Developer Network

CG-NMS Access using Clientless SSL VPN

The steps below describe the procedure to access Connected Grid - Network Management Station (CG-NMS) software. Please note that a unique instance of CG-NMS is software is hosted in CG-REDI per partner.

Step 1

• Remote Access Client opens web browser to https://173.36.209.69
• Select "CG-CDN-Clientless-Users" in Group
• Provide credentials and Login

Step 2

• Access CG-NMS using the provided Bookmark/URL

SSL VPN connection to CG-REDI for Application Servers

This blog describes the procedure to setup Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client based SSL VPN access to the CG-REDI infrastructure. This connection is setup from the Application Server hosted in the partner premises to the CG-REDI infrastructure. The supported Application Server operating systems are:

• Microsoft Windows
• Apple Mac OSX
• Various Linux distributions

If your Application server operating system is not supported, you will still need a VPN connection back to the CG-REDI infrastructure. In this case, refer to the Application Server section here for alternative Application Server setups in the Starter Kit.

The following screenshots run through the setup of Cisco AnyConnect based SSL VPN access to CG-REDI on the Windows platform. Similar steps should be performed for other operating systems.

Step 1:

• Open web browser connection to https://173.36.209.69
• Select "CG-CDN-AnyConnect-Users" in Group
• Provide credentials and Login

Step 2:

• Wait for the system to detect the platform (Windows, Mac or Linux) and Java installation
• If Java is not found, please install JRE
• Download and Install AnyConnect Client Software, by following the prompt on the screen

Step 3

• Launch Cisco Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client
• Connect to 173.36.209.29 using the AnyConnect software
• Provide login credentials
• VPN should connect with the following message

On May 16th, 2013, Google launched an early access preview of Android Studio, a new Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA. Android Studio, which can be downloaded here, is available for free on Windows, OS X, and Linux.

Android Studio is currently only available as an early access preview, meaning that several features are either not yet implemented or incomplete. There are currently known issues with installing add-ons on Android Studio. The Cisco DX650 add-on is not currently supported with the early access preview of Android Studio, but we will post a "How To" article when this changes!

Connected Grid - Rapid Endpoint Development Infrastructure-as-a-service (CG-REDI)

The Connected Grid Rapid Endpoint Development Infrastructure-as-a-service or CG-REDI, is a collection of cloud-based network infrastructure services, that are hosted at Cisco's DMZ facility and are available to partners signed up in the Cisco-Enabled Grid Devices development center.

A partner will create a Starter Kit at their premises and connect to the CG-REDI infrastructure to obtain hosted services to enable development of their Cisco Connected Grid Endpoints (CGE) and perform Compatibility Verification Testing (CVT).

As part of this new architecture, we have significantly reduced the complexity of the SDK (System Development Kit) Starter Kit. The starter kit has now been reduced to the following elements:

• Field Area Router
• Windows, Mac or Linux based PC or Laptop
• Application Server for hosting client server applications
• Endpoint Devices

The following diagram illustrates the topology of the new (Thin) Starter Kit:



The following diagram illustrates the connection of the Starter Kit at the vendor premises to the CG-REDI infrastructure:



The following are the VPN connection types from partner premises back to CG-REDI infrastructure:

1. IPv6 GRE over IPSec VPN: This connection is created between the FAR (CGR 1000) on partner premises and the ASR1K hosted at the CG-REDI. This connection is REQUIRED for the partner developed CGE to pass the IVT/CVT and be "Cisco Certified". Establishing this connection will require a static globally-routable IP address for the FAR.
2. SSL VPN: This connection is created between an Application Server hosted at the partner premises (or alternately at a third party SaaS/PaaS infrastructure) and terminates at an ASA at the CG-REDI. This requires the client server to install AnyConnect VPN software client. This connection is OPTIONAL for IVT/CVT and Cisco certification, but required if the partner wishes to communicate from their Application Server(s) to their CGE.
3. IPv6 GRE over IPSec VPN for Application Server (Optional): This is an alternate VPN service available when AnyConnect based SSL VPN is not an option. This is typically the case, where a non-supported OS is being used or the Application Server is hosted as a platform running customized embedded software. This connection is OPTIONAL for IVT/CVT and Cisco certification, but required if the partner wishes to communicate from their Application Server(s) to their CGE.
4. Clientless SSL VPN Connection: This connection can be established using a secure browser connection to the ASA appliance. This connects the user to the CG-REDI hosted CG-NMS (Connected Grid Network Management Service) instance. This connection is OPTIONAL for IVT/CVT and Cisco certification, but required if the partner wishes to use the hosted CGNMS to manage their endpoints.

Once the appropriate VPN connections are established, the following can take place:

1. The Connected Grid Endpoints can access the network infrastructure services like NTP, PKI, DHCPv6 Server, AAA/NPS via the IPSec GRE VPN Tunnel.
2. The partner's Application Server(s) can connect to the CGE via a tunnel to CG-REDI and then back again through the IPSec GRE VPN connection to their premise-based FAR.
3. A user at the partner premises (or anywhere) can open a session with their hosted CGNMS instance.

The following services are hosted on CG-REDI:

• NTP, DHCPv6, DNS, AAA/NPS, Certificate Authority (CA), Active Directory Services, Active Directory Certificate Services are shared between all partners
• A unique instance of CG-NMS is available for each partner for management and IVT/CVT testing

This makes development and integration of partner endpoints into Cisco's Field Area Network architecture even simpler and streamlined! So are you Connected Grid ready yet?

AXL Developers:

A new comprehensive AXL Change Notification Feature has been added to our Administrative XML interface in Unified CM 10.0.

Due to scalability issues, the old Notification mechanism introduced in UCM 9.0 has been removed. The old notification feature only supported Users, Phones, and Lines, was never documented, and was not able to scale to meet our needs. Notification requests based on the 9.x mechanism will no longer work when using UCM release 10.0. No alternatives were available. We apologize for any inconvenience this change in direction may cause.

We are 100% confident the new 10.0 Notification feature is the right approach and aligns with our go-forward direction.

Please read the AXL Change Notification page which illustrates how your application can take advantage of this new, powerful feature