The group_vars directory contains variable definitions that apply to different groups. While it doesnt require a programming background, it does still have a significant barrier to entry in learning YAML, the framework that it uses for playbooks, and the structures and formats required to build complex Ansible playbooks and Roles. A good example is a host variable with its management IP address and hostname. These names are simply text strings that will appear in the output. Sign-up now. Almost every IT platform available now has either Ansible or vendor-provided command and configuration modules to programmatically alter configurations. Under Hosts you can enter the hostname of a Cisco IOS device in your Ansible inventory. ansible Their complete installs package can be found in their helpful Installing Ansible guide. Cookies help us learn how you interact with our website, and remember you when you come back so we can tailor it to your interests. After all, this is supposed to be automation, right? I also hope you find these Ansible modules useful, and that if you find more good stuff, that you share it with the rest of our networking community in Network VIP on Slack. Below are my top 10 (plus a bonus) recommended Ansible modules that anyonefrom a beginner to a power usercan leverage to transform their infrastructure to code. For example, when you iterate over a loop, if you use set_fact, only the data from the last iteration of the loop would end up inside your variable. For example, first I can generate a full IOS configuration for my network core using a Jinja2 template: In which, for example, the VLAN configuration stanzas look like this in the CampusCoreCFG.j2 file: Which look like this in the Core.cfg file generated by the template: Now, using the earlier ios_config module, we can simply push the templated intended configuration file to the device: Conversely, with received facts, I also pass the received data through a Jinja2 template to create both a comma-separated value (CSV) spreadsheet file and a markdown file with the JSON data. Our example script uses the cli_command module to issue CLI commands to our test device, a Cisco 3560CX switch. Learn how the Java-based Log4j2 logging vulnerability works, how severe it is, its potential effects on BlueCat products, and what has been done to fix it. You can find out more about cookies and usage on our privacy policy page. The example in this article will collect Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table data so you can compare it with the scripts we used in our previous article, "Network automation with Python, Paramiko, Netmiko and NAPALM.". Using Automation Gateway with Ansibles Network Modules. For further reading, Ansibles guides on templating (Jinja2) and template a file out to a target host, as well as my blog post about moving to Jinja2 for automated documentation, are helpful. 
Ansible vs. Terraform vs. Vagrant: What's the difference? Click on ios_facts-Read through the Parameter Descriptions to see what the module requires as inputs. In that row, enter default, which tells the module to send us all of the default information about the device. When you are finished viewing the decoration, click Cancel, At the top of the main window, Click on Execute tab. They are all very easy to use and well-documented. But this extremely powerful module, which opens Ansible up to a Python-powered templating language, Jinja2, ended up with the silver medal. Continuing with the theme of variables, the ability to register data into a variable is slightly different than setting a one-time fact.
These Ansible modules are also safe and the best entry point for enterprises and individuals to start their infrastructure-as-code automation journey. Device fact gathering is disabled -- i.e., gathering = explicit -- because it is intended for non-network devices. Privacy Policy John maintains his CCNA, 2x CCNP, 5x Cisco Specialist, and Microsoft Certified ITP: Enterprise Administrator while continuously developing his programming and automation skills. The power of network automation with Ansible isn't running a simple command like show arp on one device, as we've done above. Learn how to Zoom, RingCentral and BlueJeans have released updates to their virtual whiteboards to make them more useful for meetings between Google will seek to iron out challenges for AR as it tests a lightweight, glasses-type device. Is there an easy way to explore Ansible Networking Modules? Its operation is controlled by easy-to-read configuration files and by command-line arguments.
2022 BlueCat Networks All rights reserved. There are many real-world examples available on GitHub and other places, my blog included. One YAML-formatted file in this directory contains variables for Internetwork Operating System (IOS) switches. The ability to set facts, or create your own variables, is extremely powerful and a key differentiator from the legacy manual methodologies of days past. Complex tasks require users to incrementally learn more about Ansible's configuration, something network engineers are accustomed to doing. For further reading, Ansibles guide to execute shell commands on targets is helpful. With IOS_switches.yml, we specify the Ansible module network_cli, set the OS to ios and specify the login credentials. You can either provide it at playbook runtime to decrypt the strings orand this is the key to full automationyou can store the key inside a plain text file available to the playbook.
