Network Automation Made Easy

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

Ivo Pinto, CCIE No. 57162 (R&S, Security, and Data Center), CISSP, is a Solutions Architect with many years of experience in the fields of multicloud, automation, and enterprise and data center networking. Ivo has worked at Cisco in different roles and different geographies, and he has led the architecture creation and deployment of many automated global-scale solutions for Fortune 50 companies that are in production today. In his latest role, he is responsible for multicloud innovation at the Customer Experience CTO office. Ivo is the founder of IT OnTrack (www.itontrack.com), a provider of services to young professionals who are looking to further their careers in IT. Ivo has authored Cisco white papers and multiple Cisco exam questions. Follow Ivo on LinkedIn @ivopinto01.

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