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DC Hub Overview

This page describes how the DC Hub provides a comprehensive platform for the network administrator to discover, install, and manage add-ons to enhance Apstra functionalities.

DC Hub Overview

The DC Hub is a centralized platform within Juniper Data Center Assurance that helps you discover, access, and manage add-ons and enhancements for Apstra. These add-ons act as plug-and-play options to add functionality and analytics within Apstra. You can easily browse and import various add-ons directly into your AOS environment.

The additional configurations that can be deployed in Apstra Data Center Director are available across other repositories such as GitHub. The DC Hub acts as a single platform that provides you with consolidated add-ons containing the configurations required for specific functionalities. The DC Hub enables you to browse, import, and manage these add-ons directly onto your Apstra environment through a standardized process via the DC Assurance UI.

The DC Hub provides detailed descriptions, compatibility information, version details, and components for each add-on, allowing you to make informed decisions before installation. This streamlined import process, combined with post-installation guidance, ensures a seamless integration of add-ons into your existing Apstra environment.

The DC Hub currently hosts two types of add-ons:

  • AnalyticsPacks — modules that include specialized dashboards, custom collectors, and probes to provide deeper network insights and monitoring capabilities

  • FeaturePacks — modules that include configuration elements like Configlets and Property Sets that extend existing Apstra features for specialized requirements

Figure 1: DC Hub Analytics Pack The Analytics Pack tab of the DC Hub home page.

On the Hub, you can select either the Analytics Pack or the Feature Pack tabs to browse through the available add-ons. You can also use the Search bar to find specific add-ons as per your requirements.

You can toggle the display button on the top right of the page to view the available add-ons in list or table format. This page displays the name, version, description, and import status about each add-on. You can also select an add-on to view more details and to import it onto Apstra. The My Activity button takes you to a list of recorded import and unimport actions performed by you on the Hub.

Note:

The add-ons that are developed and published by Juniper are tagged as Juniper Official.

View Add-on Details

Click the View Details link or icon to open the add-on page that provides information such as a brief description of the add-on, compatibility information, publisher’s notes, and so on. You can also view a list of Edges where the add-on has already been imported.

Figure 2: Add-on Details Page Add-on details page for DDOS with the different options numbered.
Table 1: Options on the Add-on Details Page.

Option

Description

1

Name of the add-on.

2

Select the version of the add-on.

3

Initiate the import process for the add-on.

4

Download the add-on to your local device's hard drive.

5

Open the repository where the add-on is hosted.

6

Go to My Activity page.

7

Juniper official – a tag that indicates that the add-on is developed by Juniper.

8

Date when the selected version of the add-on was published.

9

Description of the add-on.

10

List of Apstra versions that are supported for the add-on.

11

Apstra features that will be enhanced on importing the add-on.

12

Publisher notes with information about the add-on.

13

List of Apstra Edges where the add-on is already imported.

Click the trash can icon to unimport the add-on from an instance.

Import an Add-on

Note:

You must be a superuser to import add-ons from the Hub.

To import an add-on onto an Edge or a blueprint, perform the following steps:

  1. Select an add-on from the Hub page and click View Details.

  2. On the <add-on> page, click Import.

  3. The Import Add-on dialog box opens with a list of supported Apstra versions, connected Edges, and their blueprints.

    Figure 3: Import Add-on Import Add-on dialog box with a list of Edges and blueprints.

  4. Select the Edge where you want to import the add-on from the list and click Next.

  5. Enter the appropriate details in the publisher-required input parameter fields. These parameters might differ for each add-on.

    Note:

    You can import multiple instances of the same add-on onto a single Edge/blueprint with different input parameters for different requirements. But the identifiers must be unique for each instance of the import. If the identifiers for an import instances is the same as an existing instance, the latest import attempt will fail with an error.

  6. Click Import.

Note:

For Feature Packs, the imported add-on is found in the Uncommitted tab of the selected blueprint on Juniper Apstra. As a precaution, you must manually commit the imported changes for the add-on components to be integrated onto the Apstra instance. For more information, see Commit / Revert Changes to Blueprint.

View My Activity

You can view records of your import and unimport actions on the Hub. Click the My Activities tab from the Hub homepage or the My Activities icon on the top right of the page. A list of all the add-ons you have imported or unimported is displayed along with the add-on versions, blueprints, Edges, and status. You can also view the activity logs for each add-on and download the same in txt format.

Figure 4: My Activity Page My Activiy page with all records of user actions listed.

You can also select an add-on and unimport the instance from Apstra from the My Activity page.

Benefits of DC Hub

DC Hub provides the following benefits:

  • Acts as a single, consolidated platform for add-ons that enhance existing Apstra features.

  • Provides detailed information about available add-ons such as supported versions, components, Apstra version compatibility, and import statuses.

  • Allows network administrators with a streamlined process to browse, import, manage, or unimport add-ons that improve Apstra functionality.