In the world of networking right now there are many discussions about which network automation tools are the best. But one of the most asked questions is Ansible or Python? Ansible is considered to be the tool of choice for most network engineers who are getting started with network programmability. Python is a general purpose […]
Start using Python for Networking today
The networking industry is telling us all that we need to learn Python, we need to do network programming, the CLI is dead. But for most of us nothing has changed and we are thinking what is all the fuss about? The truth is that using Python for Network Engineers is a skill that we […]
How to clean computer screen and keyboard
The best way to clean a dirty computer screen and keyboard is by using a micro fibre cloth, compressed air and a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. According to recent research your computer keyboard is 2,000 times dirtier than your toilet! This does make sense as your toilet is cleaned many times a week with […]
SFP Port – What is it and what is it used for?
What is SFP port? SFP means small form-factor pluggable it is used in network and storage devices and is a hot swappable interface that connects fibre or RJ45 cables between switches and the network. In the picture above you can see two SFP ports one sfp in switch. SFP+ Modules In 2006, SFP+ specification brought speeds up […]
Cisco Devnet Certification Training
In May 2019 Cisco announced the most groundbreaking change to their certification program and that was the introduction of the Devnet certifications. Cisco DevNet certification will follow the same general path as other Cisco certs. The following DevNet options will be available from February 24th 2020 DevNet Associate DevNet Specialist DevNet Professional The rest of […]
What is network automation?
Network automation is the process of making configuration changes to your network devices using software tools and code rather than manually configuring each device one by one. Using tools such as Ansible for Network Automation or Python, network engineers of today are automating repetitive tasks to ensure a more consistent predictable method of making network […]
Cisco Certification Changes – Feb 24th 2020
Cisco announced at Cisco Live US San Diego a massive change to their certification program. All you need to know is here: www.cisco.com/nextlevel Basically from February 24th 2020 this will happen. Page ContentsThe Highlights New CCNP TracksCisco Certified DevNet Associate Cisco Certified DevNet Specialist Cisco Certified DevNet ProfessionalSo what does this all mean? The Highlights […]
How to run a Cisco Nexus 9000v Switch on a Windows 10 laptop with Vagrant and Virtualbox
The Nexus 9000v switch is a free virtual edition of the very popular Nexus 9K switch. It is free to use and will run most of the features of a real Nexus. This post will detail how I run the Cisco Nexus 9000v switch on my Windows 10 laptop using Vagrant and Virtualbox, for an […]
What are the advantages of using Ansible roles?
One of the main features of using Ansible for Network Automation is the use of roles, and there are many advantages of using Ansible roles which I will describe below. When you start to build up a collection of playbooks you will soon discover that there will be duplication and you find yourself writing or […]
Windows Subsystem for Linux
Can you run Linux on Windows? Yes you can, and there are many options open to you, VMWare, VirtualBox which all let you run a virtual machine using your Windows as the host, but using the Windows Subsystem for Linux you can run Linux directly on your Windows 10 computer (well just about!) This WSL […]
Cisco NSO Installation Guide – Ubuntu
Cisco Network Services Orchestrator (NSO) is an orchestration platform for hybrid networks. It decouples network services from specific components, while automatically configuring the network according to service specifications. Cisco NSO Download NSO is free to download for non-production use! To download your trial version of Cisco NSO head over to https://developer.cisco.com/site/nso/ This will download nso-4.7.linux.x86_64.zip You need to […]
Ansible Hosts File
The Ansible Hosts File or Inventory file tells Ansible about the hosts that it can connect to. For Ansible to automate a Linux Server, Network device or Cloud server it has to exist within the inventory (also known as the Ansible hosts file) and saved in either YAML or INI format. The file can also […]
NetYCE – Multi Vendor Network Automation
Page ContentsNetYCEMain benefits of netYCEHow does netYCE work?1. Runtime automation2. Data-driven jobs & configs3. Design modellingFrom netYCE_Go to netYCE_ProNetYCE Installation & DemoDownload NetYCEHow to install NetYCEChange Hostname in NetYCEWhat does NetYCE stand for? NetYCE NetYCE is a network orchestration framework specifically developed for network engineers to build their own network automation solutions in no time […]
What does a Network Automation Engineer do?
As a Network Automation Engineer you will be expected to use devops methodologies and manage your network using software and not just the CLI. You will work towards reducing manual workload through automation and improve processes and tools. The big question I get asked all the time is “What does a Network Automation Engineer actually do?” Network automation engineers are just performing the […]