Importer¶
The importer lands offline snapshots into OLAV's main DB — the same
raw_output_store + structured views that live SSH collection feeds. Drop in a
portable bundle, a rancid backup, or a vendor dump and it lands the data
without any SSH access from the OLAV host.
Use it when the OLAV host cannot reach the devices directly:
- Air-gapped sites — an operator collects from a jump box and sends the output back.
- Existing backups — rancid / Oxidized / NCM already collect nightly; reuse that data.
- Vendor support handoffs — a
show tech-supportbundle for diagnostics.
Offline sibling of the collector
The collector does live SSH gather. The importer does
offline file gather. Both feed the same downstream
(raw_output_store → parsed_outputs → v_*_auto views).
When to use¶
- "Import the snapshot from this zip into OLAV"
- "I have a rancid backup directory — can we analyze it?"
- "Run the audit on the data the customer sent in a tarball"
Tools¶
| Tool | When to use |
|---|---|
survey_bundle |
Call FIRST — format detection + host/platform survey |
validate_bundle |
sha256 + manifest schema check (no DB writes) — run before ingest |
ingest_snapshot |
Land the bundle into raw_output_store + structured views |
discover_platform_for_host |
TextFSM cascade platform detection for a host |
Example¶
The orchestrator routes to the importer, which surveys the bundle
(survey_bundle), validates it (validate_bundle — refuses to proceed on
sha256 / schema mismatch), then lands it with ingest_snapshot and reports the
hosts and commands landed.