Nornir: Your ultimate toolkit for seamless network automation, configuration, and monitoring.

Introducing Nornir: Nornir an open-source Python framework that automates tasks across multiple devices with ease. When combined with Netmiko and NAPALM, Nornir becomes your ultimate toolkit for seamless network automation, configuration, and monitoring.

Why Choose Nornir?

Nornir is designed to help you tackle the complexities of network management by automating repetitive tasks, saving you time, reducing human error, and improving efficiency. If you’re dealing with small networks or managing thousands of devices, Nornir, together with Netmiko and NAPALM, makes network automation simple, flexible, and powerful.

The Power of Nornir + Netmiko + NAPALM

• Nornir: Automates tasks on multiple devices in parallel, enabling efficient configuration, monitoring, and data collection.
• Netmiko: A Python library that simplifies SSH connections, allowing secure, fast command execution across your devices.
• NAPALM: A vendor-agnostic Python library that provides a unified API to manage and configure devices from different vendors.

Key Features

• Concurrency: Run tasks simultaneously on multiple devices, accelerating large-scale operations.
• Pluggable Architecture: Highly customizable with plugins for inventory management, task execution, and result processing.
• Pythonic Flexibility: Leverage the full power of Python programming for advanced automation and customization.

Solving Key Problems

• Nornir: Automates large-scale network tasks, minimizing manual input and human error, allowing you to manage thousands of devices effortlessly.
• Netmiko: Streamlines SSH connections, ensuring fast, reliable command execution for device configuration and troubleshooting.
• NAPALM: Provides a consistent interface across various vendors, simplifying multi-vendor environments by eliminating the need for vendor-specific commands.

Steps to Get Started

Step 1: Install the Tools Set up your network automation environment by installing Nornir, Netmiko, and NAPALM:

pip install nornir

pip install netmiko

pip install napalm

Version:

Step 2: Configure Your Network Devices Create a YAML inventory file to define your devices, including IP addresses, device types, and credentials. The inventory structure consists of:

Hosts: Individual devices (routers, switches, etc.) that Nornir will manage.

Groups: Logical collections of hosts (e.g., routers, switches) with shared settings.

Defaults: Default values that apply to all hosts unless overridden.

Connections: Specify connection types (SSH, Telnet, etc.).

• Hosts.yaml:

• Groups.yaml:

• #Defaults.yaml:

Step 3: Define Automation Tasks Write Python scripts that automate tasks across your devices. You can use Netmiko for SSH command execution or NAPALM to retrieve device data.

Example:

• To run a command using Netmiko:

• To retrieve data using NAPALM:?

Step 4: Run the Tool and Monitor Performance Execute your automation script to apply configurations, retrieve data, or monitor your devices:

Review the logs and outputs to ensure tasks are successfully executed and monitor network performance in real-time.

Best Practices for Success

• Organize Your Inventory: Keep your inventory files structured and leverage groups to apply tasks efficiently across device types.
• Use Error Handling: Implement error handling (e.g., try-except blocks) in your scripts to manage timeouts or invalid credentials.
• Monitor Logs Regularly: Keep an eye on output logs to quickly spot and resolve any issues during automation runs.
• Integrate Tools: Use Nornir’s task automation capabilities alongside Netmiko’s SSH management and NAPALM’s vendor-agnostic APIs for optimal performance.?

Who Should Use Nornir?

Nornir is designed for networking professionals who manage large-scale device networks and need a robust, flexible solution for automating tasks. It’s especially valuable in multi-vendor environments, where NAPALM ensures a consistent, standardized approach to device management.

Ready to Automate?

Embrace the power of Nornir, Netmiko, and NAPALM to boost your network automation efforts today. Setup takes just minutes, and you’ll be on your way to faster, more efficient network management that saves you time, improves accuracy, and increases scalability.

Start automating your network now and experience the future of efficient, secure network management!