Ciena 6500 TL1 driver — worked examples

End-to-end examples for the ciena_tl1 driver.

Start the simulator

The Ciena model isn’t in the default distribution, so generate a mixed Cisco + Ciena fleet that includes it, then start the server with --ssh-auth driver so each vendor authenticates the way it really does. Leave the server running in its own terminal.

# 1. Generate 200 devices including 10% Ciena 6500 TL1
./bin/rcfg-sim-gen --count 200 --output-dir /tmp/mix/configs \
  --manifest /tmp/mix/manifest.csv --ip-base 127.0.0.1 --ip-count 1 \
  --port-start 12000 --devices-per-ip 200 --seed 42 \
  --distribution "sm:50,md:30,lg:10,ciena-6500-tl1:10"

# 2. Start the server — driver-aware SSH auth for the mixed fleet
./bin/rcfg-sim --listen-ip 127.0.0.1 --port-start 12000 --port-count 200 \
  --manifest /tmp/mix/manifest.csv --host-key /tmp/mix/hostkey \
  --ssh-auth driver --metrics-addr 127.0.0.1:9100

Connect to a Ciena device

Find a Ciena port in the manifest (template column = ciena_tl1) and connect to it. With --ssh-auth driver the SSH transport accepts the connection without a password — authentication happens in-band with ACT-USER.

ssh -T -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null \
  admin@127.0.0.1 -p 12001

On connect the device emits the bare TL1 prompt:

Any retrieval before a successful login is denied with PLNA:

RTRV-SYS:::CTAG001;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:42:13
M  CTAG001 DENY
   PLNA
;

ACT-USER::admin:CTAG002::admin;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:42:18
M  CTAG002 COMPLD
   /*AUTHTYPE=LOCAL*/
   /*USERID=ADMIN*/
;

The same accept-any-when-empty semantics apply: an empty configured password accepts any. After COMPLD the RTRV-* verbs unlock.

Retrieving the shelf inventory

RTRV-EQPT streams the device’s generated 6500 7-slot inventory zero-copy from mmap — deterministic per (seed, device):

RTRV-EQPT::ALL:CTAG003;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:42:25
M  CTAG003 COMPLD
   "SHELF-1::PROVISIONED,TYPE=6500-7SLOT,SN=LBCQ7F3K1P,SWVER=12.4,IP=127.0.0.1:IS-NR"
   "SLOT-1:OTR2,CLEI=WMOTH4K2NP,SN=LBCQ7F3K1P01,PN=NTK547C:IS-NR"
   "SLOT-1-1::OPTIC=QSFP28,WL=1550.12,SN=LBCK9M2T4R01:IS-NR"
   "SLOT-1-2::OPTIC=CFP2,WL=1531.90,SN=LBCP3X8W2H02:IS-NR"
   "SLOT-2:WL3N,CLEI=WMOT8J3D0Q,SN=LBCR4T7Y2K02,PN=NTK583F:IS-NR"
   "SLOT-7::UNEQUIPPED:OOS-AUMA"
;

(The exact slots, card types, CLEI codes, optics, and wavelengths are generated from a bounded catalog and are stable for a given seed.)

The other RTRV verbs

`RTRV-ALM-ALL` — active alarms

RTRV-ALM-ALL:::CTAG004;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:42:30
M  CTAG004 COMPLD
   "SLOT-2:MN,CONTBUS,SA,,,,:\"Intermittent equipment communication\""
   "SLOT-7:MJ,T-LOS,NSA,,,,:\"Loss of signal\""
;

`RTRV-COND-ALL` — standing conditions

RTRV-COND-ALL:::CTAG005;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:42:34
M  CTAG005 COMPLD
   "SLOT-1:T-OPR-OCH,NEND,,,,,:\"Optical power received\""
;

`RTRV-SW-VER` — software version

RTRV-SW-VER:::CTAG006;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:42:38
M  CTAG006 COMPLD
   "SWVER=12.4,LOAD=12.4-GA,STATUS=ACTIVE"
;

`RTRV-SYS` — system identity

RTRV-SYS:::CTAG007;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:42:42
M  CTAG007 COMPLD
   "SID=CIENA-LAX-1001,TYPE=6500-7SLOT,SHELFSN=LBCQ7F3K1P"
;

`RTRV-ACTIVE-USER` — active sessions

RTRV-ACTIVE-USER:::CTAG008;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:42:46
M  CTAG008 COMPLD
   "ADMIN:ADMIN,ACTIVE"
;

Error cases

An unrecognised verb after login returns ICNV (input, command not valid):

RTRV-NONSENSE:::CTAG009;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:42:50
M  CTAG009 DENY
   ICNV
;

Bad credentials on ACT-USER return DENY PLNA, exactly like a pre-login retrieval.

