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This eBook includes the following formats, accessible from your Account page after purchase:
EPUB The open industry format known for its reflowable content and usability on supported mobile devices.
PDF The popular standard, used most often with the free Acrobat® Reader® software.
This eBook requires no passwords or activation to read. We customize your eBook by discreetly watermarking it with your name, making it uniquely yours.
Practical strategies and techniques for automating network infrastructure
As networks grow ever more complex, network professionals are seeking to automate processes for configuration, management, testing, deployment, and operation. Using automation, they aim to lower expenses, improve productivity, reduce human error, shorten time to market, and improve agility. In this guide, expert practitioner Ivo Pinto presents all the concepts and techniques you’ll need to move your entire physical and virtual infrastructure towards greater automation and maximize the value it delivers.
Writing for experienced professionals, the author reviews today’s leading use cases for automation, compares leading tools, and presents a deep dive into using the open source Ansible engine to automate common tasks. You’ll find everything you need: from practical code snippets to real-world case studies to a complete methodology for planning strategy.
This guide is for everyone seeking to improve network operations and productivity, including system, network, storage, and virtualization administrators, network and security engineers, and many other technical professionals and managers. You can apply its vendor-neutral concepts throughout your entire environment—from servers to the cloud, switches to security.
Download the sample pages (includes Chapter 3)
Introduction xvii
Chapter 1 Types of Network Automation 1
Data-Driven Automation 2
Task-Based Automation 11
End-to-End Automation 16
Tools 22
Summary 39
Review Questions 40
Chapter 2 Data for Network Automation 43
The Importance of Data 43
Data Formats and Models 44
Methods for Gathering Data 66
Summary 84
End Notes 84
Review Questions 85
Chapter 3 Using Data from Your Network 87
Data Preparation 87
Data Visualization 100
Data Insights 104
Case Studies 112
Summary 116
Review Questions 117
Chapter 4 Ansible Basics 119
Ansible Characteristics 119
Installing Ansible 120
Variables 126
Playbooks 131
Conditionals 133
Loops 136
Handlers 140
Executing a Playbook 143
Roles 149
Summary 152
Review Questions 153
Chapter 5 Using Ansible for Network Automation 155
Interacting with Files 155
Interacting with Devices 160
Interacting with APIs 187
Case Studies 189
Summary 195
Review Questions 196
Chapter 6 Network DevOps 199
What NetDevOps Is 199
NetDevOps Tools 214
How to Build Your Own NetDevOps Environment 228
Case Studies 233
Summary 238
Review Questions 238
Chapter 7 Automation Strategies 241
What an Automation Strategy Is 241
Why You Need an Automation Strategy 250
How to Build Your Own Automation Strategy 251
How to Use an Automation Strategy 268
Summary 270
Review Questions 271
Appendix A Answers to Review Questions 273
TOC, 9780137455928, 10/5/2021