dpsctl import

dpsctl import Usage Guide

Overview

dpsctl import includes commands for importing entities from external sources into DPS.

Entity import uses an asynchronous workflow:

1. Start import — dpsctl import entity initiates entity generation from the specified source (BCM or Nautobot). The server runs generation in the background and returns a request ID immediately.

2. Check status — dpsctl import entity-status polls the server with the request ID, waits for completion, and then streams the generated entities.

3. Cancel or delete — dpsctl import entity-cancel cancels a request by ID, and dpsctl import entity-delete removes a request and its stored results.

Generation runs with a server default timeout of 10 minutes (maximum 30 minutes). Request state is cleaned up 30 minutes after the request is created.

Supported Sources

Source	--source value	Description
Base Command Manager (BCM)	bcm	Generate entities from BCM cluster inventory
Nautobot	nautobot	Generate entities from Nautobot DCIM inventory via the Topology Management gRPC service

Usage

dpsctl import [command [command options]]

Commands

• entity - Start entity generation from an external source

• entity-status - Get status and results for an entity import request

• entity-cancel - Cancel an entity import request

• entity-delete - Delete an entity import request and stored results

• help, h - Shows a list of commands or help for one command

Flags

Includes global dpsctl options.

Flag	Source	Description
--source string	both	Entity source: bcm or nautobot (required)
--username string	BCM	Authentication username (required when --source=bcm)
--password string	BCM	Authentication password (required when --source=bcm)
--tls-insecure-skip-verify	BCM	Skip TLS certificate verification
--locations string	Nautobot	Comma-separated locations (UUIDs or names) to filter by
--racks string	Nautobot	Comma-separated racks (UUIDs or names) to filter by
--device-types string	Nautobot	Comma-separated device types (UUIDs or names) to filter by
--request-string string	Nautobot	Optional free-form URL param string; defined fields (locations, racks, device-types) take precedence over overlapping keys
--help, -h	both	Show help

When --source=nautobot, BCM flags (--username, --password, --tls-insecure-skip-verify) are ignored. When --source=bcm, Nautobot filter flags are ignored.

Examples

Generate Entities from BCM

$ dpsctl import entity \
  --source bcm \
  --username admin \
  --password secretpassword
{
  "request_id": "abc123-def456-ghi789"
}

The command returns a request_id that you use to retrieve the generated entities.

Retrieve Entities Using Request ID

After starting entity generation, use the request ID with import entity-status:

$ dpsctl import entity-status --request-id abc123-def456-ghi789

Refer to dpsctl import entity-status for full details.

Generate Entities with TLS Skip Verify

$ dpsctl import entity \
  --source bcm \
  --username admin \
  --password secretpassword \
  --tls-insecure-skip-verify

Generate Entities from Nautobot with Filters

$ dpsctl import entity \
  --source nautobot \
  --locations "dc1,dc2" \
  --racks "rack-a" \
  --device-types "server-type-1" \
  --request-string "status=active"
{
  "request_id": "abc123-def456-ghi789"
}

Nautobot connects to the Topology Management gRPC service (configured via dpsctl login/connection).

Notes

• The --source flag is required. Supported values are bcm and nautobot.

• BCM: --username and --password are required. BCM credentials must have sufficient privileges to read cluster inventory.

• Nautobot: Uses the Topology Management gRPC service. No BCM credentials are needed. Filters (--locations, --racks, --device-types, --request-string) scope the import to a subset of Nautobot DCIM inventory.

• Entity generation runs asynchronously on the server. The command returns immediately with a request ID.

• Use dpsctl import entity-status with the returned request ID to poll for and retrieve the generated entities.

• Use dpsctl import entity-cancel to cancel an in-flight request, or dpsctl import entity-delete to delete stored request state and generated results.