Templates

Template Overview

Templates combine powerful logic to build networks using policy intent and AOS components such as rack types and logical devices. AOS includes two types of templates: rack-based and pod-based.

Rack-based templates import one or more rack types that define how servers connect to top-of-rack switches (or a pair of ToR switches); logical devices define the spines.

Pod-based templates are used to create large, 5-stage Clos networks, essentially combining multiple rack-based templates using an additional layer of superspines. The following images show examples of 5-stage Clos architectures built using pod-based templates (Superspine links are not shown for readability purposes). See 5-stage Clos Architecture for more information.

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Single plane, dual superspine

_images/topology2.png

4 x plane, 4 x superspine

After a template is created, it can be used to create as many different blueprints as needed to build specific networks.

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To go to templates - from the AOS web interface, navigate to Design / Templates. AOS ships with numerous predefined templates. To see more information, click a template name. Templates include the following details:

Common Parameters

Name - 64 characters or fewer

Type - RACK BASED or POD BASED

Policies
ASN Allocation Scheme (spine) (rack-based only)

Unique - applies to 3-stage designs. A different ASN is assigned to each spine.

Single - applies to 5-stage designs. One ASN is assigned to all spines within a pod, and another ASN is assigned to all superspines.

Routing Policy (import) (rack-based only)

Default Only - accepts 0.0.0.0/0 BGP route

ALL - accepts all routes - It sends an Internet full table (700k routes), which may cause a crash or other undesirable behavior for the AOS fabric network devices that are attached to external routers. Verify that your network devices can accept the appropriate number of routes.

Overlay Control Protocol - defines the inter-rack virtual network overlay protocol used in the AOS fabric. This cannot be changed after a blueprint is deployed.

Static VXLAN - uses static VXLAN routing the Head End Replication (HER) flooding to distribute Layer 2 virtual network traffic between racks.

MP-EBGP EVPN - uses EVPN family eBGP sessions between device loopbacks to exchange EVPN routes for hosts (Type 2) and networks (Type 5). Only homogeneous, single-vendor EVPN fabrics are supported. VXLAN/EVPN capabilities for inter-rack virtual networks are dependent on the make and model of the network devices being used. See Virtual Networks for more information.

Spine to Leaf links Type (or for 5-stage, Spine to Superspine Links)

IPv4 - uses addresses from IPv4 resource pools.

IPv6 - uses addresses from IPv6 resource pools. IPv6 is not supported when MP-EBGP EVPN overlay control protocol is specified.

IPv4-IPv6 - dual-stack

Structure
For Rack-based Templates:

Rack Types - type of rack and number of each selected rack type. Specifying an ESI-based rack type in a rack-based templates without EVPN is invalid.

Spine Logical Device and Count - type and number of spine logical devices

External Links Count and Speed - number of spine links and speed to any external routers

Superspine Link Count and Speed - number and speed of links to any superspines

For Pod-based Templates:

Pods - type of rack-based template and number of each selected template

Superspine Logical Device - type of logical device

Plane - number of planes and number of superspines per plane

External Links Count and Speed - number of links and speed to any external routers

Cloning Template

Instead of entering all details for a new template, you can clone an existing one, give it a new name and customize it.

Creating Rack Based Template

You can build a multi-rack environment by selecting multiple rack types, but you cannot mix Layer 2 and Layer 3 racks in the same template.

  1. If your design requires rack types and/or logical devices that are not in the global catalog, create them before proceeding.
  2. From the list view (Design / Templates), click Create Template, enter a name (64 characters or fewer) and select RACK BASED.
  3. Select applicable policies.
  4. Select a rack type from the drop-down list and select how many of that type to include in the template. Notice that as you enter information, the topology preview on the right changes accordingly.
    • To add another rack, click Add racks.
  5. Select the Spine Logical Device from the drop-down list, then select the number of them to include in the template. Make sure to select one that provides a sufficient number of spine ports for your design. For 5-stage designs, make sure to select a logical device that includes the Superspine role.
  6. For Spine External Connectivity, enter the number and connection speed of any external links.
  7. For 5-stage designs, enter the number and connection speed of links for Superspine Connectivity.
  8. Click Create to create the template. It can now be used to create a blueprint.

Creating Pod Based Template

A pod-based template consists of multiple rack-based templates; it is essentially a “template of templates” used to build 5-stage Clos networks.

  1. If your design requires templates, rack types and/or logical devices that are not in the global catalog, create them before proceeding.
  2. From the list view (Design / Templates), click Create Template, enter a name (64 characters or fewer) and select POD BASED.
  3. Select applicable policies.
  4. Select a pod from the drop-down list and select the number of that type of pod. Notice that as you enter information, the topology preview on the right changes accordingly.
    • To add another type of pod, click Add pods and select another pod from the drop-down list.
  5. Select a Superspine Logical Device from the drop-down list.
  6. Select the number of planes and the number of superspines per plane.
  7. Enter the number and connection speed of any external links.
  8. Click Create to create the template. It can now be used to create a blueprint.

The example below shows a pod-based template with three pods and two planes, each containing two superspines:

_images/superspine_template.png

Editing Template

Changes to templates in the global catalog do not affect templates that have already been used to create blueprints, thereby preventing potentially unintended changes to those blueprints.

  1. Either from the list view (Design / Templates) or the details view, click the Edit button (top-right) for the template to update.
  2. Make your changes.
  • If you’ve modified a rack type that’s used in a rack type template and you want it be updated in the template, you need to delete the rack type in the template (click X to the right of the template), then immediately select the same rack type from the drop-down list before saving the changes.
  1. Click Update (bottom-right) to update the template.

Updating Rack Type in Rack Type Template

Changes to rack types in the global catalog do not affect templates that have already imported them, thereby preventing potentially unintended changes to those templates. If your intent is for the template to use the modified rack type, then you must re-import the rack type into the template.

  1. Either from the list view (Design / Templates) or the details view, click the Edit button (top-right) for the template to update.
  2. Click the X to the right of the rack type to remove it. Don’t save the template yet.
  3. Select the same rack type from the drop-down list.
  4. Click Update (bottom-right) to update the template with the modified rack type.

Deleting Template

Do not delete a template if it is referenced by a blueprint.

  1. Either from the list view (Design / Templates) or the details view, click the Delete button for the template to delete.
  2. Click Delete to delete the template.