Getting data from IBM Spectrum Control. RESTful API usage example in Python

Searching for a handy way to fetch data from IBM Spectrum Control (earlier versions are called Tivoli Storage Productivity Center (TPC)), I have found a perfect IBM storage blog: https://storagemvp.wordpress.com.

Among other interesting topics it describes several methods to export SC/TPC data, so I have immediately contacted it’s author, Dominic Pruitt, and he gave me useful advises and hints. Thank you very much, Dominic!

Because of it’s simplicity, the most attractive way for me is to use RESTful API.

It is rather new interface to Spectrum Control and that’s why it is not very well documented. Nevertheless it’s totally enough to start coding simple data exporter in Python.

Below is the example I wrote using brilliant “requests” library which makes HTTP as friendly as possible. It collects and lists information about Storage systems configured under Spectrum Control.

#!/usr/bin/python3

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# "THE BEER-WARE LICENSE" (Revision 42):
# zmey20000@yahoo.com wrote this file. As long as you retain this notice you
# can do whatever you want with this stuff. If we meet some day, and you think
# this stuff is worth it, you can buy me a beer in return Mikhail Zakharov
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

import requests

username = 'admin'
password = 'password'

base_url = 'https://sc.server.local:9569/srm/'
login_form = base_url + 'j_security_check'

rest_root = base_url + 'REST/api/v1/'
rest_StorageSystems = rest_root + 'StorageSystems'

StorageSystems = [
	{
		'Name': 'Name', 'ID': 'ID', 'Type': 'Type', 'Model': 'Model',
		'Firmware': 'Firmware', 'IP Address': 'IP Address',
		'Serial Number': 'Serial Number', 'Vendor': 'Vendor',
        'Pool Capacity': 'Pool Capacity', 'Used Pool Space': 'Used Pool Space',
        'Available Pool Space': 'Available Pool Space'
	}
]


def get_restful(requests_session, url):
    rq = requests_session.get(url)
    if rq.status_code != 200:
        print('Unable to open: {}, status code: {}'.format(url, r.status_code))
        exit(1)

    content_type = rq.headers.get('content-type')
    if content_type != 'application/json':
        print('Unsupported Content-Type: {}. We want JSON'.format(content_type))
        exit(1)

    return rq.json()


s = requests.Session()
s.verify = False

print('Logging into Spectrum Control', flush=True)
r = s.post(login_form, data={'j_username': username, 'j_password': password})
if r.status_code != 200:
    print("Can't open login form. Status code: {}".format(r.status_code))
    exit(1)

print('Checking if we can speak RESTful API', flush=True)
get_restful(s, rest_root)

print('Requesting Storage Systems information', flush=True)
tpc_storages = get_restful(s, rest_StorageSystems)

# Parse storage systems and save essential fields  
for storage in tpc_storages:
	StorageSystems.append(
		{
			'Name': storage['Name'], 'ID': storage['id'],
			'Type': storage['Type'], 'Model': storage['Model'],
			'Firmware': storage['Firmware'],
			'IP Address': storage['IP Address'], 
			'Serial Number': storage['Serial Number'],
			'Vendor': storage['Vendor'],
			'Pool Capacity': storage['Pool Capacity'], 
			'Used Pool Space': storage['Used Pool Space'],
			'Available Pool Space': storage['Available Pool Space']
		}
	)

print(StorageSystems)