device Operation API - Core device operation interfaces
• Driver Selection - Learn about other drivers