Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is Cisco Workflows?
A: Cisco Workflows is a cloud-hosted SaaS application that provides users with the ability to automate tasks across a variety of Cisco and third-party applications. Cisco Workflows is multi-domain automation engine that acts as the glue between multiple controllers to provide customers with a central location to build, execute, and manage tasks across the network.
Customers can browse through the Exchange featuring pre-made automations validated by Cisco, modify them to fit their specific needs, or create their own from scratch in a low/no-code environment that is integrated alongside their existing Cisco infrastructure.
Q: What are the key outcomes delivered by Cisco Workflows?
A: Cisco Workflows significantly reduces the time it takes for networking teams to deliver value to their stakeholders. Through the automation of Day 0-2 tasks, customers can deliver new sites and services faster, troubleshoot and implement changes to their networks more efficiently, and remove both time-consuming and error-prone manual processes from the network management experience.
Q: What are the main benefits of using Cisco Workflows for automation?
A: As with many network automation tools, Cisco Workflows offers benefits around cost and time saving, as well as the reduction of human errors. What makes Cisco Workflows different is the benefits it provides to customers who choose to use our premade templates that are based on Cisco Validated Design frameworks.
Q: How do I get started with Cisco Workflows?
A: Check out the Getting Started section for step-by-step instructions.
Q: Do I need to know how to code to use this product?
A: No, Cisco Workflows provides no-code templates with drag-and-drop functionality for easy creation and editing. While coding knowledge is not required, having a basic understanding of JavaScript, JSON, or other scripting languages allows you to build more complex automation if desired.
Q: What Cisco products are currently supported?
A: Cisco Workflows currently offers prebuilt automation templates and integrated adapter support for Cisco Meraki®, Catalyst® Center, Catalyst SD-WAN, Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI®), and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE). We also provide generic REST, SSH, PowerShell, and Ansible adapters.
Q: Where are Workflow automations hosted?
A: Workflow automations are hosted on the Meraki cloud, but during the beta period all data is stored in the US data centre. For more information on Meraki cloud architecture, see Meraki Cloud Architecture.
Q: With Workflows, I was previously able to choose the region where my data would be stored. How is data storage managed for Workflows within the Meraki Dashboard now?
A: When creating a Meraki Organization, users can select the region where the organization's data will be hosted. For customers with globally distributed networks, it's recommended to create separate organizations for each desired data storage or hosting region (such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia, China, Canada, or India). The hosting region for a specific organization is displayed at the bottom of the Meraki Dashboard when a user is logged in. Workflows data is stored in the same region as the organization’s Meraki data.
Important Note: Once an organization is created, it cannot be migrated between regions.
For more details, refer to the Meraki Cloud Architecture documentation.
Q: How does Cisco Workflows integrate into my environment?
A: Cisco Workflows allows for easy cloud access to a private workspace. Workflows automates systems in the cloud and on-premises allowing for seamless reachability regardless of where the systems are hosted. Adapters with Workflows allow you to integrate with other 3rd-party and custom systems so you can leverage existing automations already established within your environment.
Q: Do I have to be a Meraki customer to use Workflows?
A: No, not at all. Even if you don’t have any Meraki devices, you can self-create a Meraki account without any devices or licensing and access Workflows to begin automating across Cisco Networking. You can create a new Meraki account at: account.meraki.com/login/new_account.
Q: Does Cisco Workflows support integration with third-party applications?
A: Yes, Cisco Workflows supports integration with third-party applications through generic REST and SSH connectors, enabling users to create automated workflows. Cisco plans to regularly release adapters and premade templates for popular third-party systems in the coming months.
Q: How do I connect third-party applications to Cisco Workflows?
A: Cisco Workflows supports integrations with various third-party applications, such as ServiceNow. For supported integrations, you can configure them directly from the ‘Targets’ page in the Cisco Workflows dashboard.
To connect to a custom or non-natively integrated application, you can use options like HTTP Endpoint, SSH Endpoint, or PowerShell Endpoint when setting up targets.
Q: I am already using a network automation tool like Ansible or Terraform. How can Cisco Workflows help me?
A: Cisco Workflows integrates with third-party network automation tools, including Ansible and Terraform, to enhance their functionality. It simplifies the execution of the automation templates you’ve already created, making your existing workflows more efficient. If you’re interested in exploring Cisco Workflows further, reach out to your Solutions Engineer to discuss the best approach.
Q: How do I connect Automation to my on-premises devices?
A: You can use the Automation Remote to integrate on-premises resources into your workflows. See the Remotes Help topic for more information.
Q: Can I modify prebuilt automation templates to suit my specific needs?
A: Yes, you can add premade templates to your workspace and customize them within the drag-and-drop designer to fit your specific requirements.
Q: What options do I have for creating custom automation templates?
A: Cisco Workflows allows you to create custom automation templates from scratch. It is recommended that you have a working knowledge of JSON or JavaScript before building custom templates.
Q: Which Python modules are available?
A: Refer to the Python Activities section for a list of Python scripts supported in Automation.
Q: Is it possible to install custom Python modules?
A: No, Python scripts in Automation run within a container that cannot be customized.
Q: How long are workflow execution logs kept?
A: Workflow execution logs for parent workflows is retained for 90 days. However, run data for any nested activities such as atomics and sub-workflows is retained for only 30 days.
Q: What if I see the upstream connect error or disconnect/reset before headers. reset reason: connection termination error message?
A: Clear your cache and cookies, and try again. This is a known issue.