repository use mirror create server Automation Gateway Using Automation Gateway with Ansibles Network Modules. Part of: Using Ansible for network automation. Now that you have these 11 Ansible modules, I hope that you have a sense of the type of network automation and orchestration available to you. For example, you can get the networks from the BlueCat Address Manager REST API registered into a variable. But think about how often the network is in a steady-state that you want to document, monitor, validate, and understand versus how often you are affecting change on the network. The best way to get started with Ansible is to collect basic information from network devices. A playbook can contain multiple plays, and each play can contain multiple tasks. ansible playbook Cisco has devoted ios_facts, nxos_facts, and even asa_facts modules. It was close.
Network automation with Ansible is attractive because of its simplicity and ability to interface with network equipment. I thought it could help us solve some particularly complex and large-scale problems. The key difference here is that set_fact is a stand-alone task all on its own that creates a variable while register creates a variable with the results of another task. It is very versatile in what it can encrypt. The opinions expressed in individual articles, blog posts, videos or webinars are entirely the authors opinions. It is easily available, easy to learn and powerful. Using the Ansible URI module, you can access these APIs, query the JSON output, and create formatted CSV files. I like to use this ability to automate the Git actions at the end of a playbook. Here we use CORE-ATL-0. 
This is a vital A remote wipe is a vital security tool as mobile devices become more common in the workplace. This EMA research contains clues and guidance on how to change that. The ability to interact with the Linux host the playbook is running on opens up operating system-level commands and control from within a playbook. Infrastructure as code is a modern approach to managing networks, compute, storage, load-balancing, firewalls, and appliances (like BlueCat Address Manager). Without writing a playbook to leverage the module, we were able to run it directly from within Automation Gateway and get the facts about this Cisco ios device. Find him on Twitter @john_capobianco or LinkedIn /john-capobianco-644a1515. ansible wolters automating First, lets take a look at all of the Ansible modules available in Automation Gateway. Debug allows you to interact with your terminal during playbook execution and is extremely handy for troubleshooting or development.
In addition, while there is an Ansible config file, you typically dont need to modify it as a beginner. Sure, you can copy files, as seen in this example: But what I like to do with the copy module is create files from the variables the set_fact and register modules have created.
Yes, using the same template! The modules specific to a given vendor start with the OS name, such as ios_* or eos_*. For further reading, Ansible documentation on set host facts from a task, using variables, and filters and JSON_query is helpful. Ansible is great for network engineers. Instead, we can use the vars_prompt module to prompt for input from the user. In organizations allowing work data Blockchain has been a significant contributor to the global chip shortage.
For example, if we wanted to configure an IP helper-address on a switch virtual interface (SVI): The examples above are simple but that is kind of the point. On the left side, click on Ansible and youll see several categories, select Modules. After running this command, you will be prompted for a secret. Playbook configuration is no more difficult to learn than many other networking concepts. GM Financials DevOps VP Matt McComas offers key lessons on taking a systemic approach, breaking process roadblocks, and measuring automation success.
If you read the documentation for this module, it may seem like copying a source file to a local or remote destination is all this module can do. Ivan Pepelnjak (CCIE#1354 Emeritus), Independent Network Architect at ipSpace.net, has been designing and implementing large-scale data communications networks as well as teaching and writing books about advanced internetworking technologies since 1990. Another reason Ansible has become widely used in network automation is that it doesnt require users to be programmers in order to start using existing Playbooks or building them from scratch. Join our rapidly growing community of thought-leading organizations who are focused on enabling next-generation network innovation. One of the first steps in any Ansible playbook is to establish secure connectivity to a target host. This has several advantages, including not hard-coding your credentials. The power comes with running a set of commands on many devices. Typically, I will get any given API CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) activity in Postman first to get it working. Itential creates a default decoration for Ansible modules, so that they can be directly executed in the application, or even through an API. Ansible is one of the most popular open source network automation tools. Heres a screenshot from BlueCat Address Manager Network Facts, my Ansible playbook on GitHub that uses the BlueCat Address Manager API. Ansible, Terraform and Vagrant are common infrastructure automation platforms with specific use cases, benefits and drawbacks. This is particularly true for important information from the network such as the state of DNS. I chose this module because I firmly believe the future of IT and the backbone of infrastructure as code is the REST API. See a deep dive demo at Networking Field Day 24. It also allows for collaboration, as every user can provide their own credentials at run-time. And as your team creates more playbooks, these assets can be organized, shared and published across the team as well. This can often lead to confusion and false positive development issues. It's much better to build a directory structure that segregates different types of configuration data. Whether youre a Network Practitioner who is just starting the Network Automation journey, or youve been down this path for some time (and have the scars to prove it), youre probably aware of the fact that Ansible is a very popular network automation tool. Most networking-focused Ansible examples or blog posts focus on basic proof-of-concept examples. Anything with a RESTful API can be automated! Configuration modules go a step further and enter the configuration terminal level (conf t) on the platform and issue configuration commands. The host_vars directory contains variable definitions that are specific to each device. Cookie Preferences The most difficult decision I had to make was if the template module was my favorite module or not.
