Network automation lab 15 of 27
On-box automation with EEM: backups, self-healing, tracking and guard rails
Automate inside the router with Embedded Event Manager: a manual backup applet, a syslog-triggered applet that undoes a mistaken shutdown, IP SLA tracking that alerts when a neighbour disappears, and a CLI guard that blocks dangerous commands, with every event reaching a syslog collector on the workstation.
Run this lab
It needs Lite: its 3 nodes are set to 3 vCPU and 5,632 MB in total. That fits the free demo too.
In your workspace: Shared, then Network Automation - CCNA and CCNP Automation guided labs, then 15 - On-box automation with EEM - backups self-healing tracking and guard rails
- Level
- Intermediate
- Time
- About 70 minutes
- Nodes need
- 3 vCPU, 5,632 MB
- Smallest plan
- Lite
The scenario
Kestrel Freight's Manchester router xe1 sits at the end of a link to r1 that the NOC can't afford to lose. Some automation belongs on the box: it reacts in milliseconds, keeps working when the management network is down, and needs no server. Your job is to give xe1 a set of Embedded Event Manager (EEM) policies: an on-demand backup, a self-healing rule for the WAN interface, an alert when r1 stops answering, and a guard rail that blocks commands nobody should type by accident. Every event must reach the NOC's syslog collector, which runs on the workstation.
| Device | Interface | Address |
|---|---|---|
| xe1 (IOS XE 17.3) | Gi1 · Gi2 | 10.10.20.21/24 · 10.1.13.2/30 → r1 |
| r1 (IOS 15.9) | Gi0/0 · Gi0/1 | 10.10.20.11/24 · 10.1.13.1/30 → xe1 |
| devbox | eth0 | 10.10.20.10/24, syslog collector syslog_listener.py (UDP 514) |
Configure xe1 from its console or with ssh xe1 from the workstation (login netops / NetOps-Lab1).
What you’ll practise
- Explain EEM event detectors, actions and policies, and where guest shell and on-box Python fit
- Write applets triggered manually, by syslog patterns, by object tracking and by CLI patterns
- Combine IP SLA, object tracking and EEM for on-box health monitoring
- Block dangerous commands with a synchronous CLI applet
- Send on-box events to a central syslog collector and verify them
The tasks
- Start the collector and send xe1's logs to it
- A manual applet: on-demand backup
- Self-healing: undo a mistaken shutdown
- Health monitoring with IP SLA, tracking and EEM
- A guard rail for dangerous commands
- Review and save everything
- Guest shell and on-box Python (read-through)
The Lab Tasks pane has the scenario, these tasks, the checks to run, hints and the full solution.
Topology and devices
The network as it opens in EVE-NG, drawn from the lab’s own canvas, and the image each node runs.
Every link, as text
- devbox
eth0to Mgmt (network) - xe1
Gi1to Mgmt (network) - r1
Gi0/0to Mgmt (network) - xe1
Gi2to r1Gi0/1
| Node | Device | Image in Add Node | Set to |
|---|---|---|---|
| devbox | EVE-NG GUI server (Docker) | eve-gui-server:latest | 1 vCPU, 1,024 MB |
| xe1 | Cisco CSR 1000v | csr1000vng-universalk9.17.03.08a-serial | 1 vCPU, 4,096 MB |
| r1 | Cisco IOSv | vios-adventerprisek9-m.spa.159-3.m9 | 1 vCPU, 512 MB |
How to open this lab
Sign in to your workspace at
lab.cloudlabbox.com.In File Manager, open Shared, then the folder
Network Automation - CCNA and CCNP Automation guided labs.Open
15 - On-box automation with EEM - backups self-healing tracking and guard railsand start its nodes, then open Lab Tasks for the scenario and the steps.
The lab is read-only. You can start the nodes and configure the devices, but changes to the topology can’t be saved. To change it, rebuild it in your own folder.
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CloudLabBox is independent of Cisco. The lab follows exam topics and isn’t vendor training material; vendor names identify the exams and the images in the workspace.