Network router - can be controlled by RPC API calls - we have Python script to e.g. reboot the device, or read particular value - how to run such Python script from Solarwinds' GUI/web?

mrazek36

Hi, I'm totally new to Solarwinds NMS. Our company manufactures various routers which can be controlled/managed by API calls (RPC API). This works via HTTPS (login, various calls, logout). I already have multiple Python scripts (or could be other languages, such as Bash, ...) doing the necessary task - e.g. rebooting the unit, reading cellular status, changing particular settings, ... Scripts are used to speed-up various tasks, doing mass updates of parameters, reading values from routers which are not accessible via SNMP -> e.g. having LTE signal level in NMS graph, ...

We have customers using Solarwinds to read values from our routers via SNMP. We also have older products which supported SSH/CLI and Solarwinds users use NCM for CLI scripts, such as:

SolarWinds NCM Device Template Macros

<Command Name="Running" Value="/etc/config/u*g" />
<Command Name="Disconnect" Value="exit" />
<Command Name="VirtualPrompt" Value="\$" />

---

Custom Script to restart firewall, commonly used when the firewall starts to block genuine traffic:

su admin
restart firewall
exit

---

But since our new routers do NOT support CLI/SSH, but they support RPC API, the previous NCM cannot be used - it does not support running Python scripts instead of CLI/SSH scripts.

Is there any step-by-step procedure of how to do this via e.g. SDK of Solarwinds? Or any other way, but important is that customers/engineers have access only to the Solarwinds' web interface from which they can run e.g. those NCM scripts for particular device, or doing mass update of configuration (for tens and more units at once, ...).

Thank you very much for any help.

Tomas

P.S. If helpful, I can also provide Python scripts, but in general the script takes some parameters (IP, port, user, password, ...) and logins. It obtains a security token and then, thanks to this authentication, it does something in the unit (reading/configuration, ...) and eventually checks the changes and logs out.

mrazek36

I found that this approach should be possible via Actions and running external programs. I am doing some tests, not any complex script yet. I also approved the script in the Database manager already, but now, I'm getting this error, if I want to "test" it.

Execute program failed with exit code 2

Where can I see more possible issues?

Network path to external program:

C:\Users\test\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python313\python.exe "C:\Users\test\Solarwinds-skripty\test.py ${Node.Caption}

==

This script should just write some output - node's caption.

==

import sys

try:
    node_caption = sys.argv[1]
    print(f"Node: {node_caption}")
except IndexError:
    print("Error!")

===