Full backup to NSX-T with Ansible tower

Hereunder is a playbook to backup all your NSX-T components through simple API calls and then it will make another GET API call ?filter=Type- to backup everything in the NSX-T.

The Ansible playbook will save the output to a remote SFTP server

What you will need to update in the below playbook?

1. The SFTP server.

2. The components paths.

The Playbook on Github

- hosts: remotesftpserver

  vars:

    date: "{{ lookup('pipe', 'date +%Y%m%d') }}"

    whichnsx: "dev_nsx"

    host: "https://nsxturl/policy/api/v1/infra"

    nsxpassword: !vault |

          $ANSIBLE_VAULT;1.1;AES256

          6632653863dfsdfsdufghjkfdsjfhsdifhsdjndsjkchusihcsdciyugsdlchjo

  tasks:

  - name: NSX-T Components Backup

    uri:

      url: "{{ host }}{{ item }}"

      force_basic_auth: yes

      validate_certs: no

      headers:

        Accept: "application/json"

        Content-Type: "application/json"

      user: admin

      password: "{{ nsxpassword }}"

      method: GET

      status_code: "200"

      body_format: json

    with_items:

      - /segments

      - /domains/default/groups

      - /domains/security-policies

      - /tier-0s/Test-T0

      - /tier-0s/Test-T0/locale-services/default/bgp

      - /tier-0s/Test-T0/locale-services/default/bgp/neighbors

      - /tier-0s/Test-T0/locale-services/default/interfaces

      - /tier-1s/T1

    register: components

  - debug: var=components

  - local_action:

      module: copy

      content: "{{ components }}"

      dest: "/tmp/components.json"

  - name: NSX-T All components Backup

    uri:

      url: "{{ host }}{{ item }}"

      force_basic_auth: yes

      validate_certs: no

      headers:

        Accept: "application/json"

        Content-Type: "application/json"

      user: admin

      password: "{{ nsxpassword }}"

      method: GET

      status_code: "200"

      body_format: json

    with_items:

      - ?filter=Type-

    register: all

  - debug: var=all

  - local_action:

      module: copy

      content: "{{ all }}"

      dest: "/tmp/all.json"

  - name: Create the backup directory

    file:

     path: /backup/nsx_backup/api/{{ whichnsx }}_{{ date }}

     state: directory

     owner: root

     group: root

     mode: 0750

  - name: Copy the first file to a remote FTP remotesftpserver

    copy:

      src='/tmp/components.json'

      dest='/backup/nsx_backup/api/{{ whichnsx }}_{{ date }}/components.json'

  - name: Copy the second file to a remote FTP remotesftpserver

    copy:

      src='/tmp/all.json'

      dest='/backup/nsx_backup/api/{{ whichnsx }}_{{ date }}/all.json'

Ansible Playbook to backup all NSX-T components

Herebelow you will find an ansible playbook to backup all your NSX-T components. You can add more tasks for your different NSX-Ts. In my playbook I use 2 tasks for my DEV NSX-T. but I have another URL variable and I can use it in another 2 tasks.

The first task will get the output of the listed items (Segmets, Groups, FW Policies,...etc). and the second task will get everything. but it will not be easy to work on teh second task during crisies. because it contains a lot of data and you will get lost 😂.

Note: you can use the second task response to restore your NSX-T environment. 

- hosts: localhost

  connection: local

  gather_facts: no

  vars:

    host:

      dev:

        - https://URL1/policy/api/v1/infra

      prod:

        - https://URL2/policy/api/v1/infra/

    nsxpassword: !vault |

          $ANSIBLE_VAULT;1.1;AES256

          6632653863373166623766653666666666666666661393965633934386536363463386463

          

  tasks:

  - name: DEV NSX-T Backup

    uri:

      url: "{{ host.dev[0] }}{{ item }}"

      force_basic_auth: yes

      validate_certs: no

      headers:

        Accept: "application/json"

        Content-Type: "application/json"

      user: admin

      password: "{{ nsxpassword }}"

      method: GET

      status_code: "200"

      body_format: json

    with_items:

      - /segments

      - /domains/default/groups

      - /domains/security-policies

      - /tier-0s/Test-T0

      - /tier-0s/Test-T0/locale-services/default/bgp

      - /tier-0s/Test-T0/locale-services/default/bgp/neighbors

      - /tier-0s/Test-T0/locale-services/default/interfaces

      - /tier-1s/T1

    register: response

  - debug: var=response

  - name: DEV NSX-T All components Backup

    uri:

      url: "{{ host.dev[0] }}{{ item }}"

      force_basic_auth: yes

      validate_certs: no

      headers:

        Accept: "application/json"

        Content-Type: "application/json"

      user: admin

      password: "{{ nsxpassword }}"

      method: GET

      status_code: "200"

      body_format: json

    with_items:

      - ?filter=Type-

    register: response

  - debug: var=response