Try the Itential Automation Platform now. Configuration templating is accomplished by combining Ansible with the Jinja2 templating language. For further reading, Ansibles interactive prompts guide is helpful. Task 2 simply prints the saved result, referencing the list of stdout_lines that is in the saved cli_result. As you can see, the template uses the Ansible loop iteration and generates either a .csv or .md file depending on the value.
Using these simple Ansible modules, fully automated, fully scaled, real-time, network-state documentation can be stored in a real enterprise-grade source of truth. This matters because all modernor, at the very least, next-generationinfrastructure comes equipped with a REST API. 12 "Internet 192.168.1.108 - bcc4.933e.49c0 ARPA Vlan1". Devices can be contained in multiple groups. This accomplishes a lot of the heavy lifting of automation over CLI, especially compared to tools of the past or writing your own code to do this. Additional parsers are available that can aid in creating read/write configuration scenarios. Ansible can run with a simple configuration, but that path leads to a jumble of different constructs. Explore the role this rising technology has played. If you are ever going to evolve and containerize your simple Ansible playbooks into full-fledged CI/CD in a fully automated pipeline, you will need to re-factor any vars_prompt credential handling. Unlike traditional infrastructure management, it relies on a computer programming approach instead of a command-line or graphical user interface. This offers numerous advantages, including: Note: Its easy to try the latest Ansible automation platform for free. If youre interested in how to do that, we cover that here: See the powerful features that enable you to take your automation efforts to the next level. This allows for hands-free automation and containerization in which you can use Docker mount to mount the decryption file to unlock the credentials. In the following example, I am parsing JSON and creating a variable called device_entity with the results from the JSON_Query. These modules handle the work of speaking natively to a network device, typically using CLI as the underlying method, and captures and formats the output so it can be used in a more programmatic way. Ansible is an automation language, as well as the name of its underlying automation engine. You'll find interesting Junos-related tricks in his Ansible playbooks (but also a few things that you can apply to any network, so explore them regardless of what platform you're using). Pay close attention to this if you are new to Ansible. The ios_command module is used to execute the command show arp. The ability to program infrastructure using a REST API allows for the maturity of the software development lifecycle. And it allows you to plug in variable-data to plug dynamic data into your files. When a device is lost or no longer needed for work purposes, a remote wipe can keep corporate data secure. You can also read more from me about other network automation tools and eight network automation tasks for anyone to get started. The BlueCat Ansible module includes a series of standalone playbooks. I had stumbled upon Ansible, a new open-source network automation tool from Red Hat. However, this means you are storing highly secure credentials in plain text for all to see inside the Git repository. Depending on the platform, these modules go by a variety of different names. My Cisco Services APIs Ansible Playbooks is an open-source package available on GitHub. I wish you the best of success with your journey into infrastructure as code. My particular use case is to encrypt my credentials so I can store them safely inside my Git repository. Enterprises can actually profit from these resulting digital insights as well, either with operational excellence, commoditizing the data, or adjusting business flows.
This is usually added to the end of any playbooks that have altered the configuration of the device and when you need to save the changes to memory. The inventory file name is identified and retries are disabled, as shown below. You can set facts from other facts or data retrieved from devices. So far, I have used this module to automate: Cisco has several APIs to get information returned in JSON format.
