book

Network Automation with Nautobot

Name: Network Automation with Nautobot
ISBN: 9781837637867

by Jason Edelman, Bryan Culver, Ken Celenza, Glenn Matthews, Josh VanDeraa, John Anderson, Gary Snider, Christian Adell, Brad Haas

May 2024

Intermediate to advanced

816 pages

18h 34m

English

Packt Publishing

Read now

Unlock full access

Network Automation with Nautobot
ForewordContributorsAbout the authorsAbout the reviewers
Preface
Who this book is forWhat this book coversTo get the most out of this bookDownload the example code filesConventions usedGet in touchShare your thoughtsDownload a free PDF copy of this book
Part 1: Introduction to Source of Truth and Nautobot
Chapter 1: Introduction to Nautobot
Introduction to network automationWhat is network automation?Network automation use casesWhy automate your network?Persona-driven network automationIndustry trendsUnderstanding SoTDefining SoTApproaches to SoTSoT tools and productsNautobot overviewNautobot use casesNetwork SoTNetwork automation platformNautobot ecosystemSummary
Chapter 2: Nautobot Data Models
Nautobot data models overviewData model summaryNetwork device inventory data modelsDevicesDevice componentsDevice typesManufacturerRoles and statusesPlatformVirtual chassisDevice redundancy groupsInterface redundancy groupsRacksLocationsLocation typeTenantsIPAM data modelsNamespacesPrefixesIP addressesRIRsVRFsRoute targetsVLANs and VLAN groupsCircuits data modelsCircuitsCircuit terminationsCircuit typesCircuit providersProvider networksData model extensibilityCustom fieldsComputed fieldsRelationshipsConfig contextsCustom data modelsSummary
Part 2: Getting Started with Nautobot
Chapter 3: Installing and Deploying Nautobot
Nautobot architecture overviewInstalling NautobotGetting Nautobot up and ready on UbuntuInstalling dependenciesInstalling the Nautobot applicationLaunching NautobotNautobot workerNautobot web serviceRunning Nautobot as Linux servicesLoading data into NautobotUsing the graphical user interfaceSummary
Chapter 4: Understanding the User Interface and Bootstrapping Nautobot
Understanding the navigation and UINavigation menuNautobot home page and panelsFooter navigationTable viewsDetailed viewsManaging inventory and bootstrapping your first installationIdentifying your dataOrganizational dataDevice dataSummary
Chapter 5: Configuring Nautobot Core Data Models
IP address management in NautobotIP addressesPrefixesNamespacesVRFsVLANsRIRsConfiguring IP address management in NautobotIPAM configuration for Wayne EnterprisesModeling HA and virtual devicesDevice Redundancy GroupsVirtual chassisKey differences between device redundancy and virtual chassisSetting up a firewall redundancy group for Wayne Enterprises in NautobotInterface Redundancy GroupsCabling and power managementCablesIncorporating power management with cablingPower panelsPower feedsUnderstanding the blast radius through comprehensive dataSecrets managementWhy use secrets?Core conceptsSecrets versus Secrets Groups in NautobotSecurity considerationsAccessing secrets in codeNautobot Secrets Providers app (plugin) overviewUsing Notes, Tags, Changelog, and Filter formsNotesTagsChange logFilter formsBest practices for inventory managementSummary
Chapter 6: Using Nautobot’s Extensibility Features
StatusesManaging statusesApplying a statusUse cases for statusesBest practices for statusesTagsManaging tagsApplying a tagUse cases for tagsBest practices for tagsCustom fieldsManaging custom fieldsDiving into custom field attributesValidation rulesCustom field choicesApplying a custom fieldUse cases for custom fieldsBest practices for custom fieldsComputed fieldsManaging and applying computed fieldsComputed field template contextUse cases for computed fieldsBest practices for computed fieldsCustom linksManaging and applying custom linksUse cases for custom linksBest practices for custom linksExport templatesDefault export templatesUse cases for export templatesManaging and applying export templatesBest practices for export templatesConfig contextsExploring the config context hierarchyManaging and applying config contextsUse cases for config contextsConfig context schemasGit as a data sourceManaging and applying Git data sourcesUse cases for data sourcesBest practices for data sourcesRelationshipsUse cases for relationshipsManaging and applying relationshipsCreating a relationshipDynamic groupsUse cases for dynamic groupsManaging and applying dynamic groupsBest practices for dynamic groupsSummary

