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In this chapter, we will outline how to automate Cisco IOS-based devices using Ansible. We will explore the different modules available in Ansible to automate configuration and collect network information from Cisco IOS devices. This chapter will be based on the following sample network diagram, and we will walk through how we can implement this network design using Ansible:

The following table outlines the management IP addresses on the Cisco nodes, which Ansible will use to connect to the devices:

Device	Role	Vendor	MGMT Port	MGMT IP
`access01`	Access switch	Cisco IOS 15.1	`Ethernet0/0`	`172.20.1.18`
`access02`	Access switch	Cisco IOS 15.1	`Ethernet0/0`	`172.20.1.19`
`core01`	Core switch	Cisco IOS 15.1	`Ethernet0/0`	`172.20.1.20`
`core02`	Core switch	Cisco IOS 15.1	`Ethernet0/0`	`172.20.1.21`
`wan01`	WAN router	Cisco IOS–XE 16.6.1	`GigabitEthernet1`	`172.20.1.22`
`wan02`	WAN router	Cisco IOS–XE 16.6.1	`GigabitEthernet1`	`172.20.1.23`

The main recipes covered in this chapter are as follows:

Building an Ansible network inventory
Connecting to Cisco IOS devices
Configuring basic system information
Configuring interfaces on IOS devices
Configuring L2 VLANS on IOS devices
Configuring trunk and access interfaces
Configuring interface IP addresses
Configuring OSPF on IOS devices
Collecting IOS device facts
Validating network reachability on IOS devices
Retrieving operational data from IOS devices
Validating network states with pyATS and Ansible

Key benefits

Use Ansible to automate network infrastructure with the help of step-by-step instructions

Implement network automation best practices to save cost, avoid critical errors, and reduce downtime

Deliver a robust automation framework by integrating Ansible with NAPALM, NetBox, and Batfish

Description

Network Automation Cookbook is designed to help system administrators, network engineers, and infrastructure automation engineers to centrally manage switches, routers, and other devices in their organization's network. This book will help you gain hands-on experience in automating enterprise networks and take you through core network automation techniques using the latest version of Ansible and Python. With the help of practical recipes, you'll learn how to build a network infrastructure that can be easily managed and updated as it scales through a large number of devices. You'll also cover topics related to security automation and get to grips with essential techniques to maintain network robustness. As you make progress, the book will show you how to automate networks on public cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Azure. Finally, you will get up and running with Ansible 2.9 and discover troubleshooting techniques and network automation best practices. By the end of this book, you'll be able to use Ansible to automate modern network devices and integrate third-party tools such as NAPALM, NetBox, and Batfish easily to build robust network automation solutions.

What you will learn

Understand the various components of Ansible

Automate network resources in AWS, GCP, and Azure cloud solutions

Use IaC concepts to design and build network solutions

Automate network devices such as Cisco, Juniper, Arista, and F5

Use NetBox to build network inventory and integrate it with Ansible

Validate networks using Ansible and Batfish

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Free for first 7 days. $19.99 p/m after that. Cancel any time!

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Bobby R. Apr 27, 2020

Coming from an older version of ansible, this book helped explain what's new with Ansible. Also it gives you enough information for you to customize playbooks for your environment. Will find myself flipping through the pages looking for ways to perform tasks, and will not let you down on knowledge. Make sure you download the files for this book, will help speed up your knowledge!

Amazon Verified review

Tristan Ziemann Mar 01, 2024

I really like how he covers the top 3 for networking vendors and cloud vendors. I work with Arista and I’ll vouch these examples are good. I work with the other platforms too. Anyways, i encourage you to read this book.

Kirito Yuuki Aug 24, 2023

I thought it was about computers in cars, but even with that said. It's still an interesting read and to know.😅😎

Elizabete Jesus Aug 23, 2022

You definitely need to know some ansible before reading this book as the concepts are not well explained.Also, a lot of typos and errors in the sample code. You'll have to find your way thru it.

Network Automation Cookbook: Proven and actionable recipes to automate and manage network devices using Ansible

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