nso-device-ops

Apps & Automation

Cisco NSO device operations — config retrieval, state inspection, sync, platform info, NED IDs, device groups. Use when retrieving device configs from NSO, checking sync status, pulling platform inventory, or inspecting NSO device groups and NED drivers

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NSO Device Operations

MCP Server

Command: cisco-nso-mcp-server (pip-installed, stdio transport)
Requires: NSO_ADDRESS, NSO_USERNAME, NSO_PASSWORD environment variables
Optional: NSO_SCHEME (default: http), NSO_PORT (default: 8080), NSO_VERIFY, NSO_TIMEOUT
API: RESTCONF (RFC 8040)

Available Tools

Tool	Parameters	What It Does
`get_device_config`	`device_name`	Get the full configuration for a device from NSO's CDB
`get_device_state`	`device_name`	Get operational state data for a device (interfaces, counters, status)
`check_device_sync`	`device_name`	Check if NSO's copy of the device config is in sync with the actual device
`sync_from_device`	`device_name`	Pull the current config from the device into NSO's CDB (sync-from)
`get_device_platform`	`device_name`	Get platform info: model, OS version, serial number, hardware details
`get_device_ned_ids`	none	List all Network Element Driver (NED) IDs — shows what device types NSO can manage
`get_device_groups`	none	List all device groups defined in NSO

MCP Resource

Resource URI	What It Returns
`https://resources.cisco-nso-mcp.io/environment`	NSO environment summary: device count, OS distribution, unique models, device series, group membership

Workflow: Device Configuration Audit

When a user asks "show me R1's config from NSO" or "what does NSO have for the core routers":

Get device groups: get_device_groups to see how devices are organized
Get config: get_device_config for each target device
Present: Format the configuration in a readable way
Cross-reference: Compare with pyATS live config if discrepancies suspected

Workflow: Sync Check and Remediation

When a user asks "are my devices in sync?" or "is NSO up to date?":

Check sync: check_device_sync for the target device(s)
If out of sync: Report which devices are out of sync and why
Remediate: Use sync_from_device to pull current config from the device into NSO
Verify: Run check_device_sync again to confirm sync is restored
Record in GAIT: Log the sync operation for audit trail

Workflow: NSO Environment Overview

When a user asks "what's in NSO?" or "show me the NSO inventory":

Environment resource: Read the NSO environment resource for the summary
Device groups: get_device_groups to see organizational structure
NED IDs: get_device_ned_ids to see what device types are managed
Platform details: get_device_platform for specific devices of interest
Report: Summary table of devices, OS types, models, and group membership

Workflow: Pre-Change Baseline from NSO

Before making configuration changes:

Get current config: get_device_config to capture the NSO baseline
Check sync: check_device_sync to ensure NSO is current
If out of sync: sync_from_device first to get the latest state
Save baseline: Commit the config to GAIT or GitHub for audit trail
Proceed with change: Use pyATS or NSO services to apply changes

Workflow: Device Platform Inventory

When a user needs hardware/software details:

Get platform: get_device_platform for each device
Compile report: Model, serial, OS version, hardware
Cross-reference: Check NVD for CVEs against OS versions (use nvd-cve skill)
Cross-reference: Compare with NetBox records for accuracy (use netbox-reconcile skill)

NSO Concepts

Concept	Meaning
CDB	Configuration Database — NSO's copy of all device configs
NED	Network Element Driver — plugin that translates between NSO's model and device CLI/NETCONF
sync-from	Pull config from device into NSO CDB
sync-to	Push NSO CDB config to device (not available in this MCP — use services instead)
Device Group	Logical grouping of devices for bulk operations
Service	NSO service instance that provisions config across devices (see nso-service-mgmt skill)

Integration with Other Skills

Scenario	Integration
Config differs from NSO	Compare `get_device_config` (NSO) vs pyATS `show running-config` (live)
Device inventory audit	Compare `get_device_platform` (NSO) vs NetBox records
Pre-change validation	NSO config baseline → ServiceNow CR → pyATS apply → NSO sync verify
Vulnerability scanning	`get_device_platform` (OS version) → NVD CVE search
Config backup to GitHub	`get_device_config` → github-ops commit to repo

Important Rules

NSO is the orchestration layer — it manages device configs through RESTCONF/NETCONF, not CLI
Always check sync before trusting config — check_device_sync first
sync_from_device pulls FROM the device — it overwrites NSO's CDB with what's actually on the device
Read-heavy operations are safe — get_device_config, get_device_state, check_device_sync are non-destructive
sync_from_device modifies NSO CDB — it's safe for the device but changes NSO's database
Record in GAIT — log all NSO operations for audit trail

Environment Variables

NSO_SCHEME — http or https (default: http)
NSO_ADDRESS — NSO server address (default: localhost)
NSO_PORT — RESTCONF port (default: 8080)
NSO_USERNAME — NSO username (default: admin)
NSO_PASSWORD — NSO password (default: admin)
NSO_VERIFY — Verify SSL certificate (default: true)
NSO_TIMEOUT — Connection timeout in seconds (default: 10)