Specifier grammars

Batfish questions support parameters with rich specifications for nodes, interfaces etc. The grammar for parameter types is described below. Before reading those grammars, we recommend reading the general notes.

For many parameters types, there is a “resolver” question that may be used to learn what a given specification expands to. For instance, resolveNodeSpecifier is the resolver for nodeSpec, and bf.q.resolveNodeSpecifier(nodes="/bor/") (Pybatfish syntax) will return the set of nodes that match /bor/.

General notes on the grammar

  • Set operations: Specifiers denote sets of entities (e.g., nodeSpec resolves to a set of nodes). In many cases, the grammar allows for union, intersection, and difference of such sets, respectively, using ,, &, and \. Thus, (node1, node2)\node1 will resolve to node1.

  • Escaping names: Names of entities such as nodes and interfaces must be double-quoted if they begin with a digit (0-9), double quote (’”’), or slash (’/’), or they contain a space or one of ,&()[]@!#$%^;?<>={}. Thus, the following names are legal:

    • as1border1 (no quotes)

    • as1-border1

    • "as1border1" (quotes unnecessary, but OK)

    • "1startsWithADigit" (quotes needed)

    • "has space"

    • "has["

  • Regexes: Regular expressions must be enclosed by /s like /abc/. Batfish uses Java’s syntax and semantics for regular expressions. For simple expressions, this language is similar to others. For example:

    • /abc/, /^abc/, /abc$/ match strings strings containing, beginning with, and ending with ‘abc’

    • /ab[c-d]/ and /ab(c|d)/ match strings ‘abc’ and ‘abd’.

  • Case-insensitive names: All names and regexes use case-insensitive matching. Thus, AS1BORDER1 is same as as1border1 and Ethernet0/0 is same as ethernet0/0.

Set of enums or names

Many types such as applicationSpec or mlagIdSpec are simply sets of values. Such parameters share a common grammar, but with different base values. Example expressions for this grammar are:

  • val1 specifies a singleton set with that value.

  • /val.*/ specifies a set whose values all match regex val.*.

  • val1, val2 specifies a set with exactly those two values.

  • ! val1 specifies all values other than val1.

  • /val.*/, ! val1 specifies all values that match regex val.* other than val1.

The full specification of this grammar is:

enumSetSpec :=
   enumSetTerm [, enumSetTerm]

enumSetTerm :=
   <enum-value>
   | !<enum-value>
   | /<regex-over-enum-values>/
   | !/<regex-over-enum-values>/

Application Specifier

A specification for IP traffic that includes information about protocols (ICMP, TCP, UDP) and about destination ports for TCP and UDP and type, code for ICMP.

  • HTTP specifies TCP traffic to port 80.

  • tcp/80 also specifies TCP traffic to port 80.

  • tcp/80,3000-3030 specifies TCP traffic to port 80 and ports between 3000 and 3030.

  • tcp specifies TCP traffic to all ports.

  • icmp also specifies ICMP traffic of all types.

  • icmp/0/0 specifies ICMP traffic of type 0 and code 0.

  • HTTP, udp/53 specifies TCP traffic to port 80 and UDP traffic to port 53.

Application Specifier Grammar

applicationSpec :=
    applicationTerm [, applicationTerm]

applicationTerm :=
    tcp[/portSpec]
    | udp[/portSpec]
    | icmp[/<icmp-type>[/<icmp-code>]]
    | <application-name>

portSpec :=
    portTerm [, portTerm]

portTerm := 
    <port-number>
    | <from-port>-<to-port>

Application name is one of DNS (means udp/53), ECHO-REPLY (icmp/0/0), ECHO-REQUEST (icmp/8/0), HTTP (tcp/80), HTTPS (tcp/443), MYSQL (tcp/3306), SNMP (udp/161), SSH (tcp/22), TELNET (tcp/23).

BGP Peer Property Specifier

A specification for a set of BGP peer properties (e.g., those returned by the bgpPeerConfiguration question).

A BGP peer property property specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: Local_AS, Local_IP, Is_Passive, Remote_AS, Route_Reflector_Client, Cluster_ID, Peer_Group, Import_Policy, Export_Policy, Send_Community.

