Getting started information helps you get oriented with XPRESSO; topics in this section include:
About XPRESSO: Provides a high-level overview of XPRESSO, what makes XPRESSO unique, why you would want to use XPRESSO (includes some Use Case scenarios) and the key reasons of why/how XPRESSO can make your test automation experience better. Sub-topics include an overview of all major features and how why/how XPRESSO reduces your testing cycle-time and simplifies your testing complexity.
Logging into XPRESSO for the First Time: Provides information about what prerequisites are necessary prior to logging into XPRESSO for the first time, the steps required to acquire the necessary user credentials to access XPRESSO, and once registered, the next steps to perform to get you up-and-running.
Navigating the XPRESSO Dashboard: Provides general orientation information to help you get familiar with the layout of the XPRESSO Dashboard; topics include:
Introducing the XPRESSO Dashboard: Provides a breakdown of all major XPRESSO dashboard GUI elements including their purpose, location, lexicon definition, which Group member can access them (some are restricted for System Admin use), and where applicable, cross-references to other areas in this user guide for detailed information.
Table Customization: Most table fields on the XPRESSO dashboard can be customized to suit your reading preferences and to help you quickly locate/isolate specific objects you may be looking for.
User Profile and User Preferences: Provides access to following sub-menus:
- User Details information: Indicates your user name used to login into XPRESSO and email address details. Also indicates the last time you logged into XPRESSO, and the date you became a registered user.
- API Token: Displays the current API (access) automation token used for REST APIs (and libraries), and all other systems that communicate or interface with XPRESSO using REST APIs, and the API token expiration date.
- Password: (can only be seen and accessed by non-Cisco personal and System Administrators). Allows users to change their password they first used to login in XPRESSO.
- User Preferences: Allows users to change the date, time, time zone and text display settings.
Defining XPRESSO User Types and Group Membership Roles: Provides information about the two major XPRESSO user types (System Administrator and standard XPRESSO users) and how standard users are broken into (four) sub-roles to allow each role to perform specific tasks based on the security permissions assigned to the role.
Working with Groups: Groups and Group Membership roles are the key collaboration principles within XPRESSO and implicitly defines the permission settings of each Member in a Group which in turn defines what actions they can perform and which GUI elements you can see on the XPRESSO dashboard. You need to be assigned to a Group and assigned a Membership role within that Group in order to complete any XPRESSO actions.Sub-topics include:
Group Members/Membership: This topic provides the Group-related information and tasks which are relevant to all Group Membership roles.
Group Administration: Group Administrators are responsible for the upkeep of their Groups to ensure smooth day-to-day operations, the resources needed by Group members are in a sane/usable state, and to make sure the Group preferences and Group permissions (permitted actions) are configured appropriately so they meet the operational requirements for the Group.
Group Permissions: Group Permissions provide the necessary background security protection for Group Members, gives the Group Administrators the ability to control which actions each Membership role can perform and which GUI elements each Membership role sees on the XPRESSO dashboard. You can view your current permissions to determine which XPRESSO actions your Membership role can perform within a Group.
Group Preferences: Are the pre-filled system default settings (values) that are configured by the Group Administrator to help simplify and expedite the creation of configuration forms in XPRESSO. All Member roles can view their Group Preferences in case they want to determine what the default values are.
System Notifications, Messages, Actionable Requests and Webex Team Notifications: XPRESSO uses the following built-in push and pull communication/alert services to assist with monitoring system events, convey messages to other users, and to request tasks or actions to be completed by other XPRESSO users or the System Administrator:
Notifications: Provides an at-a-glance view of system-generated messages by priority and read/unread status,. You can control the verbosity of message details.
Messages: Provides an integrated messaging system to allow users to communicate within XPRESSO with other users and the System Administrator.
Actionable Requests: Provides access to a special form of messages that requires user intervention or action that is required by the Group Admin or System Administrator in order to proceed.
Webex Team Notifications: Ability to receive Webex Team notifications for Job Requests, Job Results,Testbed/Topology reservations, Testbed availability status and Docker Images.
Getting Help with XPRESSO: Provides point-of-contact guidelines about who to contact for help with XPRESSO and how to contact other resources to help you resolve permission restrictions with completing a task/action, with solving system-wide problems and requirements, or for XPRESSO integration issues for tools that interface with XPRESSO.
Glossary: Provides an alphabetical list of terms and acronym expansions that are unique (newly introduced, exclusive, or specialized), that are used in XPRESSO User Guide or appear on the XPRESSO dashboard. This glossary also identifies alternate term names and acronyms used in other Cisco networking user documentation.