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Practical Network Automation
Practical Network Automation

Practical Network Automation: Leverage the power of Python and Ansible to optimize your network

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NZ$14.99 NZ$51.99
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.4 (8 Ratings)
eBook Nov 2017 266 pages 1st Edition
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NZ$14.99 NZ$51.99
Paperback
NZ$64.99
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Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Ratan
Arrow right icon
NZ$14.99 NZ$51.99
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.4 (8 Ratings)
eBook Nov 2017 266 pages 1st Edition
eBook
NZ$14.99 NZ$51.99
Paperback
NZ$64.99
Subscription
Free Trial
eBook
NZ$14.99 NZ$51.99
Paperback
NZ$64.99
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Free Trial

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Practical Network Automation

Python for Network Engineers

As we are now familiar with how to write a program using the concepts used in programming languages, as well as best practices, now let's dig deep into writing an actual Python program or script. Keeping the primary focus on how to write a program in Python, we will also see how to write the same program in PowerShell, since there might be times where we would need to use PowerShell to achieve the results that we are looking for. We will cover various aspects of creating a program with some explanations of each of the statements and provide some tips and tricks to get through those tricky situations.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • Python interpreter and data types
  • Writing Python scripts using conditional loops
  • Functions
  • Installing new modules/libraries
  • Passing arguments from command line for scripts
  • Using Netmiko to interact...

Python interpreter and data types

An interpreter, as the name suggests, is used to interpret instructions so that they are understandable by others. In our case, it is used to convert our Python language to a machine-understandable format that governs the flow of instructions that we gave to the machine.

It is also used to convert the set of values and messages given by a machine to a human-readable format in order to give us insights into how our program is being executed.

As mentioned in Chapter 1, Fundamental Concepts, the interpreter that we are focusing on is Python 3.6. I will be using it on the Windows platform, but the site has clear instructions on how to download and install the same on other OS like Unix or Linux machines. Once we install it by downloading it from the Python community  which can be found at URL https://www.python.org/downloads, we can simply...

Conditions and loops

Conditions are checked using a left and right value comparison. The evaluation returns either true or false, and a specific action is performed depending on the result.

There are certain condition operators that are used to evaluate the left and right value comparisons:

Operators Meaning
== If both values are equal
!= If both values are NOT equal
> If the left value is greater than the right value
< If the left value is smaller than the right value
>= If the left value is greater than or equal to the right value
<= If the left value is lesser than or equal to the right value
in If the left value is part of the right value

 

An example of the condition evaluation is as follows:

As we can see, we are checking whether 2>3 (2 is greater that 3). Of course, this would result in false, so the action in the else section...

Writing Python scripts

We are now familiar with the basic concepts of Python. Now we will write an actual program or script in Python.

Ask for the input of a country name, and check whether the last character of the country is a vowel:

countryname=input("Enter country name:")
countryname=countryname.lower()
lastcharacter=countryname.strip()[-1]
if 'a' in lastcharacter:
print ("Vowel found")
elif 'e' in lastcharacter:
print ("Vowel found")
elif 'i' in lastcharacter:
print ("Vowel found")
elif 'o' in lastcharacter:
print ("Vowel found")
elif 'u' in lastcharacter:
print ("Vowel found")
else:
print ("No vowel found")

Output of the preceding code is as follows:

  1. We ask for the input of a country name. The input() method is used to get an input from the...

Functions

For any recurring set of instructions, we can define a function. In other words, a function is a closed set of instructions to perform a specific logic or task. Depending upon the input provided, a function has the ability to return the results or parse the input with specific instructions to get results without any return values.

A function is defined by the def keyword, which specifies that we need to define a function and provide a set of instructions related to that function.

In this task we will print the greater of two input numbers:

def checkgreaternumber(number1,number2):
if number1 > number2:
print ("Greater number is ",number1)
else:
print ("Greater number is",number2)
checkgreaternumber(2,4)
checkgreaternumber(3,1)

As we can see in the preceding output, the first time we call the checkgreaternumber(2,4) function, the function...