BGP Process Property Specifier

A specification for a set of BGP process properties (e.g., those returned by the bgpProcessConfiguration question).

A BGP process property specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: Multipath_Match_Mode, Multipath_EBGP, Multipath_IBGP, Neighbors, Route_Reflector, Tie_Breaker.

BGP Route Status Specifier

A specification for a set of BGP route statuses.

A BGP route status specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values:

  • BEST - a route that is the unique best route for an NLRI (e.g. an IP prefix for IPv4 unicast) in the BGP RIB, or a route that is equivalent to the unique best route for the purpose of ECMP routing. A BEST route may be installed in the main RIB.

  • BACKUP - a route that is inferior to all BEST routes in the BGP RIB for the same NLRI. Such a route will not be installed in the main RIB. However, it may be advertised on a BGP ADD-PATH-enabled session and the route matches the add-path policy.

BGP Session Compat Status Specifier

A specification for a set of BGP session compatibility statuses.

A BGP session compat status specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values:

  • LOCAL_IP_UNKNOWN_STATICALLY — local IP address for an iBGP or multihop eBGP session is not configured

  • NO_LOCAL_IP— local IP address for a singlehop eBGP session is not configured

  • NO_LOCAL_AS— local AS for the session is not configured

  • NO_REMOTE_IP — remote IP address for a point-to-point peer is not configured

  • NO_REMOTE_PREFIX — remote prefix for a dynamic peer is not configured

  • NO_REMOTE_AS — remote AS for the session is not configured

  • INVALID_LOCAL_IP — configured local IP address does not belong to any active interface

  • UNKNOWN_REMOTE — configured remote IP is not present in the network snapshot

  • HALF_OPEN — no compatible match found in the network snapshot for a point-to-point peer

  • MULTIPLE_REMOTES — multiple compatible matches found for a point-to-point peer

  • UNIQUE_MATCH — exactly one match found for a point-to-point peer

  • DYNAMIC_MATCH — at least one compatible match found for a dynamic peer

  • NO_MATCH_FOUND — no compatible match found for a dynamic peer

BGP Session Status Specifier

A specification for a set of BGP session statuses.

A BGP session status specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values:

  • NOT_COMPATIBLE — the BGP session is not compatibly configured

  • NOT_ESTABLISHED — the BGP session configuration is compatible but the session was not established

  • ESTABLISHED — the BGP session is established

BGP Session Type Specifier

A specification for a set of BGP session types.

A BGP session type specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: IBGP, EBGP_SINGLEHOP, EBGP_MULTIHOP, EBGP_UNNUMBERED, IBGP_UNNUMBERED, UNSET.

Disposition Specifier

Flow dispositions are used in questions like reachability to identify flow outcomes. The disposition specifier takes as input a comma-separated list of disposition values, which are interpreted using logical OR.

There are two coarse-grained flow dispositions:

  • Success: a flow has been successfully delivered

  • Failure: a flow has been dropped somewhere in the network

The following fine-grained disposition values are also supported:

  • Success dispositions:

    • Accepted: a flow has been accepted by a device in the snapshot

    • Delivered_to_subnet: a flow has been delivered to a host subnet

    • Exits_network: a flow has been successfully forwarded to a device currently outside of the snapshot

  • Failure dispositions:

    • Denied_in: a flow was denied by an input filter (an ACL or a firewall rule) on an interface

    • Denied_out: a flow was denied by an output filter on an interface

    • No_route: a flow was dropped because no matching route exists on device

    • Null_routed: a flow was dropped because it matched a null route

    • Neighbor_unreachable: a flow was dropped because it could not reach the next hop (e.g., an ARP failure)

    • Loop: the flow encountered a forwarding loop

    • Insufficient_info: Batfish does not have enough information to make a determination with certainty (e.g., some device configs are missing)

Filter Specifier

A specification for filters (ACLs or firewall rules) in the network.

  • filter1 includes filters on all nodes with that name.

  • /^acl/ includes all filters (on all nodes) whose names name regex ‘^acl’, i.e., begin with ‘acl’.

