Network Programmability and Automation Fundamentals

Network Programmability and Automation covers designing, implementing, monitoring and operating networks using programmable interfaces on network devices versus the legacy (and soon-to-be obsolete) methods and protocols such as the Command Line Interface (CLI) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). It discusses the protocols, tools, techniques and technologies upon which Network Programmability is based.

Covering the fundamentals that a network engineer needs to transition to the software and programmability domains, the book opens with an introduction that lays the foundation by discussing the market trends and emerging technologies such as SDN, NFV and Cloud, and how network programmability skills are paramount for aligning oneself with these technologies. It provides network engineers with a solid foundation in Python programming and Linux in the context of network programmability and automation.

Modernize and optimize network management with APIs and automation Legacy network management approaches don’t scale adequately and can’t be automated well. This guide will help meet tomorrow’s challenges by adopting network programmability based on Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Using these techniques, you can improve efficiency, reliability, and flexibility; simplify implementation of high-value technologies; automate routine administrative and security tasks; and deploy services far more rapidly. Four expert authors help you transition from a legacy mindset to one based on solving problems with software. They explore today’s emerging network programmability and automation ecosystem; introduce each leading programmable interface; and review the protocols, tools, techniques, and technologies that underlie network programmability. You’ll master key concepts through hands-on examples you can run using Linux, Python, Cisco DevNet sandboxes, and other easily accessible tools. This guide is for all network architects, engineers, operations, and software professionals who want to integrate programmability into their networks. It offers valuable background for Cisco DevNet certification—and skills you can use with any platform, whether you have software development experience or not.

• Master core concepts and explore the network programmability stack
• Manage network software and run automation scripts in Linux environments
• Solve real problems with Python and its Napalm and Nornir automation frameworks
• Make the most of the HTTP protocol, REST architectural framework, and SSH
• Encode your data with XML, JSON, or YAML
• Understand and build data models using YANG that offer a foundation for model-based network programming
• Leverage modern network management protocols, from gRPC and gNMI to NETCONF and RESTCONF
• Meet stringent service provider KPIs in large-scale, fast-changing networks
• Program Cisco devices running IOS XE, IOS XR, and NX-OS as well as Meraki, DNA Center, and Webex platforms
• Program non-Cisco platforms such as Cumulus Linux and Arista EOS
• Go from “zero to hero” with Ansible network automation
• Plan your next steps with more advanced tools and technologies