Automate Your Network.docx - Automate Your Network...

Automate Your Network
Management Plane
Human Operator | Tools Managing Network Devices
CLI | SNMP | REST-API | NETCONF
Control Plane
Protocol Exchange with state information
OSPF | EIGRP | BGP | RIP
Data Plane
Movement of data packets | Network Traffic
Routing Tables | MAC Address-table
Tools
Putty or an SSH session manager to get to the CLI.
NMS systems that may already be in place (Cisco Prime
Infrastructure, Nagios, etc.).
IOS commands and configurations.
Existing skills on the CLI.
Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code).
Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS).
Linux.
Git.
Ansible.
A central code repository in TFS.
A local code repository for development in VS Code.
A local code repository on the Linux / Ansible host to execute playbooks.
A master branches.
Working branches.
A hosts.ini file.
Data models (Ansible group_vars and host_vars , YAML files holding variables).
Dynamic templates.
Tasks.
Playbooks.
The YAML file format and syntax.
The Jinja2 file format and syntax.
Python skills, ideally, but not required for Ansible beginners.
The important information will become variables that go into data models and the
configuration commands will go into templates. Meaningful data can include:
 Standard global configuration information:
o AAA information.
o QoS policies.
o SNMP information.
o Logging information.
o NTP information.
o Archive information.
 Hostname.
 VLAN information.

 SVI information.
 VRF information.
 Routing (OSPF, EIGRP, static routes) information.
 Default gateway.
 Access control lists.
 Physical and virtual interface standards:
o VLAN.
o IP Address.
o Voice VLAN.
o STP toolkit settings.
o Power over Ethernet (PoE) settings.
o QoS settings.
o 802.1x or port security settings.
o Trunk or access port settings.
Here is a sample data model , in YAML format, for a campus access switch:
---
host_defaults:
hostname: ACCESS01
stack_size: 2
site: 10
snmp_engineid: 1001
snmp_server_location: "Building01_FirstFloor"
host_vlans:
2:
name: "In-BandManagement"
3:
name: WirelessAccessPoints
10:
name: BLUE_Zone
11:
name: BLUE_Zone_Voice
20:
name: RED_Zone
30:
name: GREEN_Zone
50:
name: SECURITY
host_virtual_interfaces:
Vlan2:
description: "In-BandManagement"
ip_address: "192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0"
state_enabled: true
host_port_channels:
Port-channel1:
port_channel: 1
description: "Distribution Uplink"

encapsulation: dot1q
switchport_mode: trunk
switchport_nonegotiate: true
vlans: 2,3,10,11,20,30,50
state_enabled: true
members:
GigabitEthernet1/0/48:
power_inline: false
srr_queue_share: true
srr_queue_shape: true
priority_queue: out
trust_dscp: true
lacp: active
service_policy:
input: QoS-IN
state_enabled: true
GigabitEthernet2/0/48:
power_inline: false
srr_queue_share: true
srr_queue_shape: true
priority_queue: out
trust_dscp: true
lacp: active
service_policy:
input: QoS-IN
state_enabled: true
host_interfaces:
GigabitEthernet1/0/1:
type: OPZone
description: Standard OPZone Interface
vlan: 10
voice_vlan: 11
state_enabled: true
GigabitEthernet1/0/2:
type: SECURITY
description: Standard Security Interface
vlan: 50
state_enabled: true
Here is a sample template , in the Jinja2 format, to configure VLANs on a device:
vlan {{ global_campus_defaults.native_vlan }}
name NativeVLAN
{% if host_vlans is defined %}
{% for host_vlan in host_vlans %}
vlan {{ host_vlan }}
name {{ host_vlans[host_vlan].name }}