The Packet Pushers recently had a briefing with Chris Grundemann about startup FullCtl. FullCtl is all about network automation for internet exchanges, service providers, large enterprises, and anyone else looking for an easy button to manage BGP. FullCtl has several offerings, but two main products: peerCtl and ixCtl.
peerCtl: BGP Peering Automation
PeerCtl automates BGP interconnection with 3rd parties, removing the tedious manual setup process by using PeeringDB as a source of information. PeeringDB knows where potential peers have connectivity. PeerCtl uses that information to recommend peering relationships, generate emails from templates to those peers, and create the peering relationship if the peering proposal is accepted by the other party.
PeerCtl also helps out with secure BGP configuration, reducing the management headache of RPKI and ROAs. You’ll find many more features in peerCtl, including NetBox/Nautobot integration, a full API, config import from the production network, and a network-wide BGP summary view.
ixCtl: Internet eXchange Automation
IxCtl is a platform to run an internet eXchange. Managing the details of individual members using the exchange, ixCtl handles MAC addresses, MD5 hashes, IP addresses, prefix-lists, as-sets, RPKI, and ROAs. If this feels similar to peerCtl, yes, there are similarities. However, peerCtl has a narrower focus on BGP relationships, while IxCtl has more of the network to automate down to the port level. IxCtl is an alternative to the well-known IXP Manager platform.
Chris reports that FullCtl has production engagements at several sites, and is ready for more. FullCtl is able to serve SPs and IXPs globally. Over time, Chris says FullCtl is also interested in serving data center operators using a VXLAN/EVPN fabric. After all, that’s just a complex web of BGP peering relationships … and FullCtl is really, really good at automating those.
For more information
- peerCtl
- ixCtl
- Also check out the Network Automation Forum and AutoCon events Chris helps run.
