Meraki Network Link Quality Monitoring and Alert Automation Workflow
This workflow periodically retrieves link quality data for network devices by calling the Cisco Meraki Dashboard API. It automatically calculates the average packet loss rate and latency over the last 5 minutes and identifies abnormal network nodes. It avoids duplicate alerts and quickly notifies the technical team through Microsoft Teams, while also recording the alert status in a Redis database, achieving intelligent alert management and continuous monitoring. This system enhances the automation level of network operations and ensures timely response and business continuity.
Workflow Name
Meraki Network Link Quality Monitoring and Alert Automation Workflow
Key Features and Highlights
This workflow leverages the Cisco Meraki Dashboard API to periodically retrieve packet loss and latency data for uplinks of all network devices within an organization. It automatically calculates the average packet loss rate and latency over the most recent 5-minute interval, then filters out network nodes exhibiting abnormal performance based on predefined thresholds. For nodes flagged as abnormal, the workflow checks for existing unresolved alerts to prevent duplicate notifications. If no active alert exists, it sends an automated Microsoft Teams message to notify the technical team and records the alert status in a Redis database. This enables intelligent alert deduplication and continuous monitoring. The workflow supports manual triggering as well as scheduled execution during business hours on weekdays (every 5 minutes), ensuring timely and automated monitoring.
Core Problems Addressed
- Automated retrieval and consolidation of link quality data from Meraki network devices
- Real-time calculation of average packet loss and latency to effectively identify link performance anomalies
- Prevention of duplicate alerts to reduce alert fatigue among operations personnel
- Rapid notification to technical teams to enhance incident response speed
- Use of Redis caching for alert state management, enabling automatic alert clearance and re-triggering
Application Scenarios
- Real-time monitoring and alerting of Cisco Meraki device link quality by enterprise IT network operations teams
- Network service providers monitoring customer network link health status
- Integration of link performance anomaly detection and alerting within automated operations systems
- Scenarios requiring instant network anomaly notifications via Microsoft Teams
- Automated alert workflows combining Redis for alert state management and deduplication
Main Workflow Steps
- Trigger Method: Scheduled trigger (Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, every 5 minutes) or manual execution
- Retrieve Organization Information: Call Meraki API to obtain all organization lists and their IDs
- Retrieve Network IDs: For each organization, query the IDs and names of associated networks
- Obtain Link Packet Loss and Latency Data: Use Meraki API to fetch time series data of uplink packet loss and latency for devices under each organization
- Data Integration and Restructuring: Merge organization, network, and link performance data into an analysis-friendly format
- Calculate Averages: Use JavaScript code nodes to compute the average packet loss and latency over the last 5 data points
- Filter Anomalies: Identify networks where average latency exceeds 300 ms or packet loss rate exceeds 2%
- Alert Deduplication: Query Redis database to check if there is an unresolved alert for the network
- Send Alert Notification: For networks without duplicate alerts, send Microsoft Teams messages including network name and link
- Record Alert: Write alert information into Redis with a 3-hour expiration; if the issue persists after expiration, alerts will be re-triggered
Involved Systems and Services
- Cisco Meraki Dashboard API: To obtain organization, network, and device link performance data
- Redis Database: For storing and managing alert states, enabling alert deduplication and TTL expiration mechanism
- Microsoft Teams: To push link anomaly alert messages and promptly notify the technical team
- n8n Automation Platform: To orchestrate the automated workflow, including HTTP requests, code execution, data merging, and triggers
Target Users and Value
- Network operations engineers and IT support teams seeking to enhance automation and accuracy in network health monitoring
- Enterprise network administrators aiming to reduce business disruption risks caused by link anomalies
- Automation specialists building scalable and maintainable network alerting systems
- Organizations using Cisco Meraki devices looking for seamless integration of link performance monitoring and alerting
- Technical teams requiring real-time network anomaly response via collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams
By tightly integrating Meraki device APIs with modern automation technologies, this workflow delivers an efficient and intelligent network link quality monitoring and alerting system. It significantly improves the speed of fault detection and response, helping enterprises ensure business continuity.