Aruba CX Switching Operations

View VLANs, MAC address tables, and manage Layer 2 operations on HPE Aruba CX switches. Includes read-only operations for viewing network segmentation and write operations (ITSM-gated) for VLAN management.

When to Use

• Viewing VLAN configurations and port assignments
• Tracking MAC addresses across the switching fabric
• Finding which port a specific endpoint is connected to
• Creating, modifying, or deleting VLANs (with ITSM approval)
• Auditing network segmentation
• Troubleshooting Layer 2 connectivity

MCP Server

• Server: aruba-cx-mcp (community MCP from slientnight)
• Command: python3 -u mcp-servers/aruba-cx-mcp/aruba_cx_mcp_server.py (stdio transport)
• Auth: REST API via ARUBA_CX_TARGETS (JSON array) or ARUBA_CX_CONFIG (file path)
• ITSM: Write operations require CR when ITSM_ENABLED=true

Available Tools

| Tool | Parameters | What It Does | |------|------------|--------------| | get_vlans | target, vlan_id? | Get VLAN configurations (ID, name, ports) | | get_mac_table | target, vlan_id?, mac_address? | Get MAC address table entries | | create_vlan | target, vlan_id, name?, cr_number? | Create a new VLAN (ITSM-gated) | | configure_vlan | target, vlan_id, name?, tagged_ports?, untagged_ports?, cr_number? | Modify VLAN (ITSM-gated) | | delete_vlan | target, vlan_id, cr_number? | Delete a VLAN (ITSM-gated) |

Workflow Examples

VLAN Discovery

bash
# View all VLANs
"Show all VLANs on core-sw-1"

# Check specific VLAN
"What ports are in VLAN 100 on core-sw-1?"

# List VLAN names
"Show me the VLAN names configured on core-sw-1"

# Find untagged ports
"Which ports are untagged in VLAN 100?"

MAC Address Tracking

bash
# View full MAC table
"Show the MAC address table for core-sw-1"

# Filter by VLAN
"Show MAC addresses in VLAN 100 on core-sw-1"

# Find specific MAC
"Find MAC address aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff on core-sw-1"

# Locate endpoint
"Which port is MAC aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff learned on?"

# Count MACs per VLAN
"How many MAC addresses are in each VLAN on core-sw-1?"

VLAN Management (ITSM-Gated)

bash
# Create VLAN (requires CR when ITSM enabled)
"Create VLAN 200 named 'Guest_Network' on core-sw-1 with CR CHG0001234"

# Modify VLAN (requires CR when ITSM enabled)
"Add port 1/1/10 as untagged to VLAN 200 on core-sw-1 with CR CHG0001234"

# Rename VLAN
"Rename VLAN 200 to 'Visitor_Network' on core-sw-1 with CR CHG0001234"

# Delete VLAN (requires CR when ITSM enabled)
"Delete VLAN 200 on core-sw-1 with CR CHG0001234"

ITSM Integration

Write operations (create_vlan, configure_vlan, delete_vlan) require change management approval:

| Environment Variable | Behavior | |---------------------|----------| | ITSM_ENABLED=false | Write operations proceed without CR validation | | ITSM_ENABLED=true | Write operations require valid ServiceNow CR number | | ITSM_LAB_MODE=true | CR format validated but not checked against ServiceNow |

CR Format: Must match ServiceNow pattern (e.g., CHG0001234)

Integration with Other Skills

• aruba-cx-system: First discover switches, then view their VLANs
• aruba-cx-interfaces: Check which interfaces are in which VLANs
• aruba-cx-config: View full running configuration including VLANs

Response Examples

VLAN List Response

json
[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "default",
    "admin_state": "up",
    "tagged_ports": [],
    "untagged_ports": ["1/1/1", "1/1/2"],
    "voice": false
  },
  {
    "id": 100,
    "name": "Management",
    "admin_state": "up",
    "tagged_ports": ["1/1/49", "1/1/50"],
    "untagged_ports": ["1/1/3", "1/1/4"],
    "voice": false
  }
]

MAC Table Response

json
[
  {
    "mac_address": "aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff",
    "vlan_id": 100,
    "port": "1/1/3",
    "type": "dynamic",
    "age": 300
  },
  {
    "mac_address": "11:22:33:44:55:66",
    "vlan_id": 100,
    "port": "1/1/4",
    "type": "dynamic",
    "age": 120
  }
]

VLAN Create Response

json
{
  "success": true,
  "message": "VLAN 200 created",
  "vlan": {
    "id": 200,
    "name": "Guest_Network"
  }
}

Error Handling

| Error Code | Meaning | Resolution | |------------|---------|------------| | AUTH_FAILED | Invalid credentials | Verify username/password in ARUBA_CX_TARGETS | | CONN_TIMEOUT | Switch unreachable | Check network connectivity | | VLAN_NOT_FOUND | VLAN doesn't exist | Verify VLAN ID is configured | | VLAN_EXISTS | VLAN already exists | Use configure_vlan to modify existing VLAN | | MAC_NOT_FOUND | MAC not in table | MAC may have aged out or device disconnected | | CR_REQUIRED | ITSM CR required | Provide cr_number parameter when ITSM_ENABLED | | CR_INVALID | CR validation failed | Verify CR format (CHG0001234) and status | | WRITE_FAILED | Configuration failed | Check switch connectivity and permissions |

Notes

• Read operations (get_vlans, get_mac_table): No ITSM gating required
• Write operations: Require ServiceNow CR when ITSM_ENABLED=true
• Lab mode (ITSM_LAB_MODE=true): Validates CR format without ServiceNow call
• MAC addresses use format: aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff
• VLAN IDs: 1-4094 (1 is typically reserved for default)
• All operations logged to GAIT audit trail