Conference rooms need to evolve as employees demand the same rich virtual meeting experience they have on desktop. Now that we understand decorating a module, we can run a module directly and see how it all works. In the cloud, Azure and AWS have dozens of _info modules. We can test this within the application and see how it would work. Existing partners please register all account opportunities with Itential, Learn more about how Itential & IP Fabric provide integrated network automation & assurance. The worlds largest companies use our automation products to deliver services faster, simplify network change management, and maintain security with standardized configuration and compliance. Copyright 2000 - 2022, TechTarget Any Linux command you can think of can be executed from inside your playbook. For our example, we will use the following directory and file structure: The ansible.cfg file contains Ansible's configuration. Since then, Ive gone on to write hundreds of playbooks to automate everything from enterprise networks to compute and storage, and even entire clouds. New features tame network complexity, reduce costs, improve security, and automate DDI tasks to drive rapid innovation. The device test_sw is a member of the groups IOS_switches and access. For further reading, the Ansible guides on copy files to remote locations and playbook filters are helpful. But they all achieve the same end: Collecting stateful facts and information and returning the data as structured JSON. The most sought-after network automation capability is, obviously, making configuration changes and running orchestrated commands at scale. It also allows you to keep the logical complexity inside the templates in Pythonic syntax, which is easier to write and maintain than inside the Ansible playbook as YAML. These variables are prefixed with ansible_net_ and would be available within a playbook. Under the category of ios, you will see a list of all the related ios networking modules, prefixed with ios_. Ansible can do many more things. Not only is he one of the authors of NAPALM, napalm-validate, napalm-yang and Nornir, he's also sharing a wide range of network-focused Ansible playbooks: Khelil Sator is a Consulting Engineer working for Juniper Networks. A good example is to keep copies of show version for each network device as a way to document the devices on your network and their serial numbers. In 2017, I emailed several colleagues about a new discovery: Ansible modules. The ability to gather facts and informationyou may be wondering how this seemingly simple capability is higher on the list than configuration modules. Fortunately, there is a way that allows you to securely hard code your credential strings inside what is known as an Ansible vault. Another resource includes Nick Russo's tutorial, "Automating Networks with Ansible the Right Way," which describes the process of maintaining MPLS configurations with Ansible. Jinja2 lets you apply logic, such as If, Else, End If, and even For Loops. ansible enrollment For further reading, Ansibles guide on print statements during execution is helpful. Network pros need network automation skills in NAPALM and Ansible because the two modules together can enhance multivendor environments and streamline network management tasks. To create a variable inside another task from received data, you also need to register it. the ability to build, release, and monitor using Docker container images in a continuously integrated (CI) and continuously delivered (CD) pipeline. You can even check against Ciscos PSIRT REST API for security vulnerabilities. For further reading, Ansibles guides to run commands on remote devices running Cisco IOS and manage Cisco IOS configuration sections are helpful.
Network pros can use it to perform basic network automation tasks, like collecting ARP table data. MPLS infrastructure and services solution, Building Network Automation Solutions online course, Building IP fabric Junos configurations with Ansible/Jinja2, Creating Ansible playbook from the ground up, Use Ansible to change the source of truth, Add a dhcp helper address where helpers exist, More Ansible- and network automation related blog posts, Sample playbooks using Ansible networking modules, Create your own Ansible/Jinja2 filter plugins, Building Docker network automation container. For further reading, Ansibles guide on interacts with webservices, RedHats article on using Ansible to interact with web endpoints, are helpful. Ultimately, your strings will look like this: For further reading, Ansibles guides on Ansible vault and encrypting content with Ansible vault are helpful. The recommended secure configuration uses either Ansible vaults or SSH keys, so the credentials are not kept in a plain-text file. ansible Youll see a list of over 60 network modules, from different vendors. 13 "Internet 192.168.1.126 5 f894.c220.2177 ARPA Vlan1". We did a demonstration of this approach, live, using the BlueCat Address Manager REST API: Authentication is handled with a preliminary REST API call to get a valid token: Once we have a token, we can then pass it along to the BlueCat Address Manager APIs. It controls Ansible's execution of the task to show the ARP table and display the output. Ansible uses Secure Socket Shell (SSH) to interact with the network device command-line interface (CLI), eliminating the need for an agent on the network device. As we mentioned earlier, once an automation asset is decorated in Automation Gateway, it can be made available through an API call. A good example of this, and the next step in the BlueCat Address Manager Network Facts playbook, is to take the registered variable and create a nice (pretty) JSON file from the data. 1350 Spring Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta GA 30309 USA, Itential named a Cool Vendor in Network Automation. He authors books and an automation-themed blog, automateyournetwork.ca. Default values are frequently the best choice, so this file may not be needed. Uber engineer Ryan Patterson shares how data drives network automation projects, which must also be scalable, save costs, and meet user needs. The directive register is used to save the output of ios_command into an Ansible variable named cli_result.
