Managing Cisco Networks via Infrastructure as Code

By Nick Russo
What if you could manage your IT environment like a code project? After teaching network fundamentals, this course explores the details of Infrastructure as Code. It focuses on model-driven programmability applied to Cisco networking products.
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Course info
Level
Beginner
Updated
Sep 23, 2019
Duration
2h 20m
Table of contents
Course Overview
Course Overview 2m
Mastering Network Fundamentals
Course Introduction 2m The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model and Common Devices 5m Different Types of Encapsulation and Transport Protocols 3m Analysis: A Quick Look at Segments, Packets, and Frames 3m Detour: Planes of Operation 1m How Does Ethernet Switching Work? 2m Understanding Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) 2m Demo: Switching in the Globomantics Network 5m Advancing up the Stack with IP Routing 3m Demo: Routing from Clients to the Data Center 4m Module Review 1m
Deploying Common Network Services
Module Introduction and Globomantics Network Review 2m Configuring Network Hosts Automatically using DHCP 5m Resolving Hostnames using DNS 3m Hiding Internal IP Addressing through NAT 4m Basic Network Management with SNMP 5m Keeping Time Synchronized with NTP 3m Common Network Faults that Impact Applications 4m Module Review 2m
Introducing Infrastructure as Code
What Is Infrastructure as Code (IAC)? 7m Tips and Tools for Getting Started 5m Comparing Agent-based and Agentless Device Management 6m Demo: Basic Web Server Setup with Bash 4m Demo: Basic Web Server Setup with Ansible 6m Digging Deeper into Model Driven Programmability with YANG 2m Demo: Creating a Custom YANG Model for Switch Interfaces 6m Demo: Interacting with YANG Models using Python Object Bindings 5m Module Review 1m
Modernizing Network Management Using NETCONF
Why Can’t I Just Use the Command Line Interface (CLI)? 2m NETCONF as a Transport for YANG-modeled Data 2m Demo: Exploring Openconfig YANG Models for Cisco NX-OS 4m Demo: Collecting Cisco NX-OS Interfaces with NETCONF 7m Demo: Configuring Cisco NX-OS Interfaces with NETCONF 6m Detour: The Cisco NX-API Stepping Stone 1m Module Review 1m
Deploying RESTCONF for Lightweight Network Management
Introducing RESTCONF; A REST API for Network Devices 3m Demo: Exploring Native YANG Models for Cisco IOS-XE 3m Demo: Collecting Cisco IOS-XE DHCP Pools via RESTCONF 3m Demo: Using RESTCONF to Add More Cisco IOS-XE DHCP Pools 3m NETCONF and RESTCONF API Comparison 1m Course Review 1m
Description
Course info
Level
Beginner
Updated
Sep 23, 2019
Duration
2h 20m
Description

Cut through the buzzwords around IT infrastructure automation and orchestration with this course. In this course, Managing Cisco Networks via Infrastructure as Code, you will gain the ability to design, deploy, and manage networks using modern automation techniques. First, you will learn the fundamentals of networking such as IP routing, Ethernet switching, and critical network services (DHCP, DNS, NAT, SNMP, and NTP). Next, you will discover the capabilities of common Infrastructure as Code frameworks such as Cisco pyATS, Puppet, and Ansible. Finally, you will explore network-oriented model-driven programmability by exploring YANG, NETCONF, and RESTCONF. This includes demonstrations hosted on Cisco DevNet sandboxes using Cisco IOS-XE and Cisco Nexus platforms. When you’re finished with this course, you will have the skills and knowledge of a junior network automation engineer needed to successfully automate your production systems.

About the author
Nick Russo
About the author

Nick Russo, CCDE #20160041 and CCIE #42518, is your go-to-guy for all things networking and automation. Nick loves training online and speaking at industry conferences sharing his expertise.

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Section Introduction Transcripts
Section Introduction Transcripts

Course Overview
Hi everyone. My name is Nick Russo, and welcome to my Managing Cisco Networks via Infrastructure as Code course. This course builds on your previous software development and DevOps skills, with a heavy focus on networking. You'll learn how networks operate and how to effectively apply automation by exploring these topics, computer networking fundamentals, deployment and usage of common IP services, model-driven programmability based on YANG, enabling infrastructure as code using NETCONF, Ansible, and more, last, utilizing RESTCONF as a lighter-weight alternative to NETCONF. After completing this course, you'll be able to employ a variety of network automation techniques in any business environment. Before beginning this course, I suggest viewing these two important prerequisite courses. This Getting Started course covers important contextual topics surrounding software design, source control, and the construction of a simple web application. It also covers some Python and Bash basics you'll need to understand for this course. This second course covers two key topics, interacting with a variety of Cisco product APIs and the fundamental techniques used in DevOps. Some of these DevOps concepts are relevant for network automation too. I hope you'll join me on this journey to learn modern network management with this Managing Cisco Networks via Infrastructure as Code course, at Pluralsight.

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