  • nodeTerm[filterWithoutNode] indicates filters that match the filterWithoutNode specification on nodes that match the nodeTerm specification. A simple example is as1border1[filter1] which refers to the filter filter1 on as1border1.

  • @in(interfaceSpec) refers to filters that get applied when packets enter the specified interfaces. For example, @in(Ethernet0/0) includes filters for incoming packets on interfaces named Ethernet0/0 on all nodes.

  • @out(interfaceSpec) is similar except that it indicates filters that get applied when packets exit the specified interfaces.

Filter Specifier Grammar

filterSpec :=
    filterTerm [(&|,|\) filterTerm]

filterTerm :=
    filterWithNode
    | filterWithoutNode
    | (filterSpec)

filterWithNode :=
    nodeTerm[filterWithoutNode]

filterWithoutNode :=
    filterWithoutNodeTerm [(&|,|\) filterWithoutNodeTerm]

filterWithoutNodeTerm :=
    <filter-name>
    | /<filter-name-regex>/
    | @in(interfaceSpec)
    | @out(interfaceSpec)
    | (filterWithoutNode)

Filter Specifier Resolver

  • resolveFilterSpecifier shows the set of filters represented by the given input.

Interface Property Specifier

A specification for a set of interface-level properties (e.g., those returned by the interfaceProperties question).

An interface property specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: Access_VLAN, Active, Allowed_VLANs, All_Prefixes, Auto_State_VLAN, Bandwidth, Blacklisted, Channel_Group, Channel_Group_Members, Declared_Names, Description, DHCP_Relay_Addresses, Encapsulation_VLAN, HSRP_Groups, HSRP_Version, Incoming_Filter_Name, MLAG_ID, MTU, Native_VLAN, Outgoing_Filter_Name, PBR_Policy_Name, Primary_Address, Primary_Network, Proxy_ARP, Rip_Enabled, Rip_Passive, Spanning_Tree_Portfast, Speed, Switchport, Switchport_Mode, Switchport_Trunk_Encapsulation, VRF, VRRP_Groups, Zone_Name.

Interface Specifier

A specification for interfaces in the network.

  • Ethernet0/1 indicates interfaces on all nodes with that name.

  • /^Eth/ indicates all interfaces (on all nodes) whose names match the regex ‘^Eth’, i.e., start with ‘Eth’.

  • nodeTerm[interfaceWithoutNode] indicates interfaces that match the interfaceWithoutNode specification on nodes that match the nodeTerm specification. A simple example is as1border1[Ethernet0/1] which refers to the interface Ethernet0/1 on as1border1.

  • @connectedTo(ipSpec) indicates all interfaces with configured IPv4 networks that overlap with specified IPs (see ipSpec)

  • @interfaceGroup(book, group) looks in the configured reference library for an interface group with name ‘group’ in book with name ‘book’.

  • @vrf(vrf1) indicates all interfaces configured to be in the VRF with name ‘vrf1’.

  • @zone(zone3) indicates all interfaces configured to be in the zone with name ‘zone3’.

Interface Specifier Grammar

interfaceSpec :=
    interfaceTerm [(&|,|\) interfaceTerm]

interfaceTerm :=
    interfaceWithNode
    | interfaceWithoutNode
    | (interfaceSpec)

interfaceWithNode :=
    nodeTerm[interfaceWithoutNode]

interfaceWithoutNode :=
    interfaceWithoutNodeTerm [(&|,|\) interfaceWithoutNodeTerm]

interfaceWithoutNodeTerm :=
    <interface-name>
    | /<interface-name-regex>/
    | interfaceFunc
    | (interfaceWithoutNode)

interfaceFunc :=
    @connectedTo(ipSpec)
    | @interfaceGroup(<reference-book-name>, <<interface-group-name>)
    | @vrf(<vrf-name>)
    | @zone(<zone-name>)

Interface Specifier Resolver

  • resolveInterfaceSpecifier shows the set of interfaces represented by the given input.

IP Protocol Specifier

A specification for a set of IP protocols.

  • IP protocol names from the list below, such as TCP, may be used.

  • IP protocol numbers between 0 and 255 (inclusive), such as 6 to denote TCP, may be used.