Start my free, unlimited access. We tried to collect more comprehensive solutions and articles that would help you become proficient in Ansible, and figure out how to best use Ansible in your first production-grade network automation solution: The best way to get better with any tool is to learn from the masters, and David (one of the most popular speakers in the Network Automation course is an open-source network automation legend. This play has two tasks, each with a name. Jinja2 lets you create templatesjust like a Microsoft PowerPoint or Word template or any other cookie-cutter templatethat, in turn, create other file types. Also, I believe that digital information is the new oil and worth a lot.
Ansible vs. Terraform vs. Vagrant: What's the difference? Click on ios_facts-Read through the Parameter Descriptions to see what the module requires as inputs. In that row, enter default, which tells the module to send us all of the default information about the device. When you are finished viewing the decoration, click Cancel, At the top of the main window, Click on Execute tab. They are all very easy to use and well-documented. But this extremely powerful module, which opens Ansible up to a Python-powered templating language, Jinja2, ended up with the silver medal. Continuing with the theme of variables, the ability to register data into a variable is slightly different than setting a one-time fact. These Ansible modules are also safe and the best entry point for enterprises and individuals to start their infrastructure-as-code automation journey. Device fact gathering is disabled -- i.e., gathering = explicit -- because it is intended for non-network devices. Privacy Policy John maintains his CCNA, 2x CCNP, 5x Cisco Specialist, and Microsoft Certified ITP: Enterprise Administrator while continuously developing his programming and automation skills. The power of network automation with Ansible isn't running a simple command like show arp on one device, as we've done above. Learn how to Zoom, RingCentral and BlueJeans have released updates to their virtual whiteboards to make them more useful for meetings between Google will seek to iron out challenges for AR as it tests a lightweight, glasses-type device. Is there an easy way to explore Ansible Networking Modules? Its operation is controlled by easy-to-read configuration files and by command-line arguments.
2022 BlueCat Networks All rights reserved. There are many real-world examples available on GitHub and other places, my blog included. One YAML-formatted file in this directory contains variables for Internetwork Operating System (IOS) switches. The ability to set facts, or create your own variables, is extremely powerful and a key differentiator from the legacy manual methodologies of days past. Complex tasks require users to incrementally learn more about Ansible's configuration, something network engineers are accustomed to doing. For further reading, Ansibles guide to execute shell commands on targets is helpful. With IOS_switches.yml, we specify the Ansible module network_cli, set the OS to ios and specify the login credentials. You can either provide it at playbook runtime to decrypt the strings orand this is the key to full automationyou can store the key inside a plain text file available to the playbook.
repository use mirror create server Automation Gateway Using Automation Gateway with Ansibles Network Modules. Part of: Using Ansible for network automation. Now that you have these 11 Ansible modules, I hope that you have a sense of the type of network automation and orchestration available to you. For example, you can get the networks from the BlueCat Address Manager REST API registered into a variable. But think about how often the network is in a steady-state that you want to document, monitor, validate, and understand versus how often you are affecting change on the network. The best way to get started with Ansible is to collect basic information from network devices. A playbook can contain multiple plays, and each play can contain multiple tasks. ansible playbook Cisco has devoted ios_facts, nxos_facts, and even asa_facts modules. It was close.
