Http Server Profiles Configuration Object

Overview

The http_server_profiles Ansible module provides functionality to manage HTTP server profile objects in Palo Alto Networks' Strata Cloud Manager (SCM). HTTP server profiles define server configurations for services like log forwarding, and this module supports creating, updating, and deleting these profiles with various server configurations and protocol settings.

Core Methods

Method	Description	Parameters	Return Type
`create()`	Creates a new HTTP server profile	`data: Dict[str, Any]`	`HttpServerProfileResponseModel`
`update()`	Updates an existing server profile	`profile: HttpServerProfileUpdateModel`	`HttpServerProfileResponseModel`
`delete()`	Removes a server profile	`object_id: str`	`None`
`fetch()`	Gets a server profile by name	`name: str`, `container: str`	`HttpServerProfileResponseModel`
`list()`	Lists server profiles with filtering	`folder: str`, `**filters`	`List[HttpServerProfileResponseModel]`

HTTP Server Profile Model Attributes

Attribute	Type	Required	Description
`name`	str	Yes	Name of the HTTP server profile (max 63 chars)
`description`	str	No	Description of the HTTP server profile
`server`	list	Yes*	List of server configurations
`tag_registration`	bool	No	Whether to register tags on match
`format`	dict	No	Format settings for different log types
`folder`	str	One container	The folder in which the profile is defined (max 64 chars)
`snippet`	str	One container	The snippet in which the profile is defined (max 64 chars)
`device`	str	One container	The device in which the profile is defined (max 64 chars)

*Required when state=present

Server Configuration Attributes

Attribute	Type	Required	Description
`name`	str	Yes	Server name
`address`	str	Yes	Server address (IP or FQDN)
`protocol`	str	Yes	Protocol: "HTTP" or "HTTPS"
`port`	int	Yes	Port number
`http_method`	str	Yes	HTTP method: "GET", "POST", "PUT", "DELETE"
`tls_version`	str	No	TLS version: "1.0", "1.1", "1.2", "1.3" (for HTTPS only)
`certificate_profile`	str	No	Certificate profile name (for HTTPS only)

Provider Dictionary Attributes

Attribute	Type	Required	Default	Description
`client_id`	str	Yes		Client ID for authentication
`client_secret`	str	Yes		Client secret for authentication
`tsg_id`	str	Yes		Tenant Service Group ID
`log_level`	str	No	"INFO"	Log level for the SDK

Exceptions

Exception	Description
`InvalidObjectError`	Invalid profile data or format
`NameNotUniqueError`	Profile name already exists
`ObjectNotPresentError`	Profile not found
`MissingQueryParameterError`	Missing required parameters
`AuthenticationError`	Authentication failed
`ServerError`	Internal server error
`InvalidServerConfigError`	Invalid server configuration

Basic Configuration

The HTTP Server Profiles module requires proper authentication credentials to access the Strata Cloud Manager API.

- name: Basic HTTP Server Profile Configuration
  hosts: localhost
  gather_facts: false
  vars:
    provider:
      client_id: "your_client_id"
      client_secret: "your_client_secret"
      tsg_id: "your_tsg_id"
      log_level: "INFO"
  tasks:
    - name: Ensure an HTTP server profile exists
      cdot65.scm.http_server_profiles:
        provider: "{{ provider }}"
        name: "test-http-profile"
        description: "Basic HTTP server profile"
        server:
          - name: "primary-server"
            address: "10.0.0.1"
            protocol: "HTTP"
            port: 8080
            http_method: "GET"
        folder: "Texas"
        state: "present"

Usage Examples

Creating HTTP Server Profiles

HTTP server profiles can be created with different server configurations and protocols to meet various logging and communication requirements.

Basic HTTP Server Profile

This example creates a simple HTTP server profile with a single HTTP server.

- name: Create a basic HTTP server profile
  cdot65.scm.http_server_profiles:
    provider: "{{ provider }}"
    name: "test-http-profile"
    description: "Test HTTP server profile"
    server:
      - name: "primary-server"
        address: "10.0.0.1"
        protocol: "HTTP"
        port: 8080
        http_method: "GET"
    folder: "Texas"
    state: "present"

HTTPS Server Profile

This example creates an HTTPS server profile with TLS configuration for secure communication.

