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rename-hostnames

README.md

Rename Hostnames

This workflow uses the PyCentral SDK to automate configuring the hostname of devices in Central. The workflow first checks the device serial numbers against Central to verify devices are ready to be configured. Then, device hostnames are either created or updated determined by their current System Information profile status. Only the default System Information profile will be updated. In the case where there are no current profiles, one will be created with the default profile name of "sys-system-info-profile" The workflow will also create a CSV output file containing the status of hostname configuration operations.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8 or higher
  • API credentials for HPE Aruba Networking Central(YAML format)
  • All target devices are provisioned and configuration ready

Installation

  1. Clone the repository and navigate to this workflow folder
git clone -b v2 https://github.com/aruba/central-python-workflows.git
cd central-python-workflows/rename-hostnames
  1. Create and activate a virtual environment, then install dependencies
  • On macOS/Linux: source venv/bin/activate
  • On Windows (PowerShell): venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows use: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

This workflow is tested on the PyCentral SDK (version: 2.0a21). Please check compatibility before executing on older/newer versions as there may be changes

Configuration

Credentials Configuration (account_credentials.yaml)

For API operations in new HPE Aruba Networking Central:

new_central:
    cluster_name: <cluster-name>  # or base_url: <central-api-base-url>
    client_id: <central-client-id>
    client_secret: <central-client-secret>

Sample Input: See account_credentials.yaml in this repository for an example credential file.

Tip

Where to find these:

Workflow Input Data

This workflow requires an input CSV file containing the serial number of the devices to have their hostname changed, in addition to the new hostname. By default the workflow will use the variables_sample.csv file if none is provided.

Update the variables_sample.csv with device serial numbers and new hostnames, or create a custom CSV with the same format to be used as an argument when executing the script.

serial,new_hostname
{device1_serial},{device1_new_hostname}
{device2_serial},{device2_new_hostname}

Note

Sample Input: See variables_sample.csv in this repository for an example input file structure.

Execution

python rename_hostnames.py

With arguments:

python rename_hostnames.py -c <credentials_file> --hostnames_csv <input_file>

Command Line Options

Name Type Description Required Default
credential_file string Path to file with Central credentials No account_credentials.yaml
hostnames_csv string Path to input CSV file No variables_sample.csv

Output

If the script runs successfully, the terminal will show output similar to the following:

Workflow Output Demo

A CSV file with the results of the script execution will be saved as output.csv. The results include the serial number of the devices, their new hostnames, and the outcome of the operation.

Example output.csv file:

serial_number,new_name,status
serial1,hostname1,success
seria2,hostname2,failure

Accompanying Utility Script: Delete System Info Profiles

Overview

The delete_system_info.py script is a utility for fixing devices stuck in a bugged state due to Central no longer supporting multiple local system-info profiles. Devices follow the same provisioning requirements as laid out previosuly for renaming hostnames.

Background: Devices can no longer have multiple local system-info profiles in Central. Any device with multiple system-info profiles will be unable to create or update these profiles until all extra profiles are removed (leaving zero or one profile). This script cleans up the bugged state by deleting all local system-info profiles for the target devices.

When to Use

Use this utility when:

  • A device fails to update its hostname with errors related to maximum/existing system-info profiles. Example error: 
    {
    "httpStatusCode": 400,
    "message": "module aruba-system-info can only have single instance per scope",
    "debugId": "axxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
    "errorCode": "HPE_GL_ERROR_BAD_REQUEST"
}
  • A device has multiple system-info profiles from legacy configurations
  • You need to reset a device's system-info profile state before re-configuring

Input

Create a CSV file with a serial column header containing target device serial numbers:

serial
CNXXXXXXXX
CNXXXXXXX1

By default, the script uses delete_serials.csv. Update this file or provide a custom CSV.

Execution

python delete_system_info.py

With arguments:

python delete_system_info.py -c <credentials_file> --serials_csv <input_file>

Or provide serial numbers directly:

python delete_system_info.py --serials CNXXXXXXXX,CNXXXXXXX1,CNXXXXXXX2

Command Line Options

Name Type Description Required Default
credential_file string Path to file with Central credentials No account_credentials.yaml
serials_csv string Path to CSV file with serial numbers No delete_serials.csv
serials string Comma-separated list of serials No None

Output

Results are saved to delete_system_info_results.csv:

serial_number,device_function,profiles_deleted,status
CNXXXXXXXX,ACCESS_SWITCH,2,success
CNXXXXXXX1,AP,0,no_profiles

Troubleshooting

  • Authentication / tokens: Ensure your credentials file is complete and has valid credentials for Central.
  • Ensure all target devices have been assigned a device function and are ready for provisioning
  • Ensure hostnames are a valid format for the device type they are attempting to be assigned to
  • SDK compatibility: If API calls fail unexpectedly, confirm the installed pycentral version matches tested versions (2.0a21) or update helpers accordingly.
  • If unable to update/create hostnames review Delete System Info utility script

Support