Network automation with Ansible is attractive because of its simplicity and ability to interface with network equipment. I thought it could help us solve some particularly complex and large-scale problems. The key difference here is that set_fact is a stand-alone task all on its own that creates a variable while register creates a variable with the results of another task. It is very versatile in what it can encrypt. The opinions expressed in individual articles, blog posts, videos or webinars are entirely the authors opinions. It is easily available, easy to learn and powerful. Using the Ansible URI module, you can access these APIs, query the JSON output, and create formatted CSV files. I like to use this ability to automate the Git actions at the end of a playbook. Here we use CORE-ATL-0. This is a vital A remote wipe is a vital security tool as mobile devices become more common in the workplace. This EMA research contains clues and guidance on how to change that. The ability to interact with the Linux host the playbook is running on opens up operating system-level commands and control from within a playbook. Infrastructure as code is a modern approach to managing networks, compute, storage, load-balancing, firewalls, and appliances (like BlueCat Address Manager). Without writing a playbook to leverage the module, we were able to run it directly from within Automation Gateway and get the facts about this Cisco ios device. Find him on Twitter @john_capobianco or LinkedIn /john-capobianco-644a1515. ansible wolters automating First, lets take a look at all of the Ansible modules available in Automation Gateway. Debug allows you to interact with your terminal during playbook execution and is extremely handy for troubleshooting or development. In addition, while there is an Ansible config file, you typically dont need to modify it as a beginner. Sure, you can copy files, as seen in this example: But what I like to do with the copy module is create files from the variables the set_fact and register modules have created.
Yes, using the same template! The modules specific to a given vendor start with the OS name, such as ios_* or eos_*. For further reading, Ansible documentation on set host facts from a task, using variables, and filters and JSON_query is helpful. Ansible is great for network engineers. Instead, we can use the vars_prompt module to prompt for input from the user. In organizations allowing work data Blockchain has been a significant contributor to the global chip shortage.
For example, if we wanted to configure an IP helper-address on a switch virtual interface (SVI): The examples above are simple but that is kind of the point. On the left side, click on Ansible and youll see several categories, select Modules. After running this command, you will be prompted for a secret. Playbook configuration is no more difficult to learn than many other networking concepts. GM Financials DevOps VP Matt McComas offers key lessons on taking a systemic approach, breaking process roadblocks, and measuring automation success.
If you read the documentation for this module, it may seem like copying a source file to a local or remote destination is all this module can do. Ivan Pepelnjak (CCIE#1354 Emeritus), Independent Network Architect at ipSpace.net, has been designing and implementing large-scale data communications networks as well as teaching and writing books about advanced internetworking technologies since 1990. Another reason Ansible has become widely used in network automation is that it doesnt require users to be programmers in order to start using existing Playbooks or building them from scratch. Join our rapidly growing community of thought-leading organizations who are focused on enabling next-generation network innovation. One of the first steps in any Ansible playbook is to establish secure connectivity to a target host. This has several advantages, including not hard-coding your credentials. The power comes with running a set of commands on many devices. Typically, I will get any given API CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) activity in Postman first to get it working. Itential creates a default decoration for Ansible modules, so that they can be directly executed in the application, or even through an API. Ansible is one of the most popular open source network automation tools. Heres a screenshot from BlueCat Address Manager Network Facts, my Ansible playbook on GitHub that uses the BlueCat Address Manager API. Ansible, Terraform and Vagrant are common infrastructure automation platforms with specific use cases, benefits and drawbacks. This is particularly true for important information from the network such as the state of DNS. I chose this module because I firmly believe the future of IT and the backbone of infrastructure as code is the REST API. See a deep dive demo at Networking Field Day 24. It also allows for collaboration, as every user can provide their own credentials at run-time. And as your team creates more playbooks, these assets can be organized, shared and published across the team as well. This can often lead to confusion and false positive development issues. It's much better to build a directory structure that segregates different types of configuration data. Whether youre a Network Practitioner who is just starting the Network Automation journey, or youve been down this path for some time (and have the scars to prove it), youre probably aware of the fact that Ansible is a very popular network automation tool. Most networking-focused Ansible examples or blog posts focus on basic proof-of-concept examples. Anything with a RESTful API can be automated! Configuration modules go a step further and enter the configuration terminal level (conf t) on the platform and issue configuration commands. The host_vars directory contains variable definitions that are specific to each device. Cookie Preferences The most difficult decision I had to make was if the template module was my favorite module or not.
Try the Itential Automation Platform now. Configuration templating is accomplished by combining Ansible with the Jinja2 templating language. For further reading, Ansibles interactive prompts guide is helpful. Task 2 simply prints the saved result, referencing the list of stdout_lines that is in the saved cli_result. As you can see, the template uses the Ansible loop iteration and generates either a .csv or .md file depending on the value.