  • A negation operator ! may be used to denote all IP protocols other than the one specified. The semantics of negation is:

    • !TCP refers to all IP protocols other than TCP

    • !TCP, !UDP refers to all IP protocols other than TCP and UDP

    • TCP, !UDP refers to TCP

IP Protocol Specifier Grammar

ipProtocolSpec :=
    ipProtocolTerm [, ipProtocolTerm]

ipProtocolTerm :=
    ipProtocol
    | !ipProtocol

ipProtocol :=
    <ip-protocol-name>
    | <ip-protocol-number>

IP Protocol Names

Batfish understands the following protocol names (with corresponding numbers in parenthesis): AHP (51), AN (107), ANY_0_HOP_PROTOCOL (114), ANY_DISTRIBUTED_FILE_SYSTEM (68), ANY_HOST_INTERNAL_PROTOCOL (61), ANY_LOCAL_NETWORK (63), ANY_PRIVATE_ENCRYPTION_SCHEME (99), ARGUS (13), ARIS (104), AX25 (93), BBN_RCC_MON (10), BNA (49), BR_SAT_MON (76), CBT (7), CFTP (62), CHAOS (16), COMPAQ_PEER (110), CPHB (73), CPNX (72), CRTP (126), CRUDP (127), DCCP (33), DCN_MEAS (19), DDP (37), DDX (116), DGP (86), EGP (8), EIGRP (88), EMCON (14), ENCAP (98), ESP (50), ETHERIP (97), FC (133), FIRE (125), GGP (3), GMTP (100), GRE (47), HIP (139), HMP (20), HOPOPT (0), I_NLSP (52), IATP (117), IPV6_ROUTE (43), IPX_IN_IP (111), IRTP (28), ISIS (124), ISO_IP (80), ISO_TP4 (29), KRYPTOLAN (65), L2TP (115), LARP (91), LEAF1 (25), LEAF2 (26), MANAET (138), MERIT_INP (32), MFE_NSP (31), MHRP (48), MICP (95), MOBILE (55), MOBILITY (135), MPLS_IN_IP (137), MTP (92), MUX (18), NARP (54), NETBLT (30), NSFNET_IGP (85), NVPII (11), OSPF (89), PGM (113), PIM (103), PIPE (131), PNNI (102), PRM (21), PTP (123), PUP (12), PVP (75), QNX (106), RDP (27), ROHC (142), RSVP (46), RSVP_E2E_IGNORE (134), RVD (66), SAT_EXPAK (64), SAT_MON (69), SCC_SP (96), SCPS (105), SCTP (132), SDRP (42), SECURE_VMTP (82), SHIM6 (140), SKIP (57), SM (122), SMP (121), SNP (109), SPRITE_RPC (90), SPS (130), SRP (119), SSCOPMCE (128), ST (5), STP (118), SUN_ND (77), SWIPE (53), TCF (87), TCP (6), THREE_PC (34), TLSP (56), TPPLUSPLUS (39), TRUNK1 (23), TRUNK2 (24), TTP (84), UDP (17), UDP_LITE (136), UTI (120), VINES (83), VISA (70), VMTP (81), VRRP (112), WB_EXPAK (79), WB_MON (78), WESP (141), WSN (74), XNET (15), XNS_IDP (22), XTP (36).

IP Specifier

A specification for a set of IPv4 addresses.

  • Constant values that denote addresses (e.g., 1.2.3.4), prefixes (e.g., 1.2.3.0/24), address ranges (e.g., 1.2.3.4 - 1.2.3.7), and wildcards (e.g., 1.2.3.4:255.255.255.0) may be used.

  • @addressGroup(book, group) looks in the configured reference library for an address group name ‘group’ in book name ‘book’.

  • locationSpec can be used to denote addresses corresponding to the specified location (see locationSpec). For example, as1border1[Ethernet0/0] includes all IPv4 addresses configured on as1border1 interface Ethernet0/0.

