Introducing the Isilon API Info Hub

Would you like to automate routine Isilon cluster administration tasks? Maybe you need a custom tool to monitor your cluster, or your cluster administrators would like a nice, tidy script to allow them to consistently and securely perform operations on files and directories. If you’re looking for resources to help you do any or all of these things, we have just the place to get started: the Isilon API Info Hub.

The brand-new Isilon API Info Hub is your one-stop shop for information about getting and using the OneFS API. Use the OneFS Platform API (PAPI) to automate configuration, management, and monitoring of tasks, and to build scripts to allow your cluster administrators to securely perform operations on your Isilon cluster’s files and directories.

Isilon API Info Hub resources

The Isilon API Info Hub collects resources such as:

  • Code samples
  • Advice from Isilon API experts
  • Links to related ECN discussions
  • Links to the Isilon OneFS Platform API documentation

And much more.

How PAPI works

You can access PAPI through a Representational State Transfer (REST) interface, which is composed of URIs and standard HTTP methods. That means that you can manage cluster resources using HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. OneFS and PAPI exchange the representations of objects and collections as JSON-formatted documents, so they’re platform- and programming language-independent. When PAPI sends a request to OneFS, the request is authenticated and then authorized through role-based access control (RBAC). When the request is approved, you got access, baby, and the requested operation proceeds.

Well, if you’ve enabled HTTP on your cluster, that is. PAPI relies on HTTP to function correctly. Be sure that HTTP is enabled on your cluster so that your scripts work.

Check out the Isilon API Info Hub and be sure to let us know what you think. And check out the Isilon Uptime Info Hub for technical information about Isilon products and related real-world problems and solutions, including best practices for scripting with PAPI. Happy scripting!

About the Author: Risa Galant