Using these simple Ansible modules, fully automated, fully scaled, real-time, network-state documentation can be stored in a real enterprise-grade source of truth. This matters because all modernor, at the very least, next-generationinfrastructure comes equipped with a REST API. 12 "Internet 192.168.1.108 - bcc4.933e.49c0 ARPA Vlan1". Devices can be contained in multiple groups. This accomplishes a lot of the heavy lifting of automation over CLI, especially compared to tools of the past or writing your own code to do this. Additional parsers are available that can aid in creating read/write configuration scenarios. Ansible can run with a simple configuration, but that path leads to a jumble of different constructs. Explore the role this rising technology has played. If you are ever going to evolve and containerize your simple Ansible playbooks into full-fledged CI/CD in a fully automated pipeline, you will need to re-factor any vars_prompt credential handling. Unlike traditional infrastructure management, it relies on a computer programming approach instead of a command-line or graphical user interface. This offers numerous advantages, including: Note: Its easy to try the latest Ansible automation platform for free. If youre interested in how to do that, we cover that here: See the powerful features that enable you to take your automation efforts to the next level. This allows for hands-free automation and containerization in which you can use Docker mount to mount the decryption file to unlock the credentials. In the following example, I am parsing JSON and creating a variable called device_entity with the results from the JSON_Query. These modules handle the work of speaking natively to a network device, typically using CLI as the underlying method, and captures and formats the output so it can be used in a more programmatic way. Ansible is an automation language, as well as the name of its underlying automation engine. You'll find interesting Junos-related tricks in his Ansible playbooks (but also a few things that you can apply to any network, so explore them regardless of what platform you're using). Pay close attention to this if you are new to Ansible. The ios_command module is used to execute the command show arp. The ability to program infrastructure using a REST API allows for the maturity of the software development lifecycle. And it allows you to plug in variable-data to plug dynamic data into your files. When a device is lost or no longer needed for work purposes, a remote wipe can keep corporate data secure. You can also read more from me about other network automation tools and eight network automation tasks for anyone to get started. The BlueCat Ansible module includes a series of standalone playbooks. I had stumbled upon Ansible, a new open-source network automation tool from Red Hat. However, this means you are storing highly secure credentials in plain text for all to see inside the Git repository. Depending on the platform, these modules go by a variety of different names. My Cisco Services APIs Ansible Playbooks is an open-source package available on GitHub. I wish you the best of success with your journey into infrastructure as code. My particular use case is to encrypt my credentials so I can store them safely inside my Git repository. Enterprises can actually profit from these resulting digital insights as well, either with operational excellence, commoditizing the data, or adjusting business flows.
This is usually added to the end of any playbooks that have altered the configuration of the device and when you need to save the changes to memory. The inventory file name is identified and retries are disabled, as shown below. You can set facts from other facts or data retrieved from devices. So far, I have used this module to automate: Cisco has several APIs to get information returned in JSON format.
