Cisco DNA Center Multi Tenant Manager

The Cisco Digital Network Architecture (DNA) offers a modern approach to campus networking by using an overlay based Software Defined Networking (SDN) approach. Thanks to an easy to use web platform tasks like network trouble shooting and edge device port configuration are massively simplified. A growing collection of API features (Intent API) opens the platform up for network automation and building customized tools additionally to the DNA Center Platform.

A feature often requested by Cisco's customers is the possibility to allow for multi tenancy in the host onboarding feature which offers configuration of edge/host ports. This way simple configurations can be made by less technically versed staff without having to call a technical specialist for every port that requires configuration. Adding multi tenancy can be interesting for organizations like universities that have multiple academic departments that inhabit and maintain separate spaces on the campus. To allow simple configuration currently full access to the DNA Center Platform would have to be granted to staff of each department.

In the scope of this Thesis a prove of concept has been built that allows access management to specific ports on the edge to user groups on a custom website using the DNA Center APIs. An administrator can not only grant read and write access to groups but also limit what configuration objects, like specific IP pools, can be used by a specific group.