We’ve talked about network automation plenty on Packet Pushers. Many of those conversations have been about little things, like writing a script to do a specific task. But is that really network automation?
Our guest today is Ken Celenza, and he’s here to argue that scripting repeatable tasks is just the beginning of the automation journey. Ken, who is Director of Automation at NetworkToCode, works with customers to build and integrate with automation frameworks that address the entirety of their network automation needs.
Ken and the Packet Pushers have a wide-ranging conversation about automation, including automation principles, data models and schemas, testing code, and more.
While much of today’s discussion revolves around open source software, this is simply a means to convey a message, and by no means not prescribing any specific solution as the best way forward. If a commercial product fits your needs and your budget, go for it.
Sponsor: ThousandEyes
ThousandEyes gives you performance visibility from every user to every app over any network, both internal and external, so you can smoothly migrate to the cloud, transform your WAN, troubleshoot faster and deliver exceptional user experiences. Sign up for a free account at thousandeyes.com/packetpushers and choose a free ThousandEyes t-shirt.
Sponsor: Cumulus Networks
Cumulus Networks presents Networking with S.O.U.L – Simple, Open, Untethered Linux. These 4 tenants enable modern, agile networks be built to support the new demands of the business. Save an average of 45% on CapEx and approximately 74% on OpenEx by adopting these SOULful networking solutions. Learn how to leverage the top 5 automation tips and tricks in your network — head to http://cumulusnetworks.com/ppautomation to download our automation white paper.
Show Links:
Source of Truth – Himawan Nugroho
Device Configurations Are Not A Good Source Of Truth – IP Space
Data Models – IP Space
Model-driven Programmability: The Rise of Network Automation – Cisco Blogs
OpenConfig: Standardized Models For Networking – Packet Pushers
Using Vendor & Platform Neutral Data Models with Ansible – GitHub
NetworkToCode – Slack
Ken Celenza on Twitter
Ken on LinkedIn
Ken on GitHub
Ken’s blog on NetworkToCode
Is there a summary of the talk? 2.5 hours is too much for me.
I encourage you to listen to the show over time in chunks as your schedule permits. There is a lot of information here that’s worth your time to listen through if the topic of automation is interesting. Think of it as a multi-part show. You don’t have to listen to it in one sitting.
I was looking for the URL for Matt Oswalt (or so I have remembered him) talk on network testing with demos that you mentioned on the pod cast.
Can you share that please?
Matt did that presentation as part of our first Virtual Design Clinic event. VDC videos are archived on Ignition, our membership site. All VDC videos are available at the free tier. IOW, you need to sign up as an Ignition member, but it won’t cost you anything.
https://ignition.packetpushers.net/videos/ppvdc1-matt-oswalt-presentation-continuous-testing-for-networks/