Book Image

Python Network Programming

By : Abhishek Ratan, Eric Chou, Pradeeban Kathiravelu, Dr. M. O. Faruque Sarker
Book Image

Python Network Programming

By: Abhishek Ratan, Eric Chou, Pradeeban Kathiravelu, Dr. M. O. Faruque Sarker

Overview of this book

This Learning Path highlights major aspects of Python network programming such as writing simple networking clients, creating and deploying SDN and NFV systems, and extending your network with Mininet. You’ll also learn how to automate legacy and the latest network devices. As you progress through the chapters, you’ll use Python for DevOps and open source tools to test, secure, and analyze your network. Toward the end, you'll develop client-side applications, such as web API clients, email clients, SSH, and FTP, using socket programming. By the end of this Learning Path, you will have learned how to analyze a network's security vulnerabilities using advanced network packet capture and analysis techniques. This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products: • Practical Network Automation by Abhishek Ratan • Mastering Python Networking by Eric Chou • Python Network Programming Cookbook, Second Edition by Pradeeban Kathiravelu, Dr. M. O. Faruque Sarker
Table of Contents (30 chapters)
Title Page
Copyright
About Packt
Contributors
Preface
Index

Python Pexpect library


Pexpect is a pure Python module for spawning child applications, controlling them, and responding to expected patterns in their output. Pexpect works like Don Libes' Expect. Pexpct allows your script to spawn a child application and control it as if a human were typing commands. Pexpect, Read the Docs: https://pexpect.readthedocs.io/en/stable/index.html

Let's take a look at the Python Pexpect library. Similar to the original Tcl Expect module by Don Libe, Pexpect launches or spawns another process and watches over it in order to control the interaction. The Expect tool was originally developed to automate interactive processes such as FTP, Telnet, and rlogin, and was later expanded to include network automation. Unlike the original Expect, Pexpect is entirely written in Python, which does not require TCL or C extensions to be compiled. This allows us to use the familiar Python syntax and its rich standard library in our code.

Pexpect installation

Since this is the first...