- name: Create an HTTPS server profile
  cdot65.scm.http_server_profiles:
    provider: "{{ provider }}"
    name: "secure-profile"
    description: "Secure HTTPS server profile"
    server:
      - name: "secure-server"
        address: "logs.example.com"
        protocol: "HTTPS"
        port: 443
        tls_version: "1.2"
        http_method: "POST"
        certificate_profile: "default-certificate-profile"
    tag_registration: true
    folder: "Texas"
    state: "present"

Multiple Servers Configuration

This example creates an HTTP server profile with multiple server configurations for redundancy.

- name: Create an HTTP server profile with multiple servers
  cdot65.scm.http_server_profiles:
    provider: "{{ provider }}"
    name: "redundant-profile"
    description: "HTTP server profile with multiple servers"
    server:
      - name: "primary-server"
        address: "10.0.0.1"
        protocol: "HTTP"
        port: 8080
        http_method: "POST"
      - name: "backup-server"
        address: "10.0.0.2"
        protocol: "HTTP"
        port: 8080
        http_method: "POST"
    folder: "Texas"
    state: "present"

Updating HTTP Server Profiles

This example updates an existing HTTP server profile with modified server configurations.

- name: Update an existing HTTP server profile
  cdot65.scm.http_server_profiles:
    provider: "{{ provider }}"
    name: "test-http-profile"
    description: "Updated HTTP server profile"
    server:
      - name: "primary-server"
        address: "10.0.0.1"
        protocol: "HTTP"
        port: 8080
        http_method: "POST"  # Changed from GET to POST
      - name: "backup-server"
        address: "10.0.0.2"
        protocol: "HTTP"
        port: 8080
        http_method: "POST"
    folder: "Texas"
    state: "present"

Deleting HTTP Server Profiles

This example removes an HTTP server profile.

- name: Delete an HTTP server profile
  cdot65.scm.http_server_profiles:
    provider: "{{ provider }}"
    name: "test-http-profile"
    folder: "Texas"
    state: "absent"

Managing Configuration Changes

After creating, updating, or deleting HTTP server profiles, you need to commit your changes to apply them.

- name: Commit changes
  cdot65.scm.commit:
    provider: "{{ provider }}"
    folders: ["Texas"]
    description: "Updated HTTP server profiles"

Error Handling

It's important to handle potential errors when working with HTTP server profiles.

- name: Create or update HTTP server profile with error handling
  block:
    - name: Ensure HTTP server profile exists
      cdot65.scm.http_server_profiles:
        provider: "{{ provider }}"
        name: "test-http-profile"
        description: "Test HTTP server profile"
        server:
          - name: "primary-server"
            address: "10.0.0.1"
            protocol: "HTTP"
            port: 8080
            http_method: "GET"
        folder: "Texas"
        state: "present"
      register: profile_result

    - name: Commit changes
      cdot65.scm.commit:
        provider: "{{ provider }}"
        folders: ["Texas"]
        description: "Updated HTTP server profiles"
      when: profile_result.changed

  rescue:
    - name: Handle errors
      debug:
        msg: "An error occurred: {{ ansible_failed_result.msg }}"

    - name: Check if it's a server configuration error
      debug:
        msg: "Please check the server configuration parameters"
      when: "'server' in ansible_failed_result.msg"

Best Practices

Server Configuration

Use descriptive server names that reflect their purpose
Consider using FQDNs for addresses instead of IPs for better maintainability
Choose appropriate HTTP methods based on the server's expected interface
Configure proper TLS versions for HTTPS servers based on security requirements
Use certificate profiles for HTTPS servers to validate certificates

Protocol Selection

Use HTTP for internal, trusted networks where encryption isn't required
Choose HTTPS with appropriate TLS versions for external or sensitive communications
Consider network security implications when selecting protocol and port
Validate that the selected ports are open and accessible in your network

Profile Management

Create separate profiles for different purposes (logging, notifications, etc.)
Document the purpose of each profile and its server configurations
Use consistent naming conventions across profiles
Test server connectivity before deploying to production
Regularly review and update server configurations

Multiple Server Configuration

Configure multiple servers for redundancy when possible
Consider load balancing implications when using multiple servers
Ensure all servers in a profile use compatible configurations
Test failover scenarios if using profiles for critical services

Performance Considerations

Monitor server response times and adjust configurations as needed
Consider the impact of high-volume logging on server performance
Test profiles under expected load conditions
Implement appropriate error handling and retry logic in your playbooks

http_server_profiles_info - Retrieve information about HTTP server profiles
log_forwarding_profile - Configure log forwarding profiles that use HTTP server profiles
log_forwarding_profile_info - Retrieve information about log forwarding profiles
syslog_server_profiles - Configure syslog server profiles for system logging