Just Enough Network Automation to Get You Started
summary
Automation rescues a six‑month rollout with only two months left by replacing manual config changes with scripted collection and templating. The demo compares Ansible (Linux control server, inventories, playbooks, logging, credential vaults) and a ~100‑line Python script (paramiko/netmiko, TextFSM parsing, custom retries), both run from containers against always‑on sandboxes and VIRL/CML labs. Built playbooks and scripts collect show outputs as raw JSON and human files; both work, Ansible scales faster, Python wins for bespoke parsing and complex logic.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (23)
- 0:00Intro
- 2:51Time
- 4:31Programming
- 10:22Environment
- 18:00Device Discovery
- 19:54Tools of Test
- 21:43Setup
- 25:53Parts Directory
- 27:03Data Content Boxes
- 27:51Formatting Data
- 28:44Human readable output
- 29:05Cisco X8 Group
- 30:05Ginger Template
- 30:47Ants
- 31:06Python
- 32:44Python Modules
- 33:06Text Emitter
- 36:32Compare Approaches
- 39:13Capture Exception
- 39:53Similarities
- 40:13Highlights
- 42:15The Long Word
- 48:24Whats Next
related talks
30mIntroduction to Ansible for Network Automation
01h 55mNetwork Automation using Ansible and Python
25mNetwork Automation Tools & Technology
51mOur Journey to a self-healing network
31mWelcome & State of Network Automation
31mNetwork Automation Architecture: Platform vs Power Tools
44mAnsible powered Network automation
48mUseful Python Libraries for Network Engineers