Chapter 7: Managing and Administering Nautobot
Administration with the Admin UIUser, group, and permissions managementGroupsUsersPermissions enforcementExploring Nautobot’s settingsUnderstanding setting precedenceSetting banner and support messagesAdding your company’s logos and brandingCustomizing paginationPreferred primary IP versionHandling logsCustomizing sanitizer patternsCommon settingsAdvanced settingsSetting up and using NAPALM integrationExploring nautobot-server CLI commandsCreating a superuser accountExporting and importing dataCleaning up old scheduled jobsRetracing corrupted/missing cable pathsGetting helpExploring the Nautobot ShellWorking with objectsMonitoring Nautobot metricsUpgrading NautobotTroubleshooting NautobotPerforming a health checkTroubleshooting the configurationDebugging NautobotSummary
Part 3: Network Automation with Nautobot
Chapter 8: Learning about Nautobot APIs – REST, GraphQL, and Webhooks
Technical requirements Nautobot REST APIsNautobot’s interactive API documentationUnderstanding Nautobot APIsAPI authenticationUsing the API with PythonAPI tipspynautobotGraphQL with NautobotGraphQL primerGraphiQLGraphQL queries with PythonGraphQL versus RESTWebhooksExploring webhooksExample – using a Webhook to trigger an Ansible AWX playbookSummary
Chapter 9: Understanding Nautobot Integrations for NetDevOps Pipelines
Technical requirements Exploring pynautobotInstalling pynautobotGetting startedRetrieving objectsUpdating an objectDeleting an objectCreating an objectWorking with Nautobot AppsUsing GraphQL with pynautobotUsing pynautobot to get the next available IP addressExploring the Nautobot Ansible CollectionInstalling the collectionReading data with AnsibleAnsible write operationsExploring Ansible inventory sourcesUsing Nornir NautobotInstalling Nornir NautobotExploring Nautobot Docker containersExploring the Nautobot Go libraryIntroducing the Nautobot Terraform providerSummary
Chapter 10: Embracing Infrastructure as Code with Nautobot, Git, and Ansible
Technical requirements Setting up the environmentNetwork topologyLinux hostAnsibleNautobotThe book’s Git repoAdding data to Nautobot with AnsibleSetting up a dynamic inventoryBacking up network devicesPerforming a config replace with Nautobot, NAPALM, and Ansible on Arista and Juniper devicesPerforming config changes with Nautobot and Ansible for Cisco IOS devicesPerforming config changes with Nautobot and Ansible for Cisco NX-OS devicesManaging data with config contexts and using GitNautobot jobs versus Ansible playbooksSummary
Chapter 11: Automating Networks with Nautobot Jobs
Technical requirements Nautobot Jobs overviewIntroduction to the Django ORMLearning about the Nautobot Shell and ORMReading dataAdding and updating dataDeleting dataAdding Jobs to NautobotSynchronizing Jobs into Nautobot from a Git repositoryDistributing Jobs as part of a Nautobot appMounting or placing Jobs directly in JOBS_ROOTCreating your first Nautobot Job“Hello World” Nautobot JobBreaking down and building a Nautobot JobAdding dynamic dropdowns to your jobUsing Jobs to populate data in NautobotConverting Python scripts into Nautobot JobsDiving into even more Job featuresJob buttonsJob HooksJob schedulingJob approvalsThe Jobs APIJob permissionsSummary
Chapter 12: Data-Driven Network Automation Architecture
Data-driven network automation architectureEvolution of managed networksManually managed networksPower tool automated networksLegacy and domain network management managed networksInfrastructure as Code (IaC) automated networksNautobot automated networksSoT with NautobotIntegrations and extensibilitySoT life cycleNautobot enablers for SoTAutomation and orchestrationUnderstanding workflowsNautobot enablers for automation and orchestrationAPIs – REST, GraphQL, and WebhooksModern network monitoring – telemetry and observabilityData enrichmentData normalizationData collectionClosed loop network automationUser interactionsSummary
Part 4: Nautobot Apps
Chapter 13: Learning about the Nautobot App Ecosystem
Nautobot Apps overviewWhy Nautobot Apps?FlexibilityAccess to SoT dataAccelerated developmentReduced tool sprawlNautobot Apps ecosystemGolden ConfigNornirDevice Onboarding appDevice Lifecycle Management (DLM)Data Validation EngineSingle Source of Truth (SSoT)Network data modelsDesign Builder appCircuit Maintenance appSecrets Providers appFloor Plan appChatOpsWelcome Wizard appWhat’s possible with Nautobot Apps?Creating data modelsCreating APIsCreating UI elements to enhance the user experienceDistributing jobsCreating network automation solutionsNautobot Apps administrationInstalling Nautobot AppsUninstalling Nautobot AppsSummary
Chapter 14: Intro to Nautobot App Development
Setting up your system for Nautobot App developmentInstalling DockerInstalling Python 3, Pip, Cookiecutter, and PoetryStarting a Nautobot App with CookiecutterExploring the App structureExploring pyproject.tomlPost-Cookiecutter tasks and PoetryIntroducing InvokeBuilding the Docker imageDefining credentialsRunning NautobotExploring the Nautobot Developer APIConfiguring a Nautobot AppExtending the existing Nautobot UIExtending core functionalityAdding entirely new functionalitySummary
Chapter 15: Building Nautobot Data Models
A real-world use case for custom AppsData model designGathering representative data and requirementsConsidering composability, reusability, and deduplication of dataConsidering built-in Nautobot extensibility featuresWhen the data model suggests you should build an AppBuilding an App around existing data modelsData model based on extensibility featuresAdding an ACL overview to the Device detail viewAdding ACL details as a Device tabAdding a new Devices/ACLs viewImplementing the data tableAdding ACL details as a REST API endpointReviewBuilding an App with custom data modelsDesigning the ACL data modelsImplementing the ACL data modelsImplementing the REST APIImplementing the UIExercises or next stepsSummary
Chapter 16: Automating with Nautobot Apps
A real-world use case for network automation in a Nautobot appDesign requirementsBuilding an App for network automationRendering IP ACL config using Jinja2Writing a job to push config to a device using NetmikoPreparing the device and related data in NautobotRunning the jobAdding a job button to enable one-click configurationNext steps on your journeySummary
Appendix 1: Nautobot Architecture
Nautobot components and servicesDatabase: PostgreSQL or MySQLIn-memory data store: RedisIn-Memory Data Store High-Availability: Redis SentinelJob execution: Celery Worker(s)Job queues: Celery task queuesJob scheduler: Celery BeatWeb server: uWSGI
Appendix 2: Integrating Distributed Data Sources of Truth with Nautobot
Understanding distributed data sourcesChallenges of distributed dataBenefits of aggregating dataApproaches to distributed data managementExploring the Nautobot SSoT frameworkGetting started with the Nautobot SSoT frameworkExisting SSoT integrationsBuilding your own SSoT integrationDefining the data model mappingsCreating a data sync jobUsing the custom SSoT job
Appendix 3: Performing Config Compliance and Remediation with Nautobot
Why Golden ConfigGolden Config designGolden Config use casesPerforming Config backupsGenerating intended configurationsPerforming config complianceAutomating config remediation and deploymentsBest practices and tips
Index
Why subscribe?
Other Books You May EnjoyPackt is searching for authors like youShare your thoughtsDownload a free PDF copy of this book