IP Specifier Grammar

ipSpec :=
    ipTerm [(&|,|\) ipTerm]

ipTerm :=
    <ip-address>
    | <ip-prefix>
    | <ip-address-low> - <ip-address-high>
    | <ip wildcard>
    | @addressGroup(<reference-book-name>, <address-group-name>)
    | locationSpec

IP Specifier Resolver

  • resolveIpSpecifier shows the set of IP addresses represented by the given input.

IPSec Session Status Specifier

An IPSec session status specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: IPSEC_SESSION_ESTABLISHED, IKE_PHASE1_FAILED, IKE_PHASE1_KEY_MISMATCH, IPSEC_PHASE2_FAILED, MISSING_END_POINT.

Location Specifier

A specification for locations of packets, including where they start or terminate.

There are two types of locations:

  • InterfaceLocation: at the interface, used to model packets that originate or terminate at the interface

  • InterfaceLinkLocation: on the link connected to the interface, used to model packets before they enter the interface or after they exit

Unless expilcitly specified, questions like traceroute and reachability will automatically assign IP addresses to packets based on their location. For InterfaceLocation, the set of assigned addresses is the interface address(es). This set is empty for interfaces that do not have an assigned address. For InterfaceLinkLocation, the set of assigned addresses corresponds to what (hypothetical) hosts attached to that interface can have, which includes all addresses in the subnet except for the address of the interface and the first and last addresses of the subnet. This set is empty for interface subnets that are /30 or longer (e.g., loopback interfaces).

Locations for which Batfish cannot automatically assign a viable IP are ignored. To force their consideration, explicit source IPs must be specified.

Some examples:

  • as1border1 specifies the InterfaceLocation for all interfaces on node as1border1. Any nodeTerm (see node specifier grammar) can be used as a location specifier.

  • as1border1[Ethernet0/0] specifies the InterfaceLocation for Ethernet0/0 on node as1border1. Any valid interfaceWithNode expression can be used as a location specifier.

  • @vrf(vrf1) specifies the InterfaceLocation for any interface in vrf1 on all nodes. Any interfaceFunc can be used as a location specifier.

  • @enter(as1border1[Ethernet0/0]) specifies the InterfaceLinkLocation for packets entering Ethernet0/0 on as1border1.

Location Specifier Grammar

locationSpec :=
    locationTerm [(&|,|\) locationTerm]

locationTerm :=
    locationInterface
    | @enter(locationInterface)
    | (locationSpec)

locationInterface :=
    nodeTerm
    | interfaceFunc
    | interfaceWithNode

Location Specifier Resolver

  • resolveLocationSpecifier shows the set of locations represented by the given input.

  • resolveIpsOfLocationSpecifier shows the mapping from locations to IPs that will be used in traceroute and reachability questions when IPs are not explicitly specified.

MLAG ID Specifier

A specification for a set of MLAG domain identifiers.

An MLAG ID specifier follows the enum set grammar over the domain ID values that appear in the snapshot.

Named Structure Specifier

A specification for a set of structure types in Batfish’s vendor independent model.

A named structure specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: AS_PATH_ACCESS_LIST, AUTHENTICATION_KEY_CHAIN, COMMUNITY_MATCH_EXPRS, COMMUNITY_SET_EXPRS, COMMUNITY_SET_MATCH_EXPRS, COMMUNITY_SETS, IKE_PHASE1_KEYS, IKE_PHASE1_POLICIES, IKE_PHASE1_PROPOSALS, IP_ACCESS_LIST, IP_6_ACCESS_LIST, IPSEC_PEER_CONFIGS, IPSEC_PHASE2_POLICIES, IPSEC_PHASE2_PROPOSALS, PBR_POLICY, ROUTE_FILTER_LIST, ROUTE_6_FILTER_LIST, ROUTING_POLICY, VRF, ZONE.

Node Property Specifier

A specification for a set of node-level properties (e.g., those returned by the nodeProperties question).

