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Network Automation Made Easy

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  • About
  • Description
  • Sample Content
  • Updates

Features

  • Bridges the gap between theory and practice: provides realistic case studies, examples, and use cases readers won't find anywhere else
  • Offers practical introductions to NetDevOps and other important emerging topics
  • Leverages the author's extensive experience deploying real network automation solutions into large-scale production networks
  • Part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press®: helps network pros build more efficient networks, master new technologies, and lead more successful careers

  • Copyright 2022
  • Dimensions: 7-3/8" x 9-1/8"
  • Pages: 320
  • Edition: 1st
  • Book
  • ISBN-10: 0-13-750673-2
  • ISBN-13: 978-0-13-750673-6

Practical strategies and techniques for automating network infrastructure

As networks grow ever more complex, network professionals are seeking to automate processes for configuration, management, testing, deployment, and operation. Using automation, they aim to lower expenses, improve productivity, reduce human error, shorten time to market, and improve agility. In this guide, expert practitioner Ivo Pinto presents all the concepts and techniques you’ll need to move your entire physical and virtual infrastructure towards greater automation and maximize the value it delivers.

Writing for experienced professionals, the author reviews today’s leading use cases for automation, compares leading tools, and presents a deep dive into using the open source Ansible engine to automate common tasks. You’ll find everything you need: from practical code snippets to real-world case studies to a complete methodology for planning strategy.

This guide is for everyone seeking to improve network operations and productivity, including system, network, storage, and virtualization administrators, network and security engineers, and many other technical professionals and managers. You can apply its vendor-neutral concepts throughout your entire environment—from servers to the cloud, switches to security.

  • Explore modern use cases for network automation, and compare today’s most widely used automation tools
  • Capture essential data for use in network automation, using standard formats such as JSON, XML, and YAML
  • Get more value from the data your network can provide
  • Install Ansible and master its building blocks, including plays, tasks, modules, variables, conditionals, loops, and roles
  • Perform common networking tasks with Ansible playbooks: manage files, devices, VMs, cloud constructs, APIs, and more
  • See how Ansible can be used to automate even the largest global network architectures
  • Discover how NetDevOps can transform your approach to automation--and create a new NetDevOps pipeline, step by step
  • Build a network automation strategy from the ground up, reflecting lessons from the world’s largest enterprises

Online Sample Chapter

Using Data from Your Network

Sample Pages

Download the sample pages (includes Chapter 3)

Table of Contents

Introduction xvii

Chapter 1 Types of Network Automation 1

Data-Driven Automation 2

Task-Based Automation 11

End-to-End Automation 16

Tools 22

Summary 39

Review Questions 40

Chapter 2 Data for Network Automation 43

The Importance of Data 43

Data Formats and Models 44

Methods for Gathering Data 66

Summary 84

End Notes 84

Review Questions 85

Chapter 3 Using Data from Your Network 87

Data Preparation 87

Data Visualization 100

Data Insights 104

Case Studies 112

Summary 116

Review Questions 117

Chapter 4 Ansible Basics 119

Ansible Characteristics 119

Installing Ansible 120

Variables 126

Playbooks 131

Conditionals 133

Loops 136

Handlers 140

Executing a Playbook 143

Roles 149

Summary 152

Review Questions 153

Chapter 5 Using Ansible for Network Automation 155

Interacting with Files 155

Interacting with Devices 160

Interacting with APIs 187

Case Studies 189

Summary 195

Review Questions 196

Chapter 6 Network DevOps 199

What NetDevOps Is 199

NetDevOps Tools 214

How to Build Your Own NetDevOps Environment 228

Case Studies 233

Summary 238

Review Questions 238

Chapter 7 Automation Strategies 241

What an Automation Strategy Is 241

Why You Need an Automation Strategy 250

How to Build Your Own Automation Strategy 251

How to Use an Automation Strategy 268

Summary 270

Review Questions 271

Appendix A Answers to Review Questions 273

TOC, 9780137455928, 10/5/2021

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