XML API

Overview

The XML API is an NFM-P interface that provides an XML interface to the NFM-P through which an OSS client application can perform the following tasks:

configure or retrieve NFM-P network management information
manipulate managed objects
receive event notifications from the NFM-P server using a persistent or non-persistent JMS connection

The following figure shows the architecture of the XML API, which includes a JMS connection for the collection of near-real-time alarms and events.

Figure 1-1: XML API architecture

An XML API client sends an XML-encoded, SOAP-enabled message to a main server HTTP or HTTPS port. An XML application on the main server station parses the SOAP XML message and forwards the request to the NFM-P server for processing.

An HTTPS connection requires TLS encryption. See the NSP Planning Guide for the TLS and HTTPS port assignments, and the NSP Installation and Upgrade Guide for TLS configuration information.

The XML API is installed with the core NFM-P software components. To use the XML API, you must perform the following configuration tasks.

Enter an NFM-P license key that activates the XML API.
Use a user group that is assigned the OSS management scope of command role.

Note: You can create a scope of command profile to group the OSS management scope of command role with additional roles. See the section on user account and group management in the NSP System Administrator Guide for more information about user groups and the associated scope of command roles and permissions.

XML API client

The XML API client implementation can range from a CLI to a third-party application. The format for the client user interface varies with the function of the client application; for example, rolling up statistics into a third-party billing application. The XML API clients function the same way regardless of the front-end implementation: XML scripts are posted to the NFM-P server using an HTTP client. See Chapter 3, Communicating with the NFM-P for more information.