Network Automation Made Easy

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

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 environmentfrom 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

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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