Creating and Using Shells in CloudShell

This article explains the end-to-end flow for creating and using Shells in CloudShell. For layer 1 switch Shells, see L1 Switches.

To create and use a Shell:

1. Check for a suitable OOTB Shell in Quali Community’s Integrations page.
2. If a suitable Shell exists, import the Shell into CloudShell, as explained in Importing Shells, and proceed to step 6.
3. If you find a Shell but need to extend or change it, see CloudShell Dev Guide's Customizing Shells.
4. If a suitable Shell doesn't exist, create a new Shell from our standard pool:
   1. Install Shellfoundry - see the CloudShell Dev Guide's Getting Started article > Installing or Updating Shellfoundry section.
   2. Associate CloudShell to Shellfoundry - see the CloudShell Dev Guide's Getting Started article > Configuring CloudShell Connection Settings section.

   3. Get a list of all available standard templates - see the CloudShell Dev Guide's Modeling Shells with TOSCA article > Setting the Standard section.

      Every standard has a dedicated GitHub repo with documentation to help you find the Shell that is most suitable for the type of resource you want to model. To see our standards, click here.

   4. Create a new Shell from a suitable template and name it after the device's model - see the CloudShell Dev Guide's Modeling Shells with TOSCA article > Setting the Standard section.
5. Package and import the Shell into CloudShell's inventory - see the CloudShell Dev Guide's Shellfoundry article > Packaging and importing a Shell into CloudShell section.
6. Create new CloudShell items as appropriate - see Adding Inventory Resources.
7. For layer 2 switch resources, model the switch's connections in CloudShell - see Define the Resource Connections of the Switch or Patch Panel.