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Onboard a Device to Freeform Blueprint (Telemetry-Only Mode)

Apstra supports two reference designs: two-stage L3 Clos (standardized datacenter design) and Freeform (flexible connectivity) design. This feature applies specifically to the Freeform design.

This topic describes how to onboard a device in HPE Networking Apstra Data Center Director using telemetry-only mode and assign it to a Freeform blueprint. This configuration collects device telemetry without managing or pushing its configuration, while preserving existing fabric management workflows.

Limitations

Before you get started, review the following limitations:

  • The feature is limited to Junos OS and Junos EVO devices.

  • Management level in the blueprint must match Operation Mode in the system agent. Both must be set to either "telemetry-only" or "full-control" mode.

  • Telemetry-only devices are only allowed in Freeform blueprints and are not applicable to IP Clos fabrics.

  • Telemetry-only mode applies only to internal systems. External systems are always unmanaged systems.

  • NOS upgrades cannot be performed while operating in telemetry-only mode.

  • Devices created in telemetry-only mode follow a different workflow, as the pristine configuration is not collected, which impacts other operations.

  • In telemetry-only mode, "Pristine Configuration Validation" and "Revert to Pristine on Uninstall" are skipped. If you manually execute these options, execution will fail.

  • To switch a device between full-control mode and telemetry-only mode, you must uninstall the agent, delete the agent, recreate the agent with the new mode, and reinstall the agent.

Prerequisites

If you are configuring an Offbox agent, these prerequisites apply:

  • Configure the device beforehand by setting the mgmt_junos VRF with the system system management-instance; without it, both the install job and check job will fail. This prerequisite applies to Offbox agents in general, not just telemetry-only agents. In full-control mode, Apstra configures the mgmt_junos VRF. In telemetry-only mode, it simply verifies its presence.

  • Make sure the gRPC port is either not configured or set to TCP port 32767. Apstra automatically sets the port number during the installation.

Onboard a Device to a Freeform Blueprint in Telemetry-Only Mode

Note:

During installation of an Offbox agent, Apstra configures gRPC on the device to collect telemetry. This is the only change Apstra makes to the device configuration; nothing is pushed to the device afterwards.

Follow these steps to onboard a device to a Freeform blueprint in telemetry-only mode:

  1. Create an Agent.
    You can create either an Onbox or Offbox agent. These steps describe how to create an Onbox agent.
    Note:

    • With an Onbox agent, Apstra additionally installs the AOS agent software on the device along with its supporting configuration, so the device footprint is noticeably larger.

    • For both Onbox and Offbox agents, no pristine configuration is collected. The configuration is neither rendered nor deployed.

    1. From the left navigation menu in the Apstra GUI, navigate to Devices > Managed Devices, then select Create Onbox Agent(s).
      User interface of HPE management system showing Managed Devices section with navigation menu, action buttons for creating agents, breadcrumb trail, and pagination control.

      The Create Onbox System Agent(s) page opens.

      User interface for creating Onbox System Agents with fields for device addresses, operation mode, username, password, agent profile, and post-creation job. Telemetry Only mode and Install job are selected.
    2. Under Operation Mode, select Telemetry Only.
    3. Enter the device IP addressing in the Device Addresses field. You can enter up to 25 device IP addresses.
    4. Select the agent profile from the Agent Profiles drop-down list. This action eliminates the need to manually enter credentials and packages. Optionally, if you're not using an agent profile, check the set username and password check boxes and add your credentials.
    5. Select Install.
    6. Click Create to finish creating the agent.
  2. Create a blueprint. For instructions, see Create Freeform Blueprint.
  3. Create the System.
    Note: In Freeform, the term "system" represents the devices.
    1. Navigate to Staged > Physical > Systems and click Create System.
      Breadcrumb trail shows navigation path: Blueprints > Telemetry-only BP > Staged > Physical > Systems. Staged tab and Physical section with Systems active. Teal Create System button visible.
    2. On the Create System page, select Type: INTERNAL and select From Managed Devices.
      Select the managed device from the System drop-down list, select Telemetry Only mode and click Create.
      Create System interface with fields and options: Name set to leaf2, Type is INTERNAL, How to Create selected as From Managed Devices, System selected as 525400222F78 - Juniper vEX, Control set to Full Control, Hostname and Tags fields empty, Create button present.
      The newly created system appears in the Systems table list.

      User interface for managing systems in a network with a table listing system details like name, type, tags, deployment mode, device profile, serial number, management level, hostname, config template, and actions. Tabs for navigation are visible at the top. A row for leaf2 is highlighted with a red border, showing internal type, telemetry only management level, and undeploy mode. Create System button is displayed for adding new systems.

  4. Deploy the System.
    1. Select the check box next to the device, then click the Set Deploy Mode button.

      Dashboard interface for managing physical systems, showing tabs like Physical and Systems, a table listing system details such as name, type, tags, deploy mode, and actions, with a Create System button on the toolbar.

    2. Select Deploy, then click Set Deploy Mode.
      User interface for setting Deploy Mode. Deploy option selected. Node list shows leaf2 with mode Undeploy. Pagination indicates page 1 of 1. Teal Set Deploy Mode button at bottom right.

      The system now shows Deploy Mode: Deploy in the staged blueprint.

      Table-based user interface showing devices with attributes like name, type, tags, deploy mode, device profile, serial number, management level, hostname, config template, property set, and actions. One row, leaf2, is highlighted with a red border and selected. Leaf2 attributes include type INTERNAL, deploy mode Deploy, device profile Juniper vEX, serial number 525400222F78, management level Telemetry Only, config template Not assigned, and property set Not assigned. Includes filtering options, navigation controls, and a Create System button.
      Note: A Config Template is unnecessary for telemetry-only systems. The "Not assigned" label under Config Template is not an error. Assigning a config template is not required.
  5. Commit the blueprint to finish onboarding the device

See Also