Book Image

Network Programming and Automation Essentials

By : Claus Töpke
Book Image

Network Programming and Automation Essentials

By: Claus Töpke

Overview of this book

Network programming and automation, unlike traditional networking, is a modern-day skill that helps in configuring, managing, and operating networks and network devices. This book will guide you with important information, helping you set up and start working with network programming and automation. With Network Programming and Automation Essentials, you’ll learn the basics of networking in brief. You’ll explore the network programming and automation ecosystem, learn about the leading programmable interfaces, and go through the protocols, tools, techniques, and technologies associated with network programming. You’ll also master network automation using Python and Go with hands-on labs and real network emulation in this comprehensive guide. By the end of this book, you’ll be well equipped to program and automate networks efficiently.

Related Content you might be interested in

Current Title:

Small book image
Network Programming and Automation Essentials
Claus Töpke
Apr, 2023 | 296 pages
Small book image
Network Automation with Go
Michael Kashin | Nicolas Leiva
Jan, 2023 | 442 pages
Small book image
Software-Defined Networking with OpenFlow.
Oswald Coker | SIAMAK AZODOLMOLKY
Oct, 2017 | 246 pages
Small book image
Building Modern Networks
Steven Noble
Jul, 2017 | 324 pages
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
Preface
Preface
Who this book is for
What this book covers
To get the most out of this book
Download the example code files
Download the color images
Conventions used
Get in touch
Share your thoughts
Download a free PDF copy of this book
1
Part 1: Foundations for Network Automation
Part 1: Foundations for Network Automation
Free Chapter
2
Chapter 1: Network Basics for Development
Chapter 1: Network Basics for Development
Reviewing protocol layers, network device types, and network topologies
Describing network architecture and its components
Illustrating network management components, network bastions, and more
Summary
3
Chapter 2: Programmable Networks
Chapter 2: Programmable Networks
Exploring the history of programmable networks and looking at those used in the present day
Virtual network technologies
SDNs and OpenFlow
Understanding cloud computing
Using OpenStack for networking
Summary
4
Chapter 3: Accessing the Network
Chapter 3: Accessing the Network
Working with the CLI
Using SNMP
Employing NETCONF
Adopting gRPC
Operating with gNMI
Summary
5
Chapter 4: Working with Network Configurations and Definitions
Chapter 4: Working with Network Configurations and Definitions
Technical requirements
Describing the configuration problem
Using network definitions to aid automation
Creating network definitions
Exploring different file types
Summary
6
Part 2: Network Programming for Automation
Part 2: Network Programming for Automation
7
Chapter 5: Dos and Don’ts for Network Programming
Chapter 5: Dos and Don’ts for Network Programming
Coding topics
Applying best practices in coding
Coding formatters
Versioning and concurrent development
Testing your code
Summary
8
Chapter 6: Using Go and Python for Network Programming
Chapter 6: Using Go and Python for Network Programming
Technical requirements
Looking into the language runtime
Using third-party libraries
Accessing network devices using libraries
Summary
9
Chapter 7: Error Handling and Logging
Chapter 7: Error Handling and Logging
Technical requirements
Writing code for error handling
Logging events
Adding logging to your code
Summary
10
Chapter 8: Scaling Your Code
Chapter 8: Scaling Your Code
Technical requirements
Dealing with multitasking, threads, and coroutines
Adding schedulers and job dispatchers
Using microservices and containers
Summary
11
Part 3: Testing, Hands-On, and Going Forward
Part 3: Testing, Hands-On, and Going Forward
12
Chapter 9: Network Code Testing Framework
Chapter 9: Network Code Testing Framework
Technical requirements
Using software for testing
Using device emulation
Connecting devices for testing
Using advanced testing techniques
Summary
13
Chapter 10: Hands-On and Going Forward
Chapter 10: Hands-On and Going Forward
Technical requirements
Using a network lab
Building our network lab
Connecting the devices
Adding automation
Going forward and further study
Summary
14
Index
Index
Why subscribe?
15
Other Books You May Enjoy
Other Books You May Enjoy
Packt is searching for authors like you
Share your thoughts
Download a free PDF copy of this book

Accessing the Network

In the previous chapter, we looked into programmable networks and their history. One of the ideas we explored was Software-Defined Networking (SDN), where we saw why the separation between the data plane and the control plane was important. One important point of SDN was its architecture and how it separates the North Bound Interface (NBI) and South Bound Interface (SBI). In this chapter, we are going to explore how to access the network devices that can be interpreted as the SBI for SDN when OpenFlow is not available on the device.

As we have seen before, OpenFlow is not a widely adopted protocol, and its availability is limited to a few manufacturers and devices. Therefore, if you are planning to use SDN, you may need to use the available native methods to configure the devices.

Network access is not only used for SDN but also for a variety of software, such as network configuration, configuration audit, upgrade tools, and automation, among others. Additionally...

Previous Section
End of Section 1
Next Section