Gateway NE fronting Remote NEs (GNE / RNE)

The ciena-6500-tl1-gne model emulates a Gateway NE that proxies TL1 to several Remote NEs reachable only through it. Generate a small GNE fleet and serve it:

# A GNE fleet — each device fronts 2–5 RNEs
./bin/rcfg-sim-gen --count 5 --output-dir /tmp/gne/configs \
  --manifest /tmp/gne/manifest.csv --ip-base 127.0.0.1 --ip-count 1 \
  --port-start 12000 --devices-per-ip 5 --seed 7 \
  --distribution "ciena-6500-tl1-gne:100"

./bin/rcfg-sim --listen-ip 127.0.0.1 --port-start 12000 --port-count 5 \
  --manifest /tmp/gne/manifest.csv --host-key /tmp/gne/hostkey --ssh-auth none

Connect to the GNE and log in, then discover the RNEs behind it with RTRV-NBR:

ACT-USER::admin:1::admin;
RTRV-NBR:ALL:2;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:43:01
M  2 COMPLD
   "RNE-LIMERICK:PROTOCOL=OSC,REACHABLE=YES,STATE=IS-NR"
   "RNE-GALWAY:PROTOCOL=OSC,REACHABLE=YES,STATE=IS-NR"
;

Address an RNE by putting its TID in the TID field (VERB:TID:CTAG;). The reply comes back with the RNE’s TID as the response SID — note RNE-LIMERICK, not the GNE’s CIENA-LAX-1001:

RTRV-EQPT:RNE-LIMERICK:3;

   RNE-LIMERICK 26-06-07 11:43:08
M  3 COMPLD
   "SHELF-1::PROVISIONED,TYPE=6500-7SLOT,SN=LBC2K9F4P1,SWVER=12.4,IP=127.0.0.1:IS-NR"
   "SLOT-1:OTR2,CLEI=WMOTH4K2NP,SN=LBC2K9F4P101,PN=NTK547C:IS-NR"
   ...
;

Alarms (and the other verbs) work against an RNE the same way:

RTRV-ALM-ALL:RNE-LIMERICK:4;

   RNE-LIMERICK 26-06-07 11:43:12
M  4 COMPLD
   "SLOT-2:MN,CONTBUS,SA,,,,:\"Intermittent equipment communication\""
;

GNE-own commands keep the empty-TID form and report the GNE’s SID:

RTRV-EQPT::ALL:100;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:43:18
M  100 COMPLD
   "SHELF-1::PROVISIONED,TYPE=6500-7SLOT,...:IS-NR"
;

An unknown or unreachable RNE TID is denied with IIAC:

RTRV-EQPT:RNE-NOWHERE:9;

   CIENA-LAX-1001 26-06-07 11:43:22
M  9 DENY
   IIAC
;

Automation

Python — Paramiko (read until `;`)

TL1 has no off-the-shelf Netmiko driver, so drive it over a raw Paramiko channel, reading until the ; terminator of each response:

import paramiko, time

def tl1(chan, cmd):
    chan.send(cmd if cmd.endswith(";") else cmd + ";")
    buf = ""
    deadline = time.time() + 10
    while time.time() < deadline:
        if chan.recv_ready():
            buf += chan.recv(65535).decode(errors="replace")
            # a complete response ends with ';' on its own line
            if buf.rstrip().endswith(";"):
                break
        else:
            time.sleep(0.1)
    return buf

client = paramiko.SSHClient()
client.set_missing_host_key_policy(paramiko.AutoAddPolicy())
client.connect("127.0.0.1", port=12001, username="admin", password="admin",
               look_for_keys=False, allow_agent=False)
chan = client.invoke_shell()
time.sleep(0.3); chan.recv(4096)              # consume the initial "<" prompt

print(tl1(chan, "ACT-USER::admin:C1::admin;"))
print(tl1(chan, "RTRV-EQPT::ALL:C2;"))
print(tl1(chan, "RTRV-ALM-ALL:::C3;"))
client.close()

Python — walk a GNE’s RNEs

Discover the RNEs with RTRV-NBR, then pull each one’s inventory by TID. Reuses the tl1() helper above:

import re

tl1(chan, "ACT-USER::admin:1::admin;")
nbr = tl1(chan, "RTRV-NBR:ALL:2;")
rnes = re.findall(r'"(RNE-[A-Z0-9-]+):', nbr)   # ['RNE-LIMERICK', 'RNE-GALWAY', ...]

inventories = {"<local>": tl1(chan, "RTRV-EQPT::ALL:100;")}   # the GNE itself
for i, tid in enumerate(rnes, start=10):
    inventories[tid] = tl1(chan, f"RTRV-EQPT:{tid}:{i};")     # each RNE behind it

Bash (one-shot)

Because TL1 commands are ;-terminated you can pipe them in, but give the server a moment between sends:

{ printf 'ACT-USER::admin:C1::admin;\n'; sleep 1; \
  printf 'RTRV-EQPT::ALL:C2;\n'; sleep 1; } | \
  ssh -T -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null \
  admin@127.0.0.1 -p 12001

Mixed Cisco + Ciena fleets

Running with --ssh-auth driver is what makes a mixed fleet realistic: Cisco devices challenge for an SSH password while Ciena devices accept the connection and rely on ACT-USER. This is the configuration to use when testing whether your tooling correctly handles both auth models — see SSH auth modes and Using rcfg-sim with rConfig.