Overview

Navigate the world of network automation with 'Network Automation with Nautobot'. This comprehensive guide introduces you to Nautobot as a network source of truth that forms the basis for modern and scalable network automation. Learn how to deploy, extend, and utilize Nautobot's powerful features to automate and optimize your networking workflows.

What this Book will help me do

Understand the role of a network source of truth and how Nautobot embodies this concept.
Master the deployment and integration of Nautobot within network automation stacks.
Develop skills to program and customize Nautobot functionalities, including custom data models and APIs.
Learn to utilize Nautobot's app ecosystem and extensibility for tailored network management solutions.
Attain the ability to perform configuration compliance and automated remediation using Nautobot.

Author(s)

Jason Edelman, Glenn Matthews, and their co-authors bring together a wealth of experience in network engineering and automation. With backgrounds in creating scalable networking solutions and deploying innovative networking tools, they have crafted this book to address the needs of modern network engineers. Their commitment is to provide clear, actionable knowledge for network automation enthusiasts.

Who is it for?

This book is perfect for network engineers, network automation engineers, and software professionals involved in support for networking initiatives. If you are familiar with networking fundamentals, Linux, Python scripting, and data formats like YAML and JSON, this book will equip you to master Nautobot and integrate it into your network management practices. It is designed for those ready to advance their understanding and application of networking automation.

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.

Julian F.

Head of Cybersecurity

I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.

Addison B.

Field Engineer

I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.

Amir M.

Data Platform Tech Lead

I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.

Mark W.

Embedded Software Engineer

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781837637867

Cloud Computing

Data Engineering

Data Science

AI & ML

Programming Languages

Software Architecture

IT/Ops

Security

Design

Business

Soft Skills