Loopback Interface¶

Loopback interfaces are virtual interfaces used for management access, routing protocols, and NAT. The scm CLI provides commands to create, update, delete, and load loopback interfaces.

Overview¶

The loopback-interface commands allow you to:

Create loopback interfaces with IP addressing
Update existing loopback interface configurations
Delete loopback interfaces that are no longer needed
Bulk import loopback interfaces from YAML files
Export loopback interfaces for backup or migration

Set Loopback Interface¶

Create or update a loopback interface.

Syntax¶

scm set network loopback-interface NAME [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description	Required
`NAME`	Interface name (positional)	Yes
`--folder TEXT`	Folder location	No*
`--snippet TEXT`	Snippet location	No*
`--device TEXT`	Device location	No*
`--comment TEXT`	Interface description	No
`--default-value TEXT`	Default interface (e.g. loopback.1)	No
`--mtu INT`	MTU (576-9216)	No
`--ip-json TEXT`	Static IPs as JSON	No
`--ipv6-json TEXT`	IPv6 config as JSON	No

* One of --folder, --snippet, or --device is required.

Examples¶

Create a Loopback Interface¶

$ scm set network loopback-interface loopback.1 \
    --folder Texas \
    --ip-json '[{"name": "10.0.0.1/32"}]' \
    --comment "Management loopback"
---> 100%
Created loopback interface: loopback.1 in folder Texas

Create a Loopback with IPv6¶

$ scm set network loopback-interface loopback.2 \
    --folder Texas \
    --ip-json '[{"name": "10.0.0.2/32"}]' \
    --ipv6-json '{"addresses": [{"name": "fd00::1/128"}]}' \
    --comment "Dual-stack loopback"
---> 100%
Created loopback interface: loopback.2 in folder Texas

Delete Loopback Interface¶

Delete a loopback interface from SCM.

Syntax¶

scm delete network loopback-interface NAME [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description	Required
`NAME`	Interface name (positional)	Yes
`--folder TEXT`	Folder location	No*
`--snippet TEXT`	Snippet location	No*
`--device TEXT`	Device location	No*
`--force`	Skip confirmation prompt	No

* One of --folder, --snippet, or --device is required.

Example¶

$ scm delete network loopback-interface loopback.1 --folder Texas --force
---> 100%
Deleted loopback interface: loopback.1 from folder Texas

Load Loopback Interface¶

Load multiple loopback interfaces from a YAML file.

Syntax¶

scm load network loopback-interface [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description	Required
`--file TEXT`	Path to YAML file	Yes
`--folder TEXT`	Folder location	No*
`--snippet TEXT`	Snippet location	No*
`--device TEXT`	Device location	No*
`--dry-run`	Preview changes without applying	No

* One of --folder, --snippet, or --device is required.

YAML File Format¶

---
loopback_interfaces:
  - name: loopback.1
    folder: Texas
    comment: "Management loopback"
    ip:
      - name: "10.0.0.1/32"

  - name: loopback.2
    folder: Texas
    comment: "Routing protocol loopback"
    ip:
      - name: "10.0.0.2/32"

Examples¶

Load with Original Locations¶

$ scm load network loopback-interface --file loopbacks.yml
---> 100%
✓ Loaded loopback interface: loopback.1
✓ Loaded loopback interface: loopback.2

Successfully loaded 2 out of 2 loopback interfaces from 'loopbacks.yml'

Load with Folder Override¶

$ scm load network loopback-interface --file loopbacks.yml --folder Austin
---> 100%
✓ Loaded loopback interface: loopback.1
✓ Loaded loopback interface: loopback.2

Successfully loaded 2 out of 2 loopback interfaces from 'loopbacks.yml'

Note

When using container override options (--folder, --snippet, --device), all loopback interfaces will be loaded into the specified container, ignoring the container specified in the YAML file.

Show Loopback Interface¶

Display loopback interface objects.

Syntax¶

scm show network loopback-interface [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description	Required
`--folder TEXT`	Folder location	No*
`--snippet TEXT`	Snippet location	No*
`--device TEXT`	Device location	No*
`--name TEXT`	Name of a specific interface	No

* One of --folder, --snippet, or --device is required.

Note

When no --name is specified, all items are listed by default.

Examples¶

Show Specific Loopback Interface¶

$ scm show network loopback-interface --folder Texas --name loopback.1
---> 100%
Loopback Interface: loopback.1
  Location: Folder 'Texas'
  Comment: Management loopback
  IP: 10.0.0.1/32

List All Loopback Interfaces (Default Behavior)¶

$ scm show network loopback-interface --folder Texas
---> 100%
Loopback interfaces in folder 'Texas':
------------------------------------------------------------
Name: loopback.1
  Comment: Management loopback
  IP: 10.0.0.1/32
------------------------------------------------------------
Name: loopback.2
  Comment: Routing protocol loopback
  IP: 10.0.0.2/32
------------------------------------------------------------

Backup Loopback Interfaces¶

Backup all loopback interface objects from a specified location to a YAML file.

Syntax¶

scm backup network loopback-interface [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description	Required
`--folder TEXT`	Folder location	No*
`--snippet TEXT`	Snippet location	No*
`--device TEXT`	Device location	No*
`--file TEXT`	Custom output filename	No

* One of --folder, --snippet, or --device is required.

Examples¶

Backup from Folder¶

$ scm backup network loopback-interface --folder Texas
---> 100%
Successfully backed up 4 loopback interfaces to loopback_interface_folder_texas_20240115_120530.yaml

Backup with Custom Filename¶

$ scm backup network loopback-interface --folder Texas --file texas-loopbacks.yaml
---> 100%
Successfully backed up 4 loopback interfaces to texas-loopbacks.yaml

Best Practices¶

Use /32 Addresses: Assign /32 subnet masks to loopback interfaces as they represent a single host address.
Dedicate for Routing: Use dedicated loopback interfaces for routing protocol peering (BGP, OSPF).
Add Descriptive Comments: Document the purpose of each loopback interface for easier management.
Test with Dry Run: Use --dry-run when loading configurations to preview changes before applying.
Backup Before Changes: Always backup existing loopback configurations before making bulk modifications.