A node property specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: AS_Path_Access_Lists, Authentication_Key_Chains, Canonical_IP, Community_Match_Exprs, Community_Set_Exprs, Community_Set_Match_Exprs, Community_Sets, Configuration_Format, Default_Cross_Zone_Action, Default_Inbound_Action, DNS_Servers, DNS_Source_Interface, Domain_Name, Hostname, IKE_Phase1_Keys, IKE_Phase1_Policies, IKE_Phase1_Proposals, Interfaces, IP_Access_Lists, IP_Spaces, IP6_Access_Lists, IPsec_Peer_Configs, IPsec_Phase2_Policies, IPsec_Phase2_Proposals, IPSec_Vpns, Logging_Servers, Logging_Source_Interface, NTP_Servers, NTP_Source_Interface, PBR_Policies, Route_Filter_Lists, Route6_Filter_Lists, Routing_Policies, SNMP_Source_Interface, SNMP_Trap_Servers, TACACS_Servers, TACACS_Source_Interface, VRFs, Zones.

Node Specifier

A specification for nodes in the network.

  • as1border1 indicates a node with that name.

  • /^as1/ indicates all nodes whose names match the regex ^as1, i.e., start with ‘as1’.

  • @role(dim, role) indicates all nodes with role name ‘role’ in dimension name ‘dim’.

Node Specifier Grammar

nodeSpec :=
    nodeTerm [(&|,|\) nodeTerm]

nodeTerm :=
    <node-name>
    | /<node-name-regex>/
    | nodeFunc
    | (nodeSpec)

nodeFunc :=
    @role(<dimension-name>, <role-name>)

Node Specifier Resolver

  • resolveNodeSpecifier shows the set of nodes represented by the given input.

OSPF Interface Property Specifier

A specification for a set of OSPF interface properties.

An OSPF interface property specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: OSPF_AREA_NAME, OSPF_COST, OSPF_ENABLED, OSPF_PASSIVE, OSPF_NETWORK_TYPE.

OSPF Process Property Specifier

A specification for a set of OSPF process properties.

An OSPF process property specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: AREA_BORDER_ROUTER, AREAS, EXPORT_POLICY_SOURCES, REFERENCE_BANDWIDTH, RFC_1583_COMPATIBLE, ROUTER_ID.

OSPF Session Status Specifier

A specification for a set of OSPF session statuses.

An OSPF session status specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: AREA_INVALID, AREA_MISMATCH, AREA_TYPE_MISMATCH, DEAD_INTERVAL_MISMATCH, DUPLICATE_ROUTER_ID, ESTABLISHED, HELLO_INTERVAL_MISMATCH, MTU_MISMATCH, NETWORK_TYPE_MISMATCH, NO_SESSION, PASSIVE_MISMATCH, PROCESS_INVALID, UNKNOWN_COMPATIBILITY_ISSUE.

Routing Protocol Specifier

A specification for a set of routing protocols.

The routing protocol specifier grammar follows the enum set grammar over protocol names. The set of names include most-specific protocols such as OSPF-INTRA and logical names that denote multiple specific protocols. The logical name ALL denotes all protocols. The full hierarchy of names is:

ALL

  • IGP

    • OSPF

      • OSPF-INT

        • OSPF-INTRA

        • OSPF-INTER

      • OSPF-EXT

        • OSPF-EXT1

        • OSPF-EXT2

    • ISIS

      • ISIS-L1

      • ISIS-L2

    • EIGRP

      • EIGRP-INT

      • EIGRP-EXT

    • RIP

  • BGP

    • EBGP

    • IBGP

  • AGGREGATE

  • STATIC

  • LOCAL

  • CONNECTED

Routing Policy Specifier

A specification for routing policies in the network.

  • routingPolicy1 includes routing policies on all nodes with that name.

  • /^rtpol/ includes all routing policies (on all nodes) whose names match the regex ‘^rtpol’, i.e., start wtih ‘rtpol’.

Routing Policy Grammar

routingPolicySpec :=
    routingPolicyTerm [(&|,|\) routingPolicyTerm]

routingPolicyTerm :=
    <routing-policy-name>
    | /<routing-policy-name-regex>/
    | (routingPolicySpec)

VXLAN VNI Property Specifier

A specification for a set of VXLAN VNI properties.

A VXLAN VNI property specifier follows the enum set grammar over the following values: LOCAL_VTEP_IP, MULTICAST_GROUP, VLAN, VNI, VTEP_FLOOD_LIST, VXLAN_PORT.