Cisco DNA Center and Telemetry-Driven Operations

Cisco DNA Center in the SDN World

Northbound vs Southbound APIs in DNA Center

DNA Center Functional Areas: Automation, Assurance, Policy

Telemetry and Streaming Data: From Polling to Real Time

Walkthrough: How DNA Center Uses Telemetry to Troubleshoot Wi-Fi

Hands-On Concept: Calling DNA Center’s Northbound REST API

You do not need to code for CCNA, but seeing a simple example will solidify your understanding of northbound REST APIs.

Below is a minimal Python-style example that shows how a script could talk to Cisco DNA Center’s REST API to fetch the device inventory. This is concept code, not tied to a specific version.

Key ideas to notice:

• The script talks to DNA Center, not directly to each switch.
• It uses HTTPS and a REST API endpoint (a URL) to get data in JSON.
• This is a northbound call: an external app (your script) consuming the controller’s API.

```python

import requests

DNAC_URL = "https://dnac.example.local" # DNA Center base URL

USERNAME = "admin"

PASSWORD = "MySecurePassword" # never hardcode in real life

1. Get an authentication token (simplified example)

auth_response = requests.post(

f"{DNAC_URL}/dna/system/api/v1/auth/token",

auth=(USERNAME, PASSWORD),

verify=False # do not skip verification in production

)

authresponse.raisefor_status()

token = auth_response.json()["Token"]

headers = {

"X-Auth-Token": token,

"Content-Type": "application/json"

}

2. Call a northbound API to get network device inventory

inv_response = requests.get(

f"{DNAC_URL}/dna/intent/api/v1/network-device",

headers=headers,

verify=False

)

invresponse.raisefor_status()

3. Parse the JSON response

for device in inv_response.json()["response"]:

print(device["hostname"], device["managementIpAddress"], device["type"])

```

When you see code like this, map it to the exam concept:

• REST API over HTTPS
• Northbound API to the controller
• JSON data representing inventory

In real operations, this kind of script can be wrapped into tools like Ansible or CI/CD pipelines to automate inventory, audits, or bulk changes.

Thought Exercise: Mapping a Traditional Task into DNA Center

Use this exercise to connect your CLI knowledge with controller-based operations.

Task

Imagine you are the network admin for a mid-size company. You need to:

1. Roll out a new QoS policy for voice traffic.
2. Apply it consistently to 40 access switches and 2 distribution switches.
3. Verify that IP phones are actually getting the expected treatment.

Step 1: Traditional Approach (Mentally List)

Pause and list in your head (or jot down) what you would do without DNA Center:

• How many devices would you log into?
• How would you ensure config consistency?
• How would you verify that QoS works end-to-end?

Step 2: DNA Center Approach (Conceptual)

Now, map the same job into DNA Center concepts:

• Automation: How could you use templates or intent-based workflows to push QoS configs to all relevant switches at once?
• Policy: How might you express "voice traffic should have higher priority" as an intent or business policy instead of per-interface CLI?
• Assurance: What telemetry or health views would you expect DNA Center to show to confirm that IP phones are treated correctly (e.g., application health, interface stats)?

Write down a short bullet list describing:

• One automation feature you would use
• One policy concept you would rely on
• One assurance/telemetry view you would check

This mental mapping is exactly how CCNA wants you to think: take a familiar task, then describe how a controller and its APIs/telemetry change how you do it.

Quick Check: APIs and DNA Center Roles

Test your understanding of northbound/southbound APIs and DNA Center’s main functions.

Quick Check: Telemetry and Assurance

Test your understanding of telemetry and how DNA Center Assurance uses it.

Key Terms Review: DNA Center and SDN Operations

Flip through these cards to reinforce the most important concepts from this module.

Putting It All Together: DNA Center in Day-to-Day Operations