Python modules and packages

Because Python is the most popular open source coding language, there are many developers who contribute their expertise by creating specific modules and sharing them for others to use. These modules are a specific set of functions or instructions that are used to perform specialized tasks and can be called easily in our programs. The modules can be easily called using the import command inside the scripts. Python has many built-in modules that are directly called using import, but for specialized modules, an external installation is needed. Luckily, Python provides a very easy way to download and install these modules.

As an example, let's install a module named Netmiko that can help us work on logging into network devices more efficiently. Python provides a well-documented reference for each of the modules, and for our module, the documentation...

Python interpreter and data types


An interpreter, as the name suggests, is used to interpret instructions so that they are understandable by others. In our case, it is used to convert our Python language to a machine-understandable format that governs the flow of instructions that we gave to the machine.

It is also used to convert the set of values and messages given by a machine to a human-readable format in order to give us insights into how our program is being executed.

As mentioned in Chapter 1, Fundamental Concepts, the interpreter that we are focusing on is Python 3.6. I will be using it on the Windows platform, but the site has clear instructions on how to download and install the same on other OS like Unix or Linux machines. Once we install it by downloading it from the Python community  which can be found at URL https://www.python.org/downloads, we can simply click on the setup file to install it. From the installation directory we just need to invoke python.exe, which will invoke...

Conditions and loops


Conditions are checked using a left and right value comparison. The evaluation returns either true or false, and a specific action is performed depending on the result.

There are certain condition operators that are used to evaluate the left and right value comparisons:

Operators

Meaning

==

If both values are equal

!=

If both values are NOT equal

>

If the left value is greater than the right value

<

If the left value is smaller than the right value

>=

If the left value is greater than or equal to the right value

<=

If the left value is lesser than or equal to the right value

in

If the left value is part of the right value

 

An example of the condition evaluation is as follows:

As we can see, we are checking whether 2>3 (2 is greater that 3). Of course, this would result in false, so the action in the else section is executed. If we reverse the check, 3>2, then the output would have been left value is greater.

In the preceding example, we used the if condition block, which...

Writing Python scripts


We are now familiar with the basic concepts of Python. Now we will write an actual program or script in Python.

Ask for the input of a country name, and check whether the last character of the country is a vowel:

countryname=input("Enter country name:")
countryname=countryname.lower()
lastcharacter=countryname.strip()[-1]
if 'a' in lastcharacter:
    print ("Vowel found")
elif 'e' in lastcharacter:
    print ("Vowel found")
elif 'i' in lastcharacter:
    print ("Vowel found")
elif 'o' in lastcharacter:
    print ("Vowel found")
elif 'u' in lastcharacter:
    print ("Vowel found")
else:
    print ("No vowel found")

Output of the preceding code is as follows:

  1. We ask for the input of a country name. The input() method is used to get an input from the user. The value entered is in the string format, and in our case the countryname variable has been assigned the input value.
  2. In the next line, countryname.lower() specifies that the input that we receive needs to converted into...

Functions


For any recurring set of instructions, we can define a function. In other words, a function is a closed set of instructions to perform a specific logic or task. Depending upon the input provided, a function has the ability to return the results or parse the input with specific instructions to get results without any return values.

A function is defined by the def keyword, which specifies that we need to define a function and provide a set of instructions related to that function.

In this task we will print the greater of two input numbers:

def checkgreaternumber(number1,number2):
    if number1 > number2:
      print ("Greater number is ",number1)
    else:
     print ("Greater number is",number2)
checkgreaternumber(2,4)
checkgreaternumber(3,1)

As we can see in the preceding output, the first time we call the checkgreaternumber(2,4) function, the function prints the greater value as 4, and the second time we call the function with different numbers, the function prints the greater...

