In today’s fast-paced IT environment, network automation has become a critical component for maintaining efficient and reliable network operations. Ansible, a powerful open-source automation tool, has emerged as a leader in this domain, offering a robust framework for automating network configuration management. This article explores the benefits of using Ansible for network automation and provides some practical examples to illustrate its capabilities.

Benefits of Network Automation with Ansible

1. Simplified management: Ansible allows network administrators to manage complex network configurations with simple, human-readable YAML files. This reduces the complexity and potential for errors associated with manual configurations.
2. Consistency and compliance: Automated playbooks ensure that network configurations are consistent across all devices, helping to maintain compliance with organizational policies and standards.
3. Scalability: Ansible’s agentless architecture makes it easy to scale automation efforts across large and diverse network environments without the need for additional software on managed devices.
4. Reduced downtime: By automating routine tasks and configurations, Ansible minimizes the risk of human error, leading to reduced network downtime and improved reliability.

Getting Started with Ansible for Network Automation

To begin automating your network with Ansible, you’ll need to set up an inventory file and create playbooks that define the desired configurations and tasks. Below are some basic examples to get you started.

Example 1: Collecting Facts and Creating Backup Files

This example demonstrates how to collect facts from network devices and create backup files using an Ansible playbook.

Inventory file:

all:
  hosts:
    switch1:
      ansible_host: 192.168.1.1
      ansible_user: admin
      ansible_password: password
      ansible_network_os: ios

Playbook:

- name: Collect facts and create backup
  hosts: all
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - name: Collect facts
      ios_facts:
    
    - name: Create backup
      copy:
        content: "{{ ansible_net_config }}"
        dest: "/backups/{{ inventory_hostname }}.cfg"

Example 2: Configuring VLANs

This example shows how to configure VLANs on a network switch using Ansible.

Inventory file:

all:
  hosts:
    switch1:
      ansible_host: 192.168.1.1
      ansible_user: admin
      ansible_password: password
      ansible_network_os: ios

Playbook:

- name: Configure VLANs
  hosts: all
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - name: Configure VLAN 10
      ios_vlan:
        vlan_id: 10
        name: Marketing
        state: present
    
    - name: Configure VLAN 20
      ios_vlan:
        vlan_id: 20
        name: Sales
        state: present

Advanced Use Cases

Ansible can be extended to handle more advanced network automation tasks, such as:

• Configuration compliance: Regularly checking network configurations against a predefined standard and automatically remediating any deviations.
• Automated testing: Running automated tests to validate network changes before they are applied to production environments.
• Dynamic inventory: Integrating with dynamic inventory sources to automatically discover and manage network devices.

Conclusion

Network automation with Ansible offers a powerful and flexible solution for managing network configurations. By leveraging Ansible’s capabilities, network administrators can achieve greater efficiency, consistency, and reliability in their network operations. Whether you’re just starting with network automation or looking to expand your existing efforts, Ansible provides the tools and framework needed to succeed.