Manual fabric topologies

You can use the Fabric Services System to import a predefined topology to serve as the basis for future fabric intents, or for a fabric intent you are in the process of designing.

This capability assumes that you have already created a file that describes a fabric topology. You can then:
  • use the Topologies page to import the topology for use in a future fabric intent
  • use the Fabric Design page to import that topology for use in the current fabric intent.

The topology file you import must be in JSON or YAML format, and must include information about nodes, links, and device profiles. After you import the topology, you can use it as the basis for any number of fabric intents you create with the Fabric Services System.

For node configurations contained within the manual topology, the software version specified for each node must be among the software versions supported in the Fabric Service System's software catalog.

This capability is supported for a topology consisting of nodes that run SR Linux; but it is also supported for topologies composed of hardware that does not run SR Linux. The following node types are currently supported for manual topologies:

The types of configurations supported in such manual topologies vary depending on the hardware involved. For example, a manual topology consisting of WBX nodes can include LAGs, but one of SR Linux nodes cannot. (For SR Linux topologies, you can add LAGs afterward using conventional methods within the Fabric Services System).

After you create a fabric intent using a manual, imported topology, you can include it in workload intents as you would any other fabric intent. The special considerations for manual, imported topologies extend only to the design and updates for the fabric intent itself; subsequent workflow involving such fabric intents is unchanged.