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Key benefits

  • •Get started with network automation (and different automation tasks) with relevant use cases
  • •Apply software design principles such as Continuous Integration and DevOps to your network toolkit
  • •Guides you through some best practices in automation

Description

Network automation is the use of IT controls to supervise and carry out every-day network management functions. It plays a key role in network virtualization technologies and network functions. The book starts by providing an introduction to network automation, SDN, and its applications, which include integrating DevOps tools to automate the network efficiently. It then guides you through different network automation tasks and covers various data digging and reporting methodologies such as IPv6 migration, DC relocations, and interface parsing, all the while retaining security and improving data center robustness. The book then moves on to the use of Python and the management of SSH keys for machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, all followed by practical use cases. The book also covers the importance of Ansible for network automation including best practices in automation, ways to test automated networks using different tools, and other important techniques. By the end of the book, you will be well acquainted with the various aspects of network automation.

Who is this book for?

If you are a network engineer looking for an extensive guide to help you automate and manage your network efficiently, then this book is for you.

What you will learn

  • •Get the detailed analysis of Network automation
  • •Trigger automations through available data factors
  • •Improve data center robustness and security through specific access and data digging
  • •Get an Access to APIs from Excel for dynamic reporting
  • •Set up a communication with SSH-based devices using netmiko
  • •Make full use of practical use cases and best practices to get accustomed with the various aspects of network automation

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Nov 16, 2017
Length: 266 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781788299138
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Tools :

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Product Details

Publication date : Nov 16, 2017
Length: 266 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781788299138
Concepts :
Tools :

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Table of Contents

7 Chapters
Fundamental Concepts Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Python for Network Engineers Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Accessing and Mining Data from Network Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Web Framework for Automation Triggers Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Ansible for Network Automation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Continuous Integration for Network Engineers Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
SDN Concepts in Network Automation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Top Reviews
Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.4
(8 Ratings)
5 star 75%
4 star 12.5%
3 star 0%
2 star 0%
1 star 12.5%
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JP Jan 25, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Automation with python is great
Amazon Verified review Amazon
David Jan 10, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
First, I'll note, I purchased the book directly from the publisher in eBook format for a significant discount. I'm not sure why it cost so much more on Amazon.I'm giving it five stars because it is exactly what the title suggests it is: examples of "Practical Network Automation." The book is full of straightforward coding examples using modern Python libraries/modules and the Ansible automation framework (from a network automation perspective). For anyone who has a very rudimentary understanding of Python coding (or coding, in general), you shouldn't feel lost while reading this book. It also walks through the code, piece-by-piece, explaining the logic, which will be very helpful to anyone who has not done much coding, other than a few scripts here and there (like myself). Generally speaking, the book feels like a quick, but still practical, introduction to automation possibilities; this book is *not* the be-all and end-all for learning network automation.That said, I will call out some issues some people may take with the book. As stated above, this book is *not* the be-all and end-all for learning network automation. For me, I was looking for a book with a more granular showing of practical network automation examples. We operate a network with 10s to 100s of routers, switches, firewalls, etc. and I was looking for a book that would present the inherent problems that come with management of networks of such scale, and then show me "the light." Instead, I felt this merely scratched the surface of what can be accomplished. The book felt too broad, and therefore too unspecific for it to be superbly useful in "practice." It gave me some additional ideas for improvement, and added guidance, but not a full answer.In short, this book will be well received by those in the networking industry who have little-to-no experience or understanding of automation. And for those people, I would highly recommend it. But for others, like myself, who have already spent countless hours poking and prodding with the various automation software available, I suspect they will still feel as though they haven't been given the full answer as to how they can harness the automation revolution (if you will) to limit their repetitious work, implement standards-based configurations, and manage their networks from a single point of control.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
ajay Nov 24, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Nice book to understand logic to implement automation in networking space.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Yuck The Fankees Feb 09, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I really enjoyed this book, I found the code examples and use cases to be very helpful.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Avantika Srivastava Nov 24, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Great book! Unlike most geek books, this book speaks with you! The author has taken into consideration how one learns and has adopted the most effective approach to help you understand and learn easily and quickly!Concepts are explained very well, and it provides examples that will help you grasp the subject thoroughly. If you are looking for a book that helps you learn easily but doesn't compromise on the learning quality, then this is the right book for you.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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