14 Dec 2020
Automation is any process that is self-driven, that reduces and potentially eliminates, the need for human intervention.
Example
{
"ietf-interfaces:interface": {
"name": "GigabitEthernet2",
"description": "Wide Area Network",
"enabled": true,
"ietf-ip:ipv4": {
"address": [
{
"ip": "172.16.0.2",
"netmask": "255.255.255.0"
},
{
"ip": "172.16.0.3",
"netmask": "255.255.255.0"
},
{
"ip": "172.16.0.4",
"netmask": "255.255.255.0"
}
]
}
}
}
Example
ietf-interfaces:interface:
name: GigabitEthernet2
description: Wide Area Network
enabled: true
ietf-ip:ipv4:
address:
- ip: 172.16.0.2
netmask: 255.255.255.0
- ip: 172.16.0.3
netmask: 255.255.255.0
- ip: 172.16.0.4
netmask: 255.255.255.0
Example
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<ietf-interfaces:interface>
<name>GigabitEthernet2</name>
<description>Wide Area Network</description>
<enabled>true</enabled>
<ietf-ip:ipv4>
<address>
<ip>172.16.0.2</ip>
<netmask>255.255.255.0</netmask>
</address>
<address>
<ip>172.16.0.3</ip>
<netmask>255.255.255.0</netmask>
</address>
<address>
<ip>172.16.0.4</ip>
<netmask>255.255.255.0</netmask>
</address>
</ietf-ip:ipv4>
</ietf-interfaces:interface>
https://developer.cisco.com/video/net-prog-basics
An API is software that allows other applications to access its data or services. It is a set of rules describing how one application can interact with another, and the instructions to allow the interaction to occur.
Popular APIs
A web service is available over the internet. There are four types of web service APIs:
RPC is when one system requests that another system executes some code and returns the information.
A framework for creating web APIs built on HTTP/HTTPS
RESTCONF is a REST-like API for managing and configurating network devices using HTTP
How to execute a REST API request?
HTTP client/server request and response methods
REST APIs use Universal Resource Identifier (URI) to identify a server resource.
An API can be considered “RESTful” if it has the following features:
Parts of a URI
Configuring a device using CLI is manual, time consuming and prone to errors
SNMP is excellent for monitoring devices but typically not used for configuration due to security and difficulty of implementation.
Configuration management tools make use of RESTful API requests to automate tasks and can scale across thousands of devices.
Automation is typically associated with a tool automatically performing a specific task.
Orchestration is arranging a set of automated tasks that results in a coordinate process or workflow.
IBN builds on Software-Defined Networking (SDN)
Business objectives for the network are expressed as intent. IBN captures business intent and uses analytics, machine learning, and automation to align the network continuously and dynamically as business needs change.
From the perspective of IBN, the physical and virtual network infrastructure is a fabric.
the overlay is where encapsulation protocols like IP security (IPsec) and Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) occur.
The underlay network is the physical topology that includes all hardware required.
Cisco’s IBN is implemented using Cisco’s DNA
Cisco DNA is a system that is constantly learning, adapting to support the business needs.
The business intent is securely deployed into the network infrastructure (the fabric). Cisco DNA then continuously gathers data from a multitude of sources (devices and applications) to provide a rich context of information. This information can then be analyzed to make sure the network is performing securely at its optimal level and in accordance with business intent and network policies.