Add a Device Collection Task

The Analytics features in Pathfinder require that the Path Computation Server (PCS) periodically connect to the network in order to obtain the configuration of network devices. The PCS uses this information to correlate IP addresses, interfaces, and devices. In addition, the PCS also obtains additional information about the devices. For example, VPN routing instances configured on the devices can be discovered and parsed as a result of this task.

Adding of devices (Configuration > Devices) to Paragon Automation is a prerequisite for successfully running device collection tasks.

Note:

For topologies that include logical nodes, periodic device collection is necessary as there are no real-time PCEP-based updates for logical devices.

To add a device collection task:

Select Administration > Task Scheduler.
The Task Scheduler page appears.
Click the + (Add) icon.

The Add Task page (wizard) appears.
Configure the fields in each step of the wizard according to the guidelines provided in Table 1.
Click Next to go to the next step.

Note:
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory.
After you complete each step in the wizard, click Finish.

A confirmation message appears on top of the page, indicating that the task was added successfully.

The details of this task are displayed on the Task Scheduler page. The device collection data is sent to the PCS for routing and is reflected in the Topology view.

Table 1: Fields on the Add Task Wizard (Device Collection)
Field	Description
Add New Task
Task Name	Specify a unique name for the task. The name can contain only alphanumeric characters and some special characters (greater than (<), less than (<), colon (:), underscore (_), and hyphen (-)).
Task Group	From the list, select Collection Tasks.
Task Type	From the list, select Device Collection.
Device Collection Task
`Task Options > Devices to be collected`	By default, all devices are selected to be included in the collection task (that is, the All Devices toggle button is disabled). Click the toggle button to enable including only selective devices in the device collection task. If you enable this toggle button, a list of all the devices available to be included in the collection task is displayed. Select the check boxes corresponding to the devices you want to include.
`Task Options > Other Options`
Archive BGP Files	If you select this check box, the memory consumption of large BGP files in Pathfinder is reduced by compressing data collection files that result from the device collection task. Default: Selected (Yes)
Archive Raw Data	If you select this check box, raw data is archived in Elasticsearch. Default: Selected (Yes)
Store Collection for Planner	If you select this check box, raw and spec data are added to the database, making it available for import into Paragon Planner as a network. This data includes the unparsed collected data from the devices and the device collection task status. The unparsed collected data contains the output of multiple show commands run on the devices. When you select this check box, the Network Description field becomes available.
Network Description	(Optional) Add a meaningful description for your reference.
Parse Collection	If you select this check box, Pathfinder reads the content of the configuration files and updates the network model accordingly. If you don't select this option, the configuration files are collected on the server, but not used in the model. Default: Selected (Yes)
Use Management IP	The behavior of this option depends on whether the management IP is configured or not: Default: Selected (Yes) If you select Use management IP and: The management IP is configured—Only the management IP is tried for collection, whether it is reachable or not. The management IP is not configured—The IP address is tried for collection. If you don't select Use management IP and: The management IP is configured—The management IP is tried first for collection. If the management IP is configured, but is not accessible, the IP address is tried for collection. The management IP is not configured—The IP address is tried for collection.
Collection Options
`Configuration Collection`	Click the toggle button to enable or disable (default) configuration collection. If you enable this toggle button, router configuration is automatically collected. In addition, the Interface, Tunnel Path, and Transit Tunnel data are collected by default. You can select or clear one or more check boxes corresponding to the data to be collected or processed. Note: We recommend that you collect router configuration, tunnel path, and tunnel transit data when running the device collection task so that the PCE can update the tunnel status and details based on the latest collection. Each of the options results in the collection task capturing the results of various show commands. Table 2 lists the show command output captured for each option.
CLI Collection	Equipment CLI—If you select this check box, equipment CLI data is collected as part of this task. The Process Equipment CLI option in the Network Archive task parses the Equipment CLI data that is collected during device collection. The Inventory Report that is generated is available in both Paragon Pathfinder and Paragon Planner. To view Hardware Inventory in Paragon Planner, you must run device collection with the Equipment CLI collection option (collects the inventory data) and the Network Archive collection with the Process Equipment CLI option (processes the inventory data).
Schedule
Startup Options	Schedule—Select one of the following options to schedule the task: Activate Now: The task starts at the current date and time. Activate Later: The task starts at a later date and time. In the field that appears, click the calendar icon to select the date and time at which you want the task to start. Then, click OK. Instead of using the Activate Now option, you can also click Now at the bottom of the calendar for the task to start at the current date and time. Note: You can choose to run the collection only once, or to repeat it at specific intervals. The default interval is 15 minutes.
Recurrence Options	Repeats—Specify the frequency (in Minutes, Hours, Days, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, or Never) at which the task recurs. Every—Specify the periodicity of the recurrence. Ends—Select one of the following options: Never—To configure the task to recur at the specified interval. On—To select a date and time at which you want the task to end. In the field that appears, click the calendar icon and select the date and time. Then, click OK. Now—To end a task at the current date and time, click Now at the bottom of the calendar.

Table 2 lists the show command output captured for each Collection Option.

Table 2: Show Command Output Captured by Device Collection Options
Data Type	For Juniper Devices	For IOS-XR Devices
Configuration	show configuration \| display inheritance brief \| no-more	show running
Interface	show configuration system host-name \| display inheritance brief show interfaces \| no-more	show running \| include hostname show interfaces show ipv4 interface
Tunnel Path	show configuration system host-name \| display inheritance brief show mpls lsp statistics ingress extensive logical-router all \| no-more	show running \| include hostname show mpls traffic-eng tunnels detail role head
Transit Tunnel	show configuration system host-name \| display inheritance brief show rsvp session ingress detail logical-router all \| no-more show rsvp session transit detail logical-router all \| no-more	show running \| include hostname show mpls traffic-eng tunnels backup
Equipment CLI	show configuration system host-name \| display inheritance brief show version \| no-more show chassis hardware \| no-more show chassis fpc \| no-more show chassis hardware models \| no-more	show version show diag show env all admin show inventory show inventory raw

Add a Device Collection Task

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