Conference rooms need to evolve as employees demand the same rich virtual meeting experience they have on desktop. Now that we understand decorating a module, we can run a module directly and see how it all works. In the cloud, Azure and AWS have dozens of _info modules. We can test this within the application and see how it would work. Existing partners please register all account opportunities with Itential, Learn more about how Itential & IP Fabric provide integrated network automation & assurance. The worlds largest companies use our automation products to deliver services faster, simplify network change management, and maintain security with standardized configuration and compliance. Copyright 2000 - 2022, TechTarget Any Linux command you can think of can be executed from inside your playbook. For our example, we will use the following directory and file structure: The ansible.cfg file contains Ansible's configuration. Since then, Ive gone on to write hundreds of playbooks to automate everything from enterprise networks to compute and storage, and even entire clouds. New features tame network complexity, reduce costs, improve security, and automate DDI tasks to drive rapid innovation. The device test_sw is a member of the groups IOS_switches and access. For further reading, the Ansible guides on copy files to remote locations and playbook filters are helpful. But they all achieve the same end: Collecting stateful facts and information and returning the data as structured JSON. The most sought-after network automation capability is, obviously, making configuration changes and running orchestrated commands at scale. It also allows you to keep the logical complexity inside the templates in Pythonic syntax, which is easier to write and maintain than inside the Ansible playbook as YAML. These variables are prefixed with ansible_net_ and would be available within a playbook. Under the category of ios, you will see a list of all the related ios networking modules, prefixed with ios_. Ansible can do many more things. Not only is he one of the authors of NAPALM, napalm-validate, napalm-yang and Nornir, he's also sharing a wide range of network-focused Ansible playbooks: Khelil Sator is a Consulting Engineer working for Juniper Networks. A good example is to keep copies of show version for each network device as a way to document the devices on your network and their serial numbers. In 2017, I emailed several colleagues about a new discovery: Ansible modules. The ability to gather facts and informationyou may be wondering how this seemingly simple capability is higher on the list than configuration modules. Fortunately, there is a way that allows you to securely hard code your credential strings inside what is known as an Ansible vault. Another resource includes Nick Russo's tutorial, "Automating Networks with Ansible the Right Way," which describes the process of maintaining MPLS configurations with Ansible. Jinja2 lets you apply logic, such as If, Else, End If, and even For Loops. ansible enrollment For further reading, Ansibles guide on print statements during execution is helpful. Network pros need network automation skills in NAPALM and Ansible because the two modules together can enhance multivendor environments and streamline network management tasks. To create a variable inside another task from received data, you also need to register it. the ability to build, release, and monitor using Docker container images in a continuously integrated (CI) and continuously delivered (CD) pipeline. You can even check against Ciscos PSIRT REST API for security vulnerabilities. For further reading, Ansibles guides to run commands on remote devices running Cisco IOS and manage Cisco IOS configuration sections are helpful.
Network pros can use it to perform basic network automation tasks, like collecting ARP table data. MPLS infrastructure and services solution, Building Network Automation Solutions online course, Building IP fabric Junos configurations with Ansible/Jinja2, Creating Ansible playbook from the ground up, Use Ansible to change the source of truth, Add a dhcp helper address where helpers exist, More Ansible- and network automation related blog posts, Sample playbooks using Ansible networking modules, Create your own Ansible/Jinja2 filter plugins, Building Docker network automation container. For further reading, Ansibles guide on interacts with webservices, RedHats article on using Ansible to interact with web endpoints, are helpful. Ultimately, your strings will look like this: For further reading, Ansibles guides on Ansible vault and encrypting content with Ansible vault are helpful. The recommended secure configuration uses either Ansible vaults or SSH keys, so the credentials are not kept in a plain-text file. ansible Youll see a list of over 60 network modules, from different vendors. 13 "Internet 192.168.1.126 5 f894.c220.2177 ARPA Vlan1". We did a demonstration of this approach, live, using the BlueCat Address Manager REST API: Authentication is handled with a preliminary REST API call to get a valid token: Once we have a token, we can then pass it along to the BlueCat Address Manager APIs. It controls Ansible's execution of the task to show the ARP table and display the output. Ansible uses Secure Socket Shell (SSH) to interact with the network device command-line interface (CLI), eliminating the need for an agent on the network device. As we mentioned earlier, once an automation asset is decorated in Automation Gateway, it can be made available through an API call. A good example of this, and the next step in the BlueCat Address Manager Network Facts playbook, is to take the registered variable and create a nice (pretty) JSON file from the data. 1350 Spring Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta GA 30309 USA, Itential named a Cool Vendor in Network Automation. He authors books and an automation-themed blog, automateyournetwork.ca. Default values are frequently the best choice, so this file may not be needed. Uber engineer Ryan Patterson shares how data drives network automation projects, which must also be scalable, save costs, and meet user needs. The directive register is used to save the output of ios_command into an Ansible variable named cli_result.
Start my free, unlimited access. We tried to collect more comprehensive solutions and articles that would help you become proficient in Ansible, and figure out how to best use Ansible in your first production-grade network automation solution: The best way to get better with any tool is to learn from the masters, and David (one of the most popular speakers in the Network Automation course is an open-source network automation legend. This play has two tasks, each with a name. Jinja2 lets you create templatesjust like a Microsoft PowerPoint or Word template or any other cookie-cutter templatethat, in turn, create other file types. Also, I believe that digital information is the new oil and worth a lot.