How do you automate networks with DevOps?

1 Benefits of network automation with DevOps

Network automation with DevOps can help you reap a number of benefits, such as improved network performance, reliability, and security by reducing human errors and enforcing consistent policies. Automation also facilitates faster network deployment, provisioning, and scaling by automating complex tasks like configuring switches, routers, firewalls, load balancers, and VPNs. Additionally, network automation enhances network visibility and feedback by collecting and analyzing network data like traffic logs, events, and metrics. Lastly, it increases network agility and innovation by enabling continuous integration, delivery, and testing of network changes while supporting collaboration and communication between network engineers and other IT teams.

2 Challenges of network automation with DevOps

Network automation with DevOps presents several challenges, such as network complexity and diversity, legacy and culture, skills gap, and security and compliance. It can be difficult to automate network devices and services that have different architectures, protocols, vendors, and standards. Furthermore, it may be hard to adopt new tools and techniques that may conflict with existing processes, practices, and mindsets of network engineers and other IT stakeholders. Additionally, finding and training network engineers who have the necessary skills and knowledge to use DevOps tools and methodologies for network automation can be challenging. Lastly, it is essential to ensure that network automation does not compromise security and compliance requirements such as encryption, authentication, authorization, and auditing.

3 Best practices of network automation with DevOps

To overcome the challenges of network automation with DevOps, it's important to define your goals and scope, assess your current state and capabilities, choose the right tools and platforms, implement automation incrementally and iteratively, and monitor and measure the results. Aligning these best practices with your business objectives and priorities will help you identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. Integrating network automation tools with existing infrastructure and DevOps tools is also key. Additionally, testing and validating each network change before deploying it to production is essential for success. Finally, using feedback and data to optimize and refine processes and practices will help ensure that you are getting the most out of your network automation.

4 Examples of network automation tools with DevOps

There are numerous network automation tools and platforms available to use with DevOps, depending on your network requirements and preferences. For example, Ansible is a configuration management and orchestration tool that uses YAML-based playbooks to automate network tasks and workflows. Terraform is an infrastructure as code tool that uses declarative HCL-based configuration files to automate network provisioning and management. NAPALM is a Python library that provides a unified API to interact with different network devices and vendors. Netmiko is a Python library that simplifies SSH connections to network devices and executes commands and configurations. PyATS is a Python-based network testing framework that supports network verification and validation. Grafana is a data visualization and monitoring tool that displays network metrics and dashboards. Prometheus is a time-series database and monitoring tool that collects and stores network metrics and alerts.

5 How to learn network automation with DevOps

If you want to learn network automation with DevOps, you can begin by understanding the principles and practices of DevOps, such as version control, continuous integration, continuous delivery, continuous testing, and continuous monitoring. Additionally, it is important to become familiar with network automation concepts and techniques, such as network programmability, network APIs, network data models, and network automation frameworks. Furthermore, you should be aware of the essentials of network automation tools and platforms like Ansible, Terraform, NAPALM, Netmiko, PyATS, Grafana, and Prometheus. It is also beneficial to practice network automation with DevOps on real or simulated network scenarios. Lastly, joining network automation and DevOps communities and forums can help you exchange ideas and experiences with other IT professionals. Network automation with DevOps is an effective way to improve your network performance, reliability, security as well as your skills and career path. By following the benefits, challenges, best practices, examples, and learning resources in this article you can start your journey towards success.