Network Automagic

Ivan Pepelnjak joins Steinn and Urs to talk about netlab, why multi-vendor ACLs are a hellscape, and what AI can and cannot do with network configuration.

Ivan is a CCIE Emeritus, the author of more Cisco Press books than most of us have read, the voice behind ipSpace.net, and the creator of netlab — an open source tool that builds and configures virtual labs across roughly twenty platforms. He describes it himself as an "intent based digital twin lifecycle management system", then immediately admits that's a bullshit bingo winner if you have the right card.

The conversation digs into why LLMs write decent Python and bad router configs (vendor CLIs are almost identical but not quite, which is the worst possible training data), the ChatGPT doom loop Ivan hit trying to configure EVPN on Nokia SR OS, and the endless device quirks behind multi-vendor abstraction — Juniper loopbacks, Nokia prefix lengths, and one vendor with roughly 400 keywords you are not allowed to use as a VLAN name.

Plus: why every layer 3 switch is really a bridge in disguise, why ACLs are containable and QoS never will be, what a real CCIE engagement looks like when you have twenty years of customer mistakes and exactly one command to fix them, and Ivan's controversial opinion on conferences.

What we cover

• What netlab actually is, and the five years behind it
• Whether netlab is a crutch for beginners
• Splitting a lab across multiple servers with automatic VXLAN tunnels
• Netlab vs containerlab and Kubernetes-based labs
• Why AI generates good Python and bad router configs
• The ChatGPT doom loop on Nokia SR OS EVPN
• Cloning production into a lab: control plane works, data plane is a lottery
• ACL support in netlab, Cartesian products and resequencing
• AI code review vs AI code — technically correct and five times too long
• Vibe coders, 1982 edition, on a ZX Spectrum
• Leaky abstractions and worst common denominators
• Device quirks: Juniper, Nokia, Cisco, and 400 forbidden VLAN names on EXOS
• Why every layer 3 switch is a bridge with a router attached
• ACLs are containable. QoS is not.
• BGP labs designed like gym machines
• Why CCIE lab scenarios are so insane — and why they're accurate
• The power of saying no, and the customer who said thank you
• Controversial opinion: the hallway track is the only track

Links from the episode

• netlab: netlab.tools
• netlab on GitHub: github.com/ipspace/netlab
• netlab examples: github.com/ipspace/netlab-examples
• Ivan's blog: blog.ipspace.net
• Free BGP labs: bgplabs.net
• Free IS-IS labs: isis.bgplabs.net
• Free VXLAN/EVPN labs: evpn.bgplabs.net
• Batfish: github.com/batfish/batfish
• Aerleon: github.com/aerleon/aerleon

Guest
Ivan Pepelnjak — ipspace.net | netlab.tools

Hosted by Steinn "Steinzi" Bjarnarson and Urs Baumann.

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Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/odcwCByRj6g
Channel: youtube.com/@networkautomagic
Web: networkautomagic.net

#networkautomation #networkautomagic #netlab #ipspace #AI #networkengineering

NA010 - The Future of Platform Engineering with Stuart Clark

Hairdresser to CCIE Automation. Cisco DevNet to AWS to Spotify. Stuart Clark joins Steinn and Urs for a wide-ranging conversation on internal developer portals, AI in production, and what 8 years across DevRel actually taught him about driving revenue instead of vanity metrics.

The conversation digs into Spotify's Backstage and the new Portal SaaS offering, why IDPs become a "voice to chaos" the moment AI agents start checking in code, what really happened to Cisco DevNet after the leadership changes, and Stuart's signature Ford RS Turbo metaphor for organizations bolting on horsepower without ever upgrading their brakes.

Plus: Claude Code knocking 221 broken links to zero in an hour, the AI mania trap and why Stuart signs out of work apps after 6pm, the conference-room reality that 99% of devs use AI but only 2% run it in production, and Stuart's closing hot take on not letting your job define you.

What we cover:

• Stuart's hairdresser-to-CCIE-Automation career arc

• What happened to Cisco DevNet after Susie Wee and Mandy Whaley left

• Working faster, not harder, with AI assistants

• Setting boundaries in the always-on AI era

• DevRel as revenue pipeline, not vanity metrics

• Spotify's Backstage and the Portal SaaS offering

• Why IDPs are a "voice to chaos" once AI agents are committing code

• Skills files, golden paths, and CI/CD

• The 99/2 gap between AI use and AI in production

• The Ford RS Turbo brakes metaphor for platform engineering

• Why a strong fundamentals CCIE still beats chasing every shiny thing

• Why AI companies still ask candidates to write Python by hand

Guest:

Stuart Clark, Senior Developer Advocate at Spotify — linkedin.com/in/stuarteclark

Hosted by Steinn "Steinzi" Bjarnarson and Urs Baumann.

Subscribe and follow:

YouTube: youtube.com/@networkautomagic

Spotify: Network AutoMagic

Apple Podcasts: Network AutoMagic

#networkautomation #networkautomagic #platformengineering #backstage #spotify #devnet #ai #devrel #podcast

Seven network automation engineers. One table. Zero filter. In our first-ever roundtable episode, Steinn and Urs are joined by Marco Martinez (Swisscom), Bart Dorlandt (Dream Networking), John Howard (ProtonMail), Joseph Nicholson (NTT DATA), Mark Prosser (Nokia), William Collins(Itential), and Ryan Shaw for an unfiltered conversation about AI's real impact on network engineering. The panel digs into what AI has actually changed day-to-day, whether the "force multiplier" framing holds up, the danger of vibe coding without validation, AI mandates from management who read one LinkedIn post, knowledge atrophy vs getting dumber, why critical thinking is the meta-skill of the AI era, and whether code quality is a moral virtue or just a pricing tier. Expect sharp disagreements on OSPF vs IS-IS, a 1910 engineering quote that predicted all of this, and Marco's call to action: if AI makes you 30% faster, invest that time in quality — not just more output. What we cover:• AI as a force multiplier — the xkcd ROI chart has been rewritten• The cognitive shift from code generation to code verification• AI mandates and the unhealthy pressure of inflated expectations• Are we getting dumber or just shifting context?• Vibe coding, neural fatigue, and the ownership problem• Code quality as a pricing tier — script vs service• Critical thinking in the age of information overload• The next generation of engineers and how they learn differently Guest LinkedIn profiles:Marco Martinez — linkedin.com/in/marcom4rtinezBart Dorlandt — linkedin.com/in/bartdorlandtJohn Howard — linkedin.com/in/jonnyhowardJoseph Nicholson — linkedin.com/in/joseph-nicholson-b8413533aMark Prosser — linkedin.com/in/mark-prosserWilliam Collins — linkedin.com/in/william-collinsRyan Shaw — linkedin.com/in/ryan-shaw-3a474169 Hosted by Steinn "Steinzi" Bjarnarson and Urs Baumann. Subscribe and follow:YouTube: youtube.com/@networkautomagicSpotify: Network AutoMagicApple Podcasts: Network AutoMagic #networkautomation #networkautomagic #ai #networkengineering #automation #podcast

Steinn and Urs are joined by Calvin Remsburg — network engineer turned AI security specialist at Palo Alto Networks, formerly at Juniper — to break down the MCP vs CLI debate for AI agents, why deterministic tooling is beating probabilistic tool invocation, and what network engineers should be doing right now to stay ahead.

Network Automagic episode 007

Scott Lowe (Cisco/Isovalent, former Pulumi DevRel) joins Steinn and Urs to break down Pulumi — the infrastructure-as-code tool that lets engineers ditch HCL for real programming languages. The conversation covers what makes Pulumi tick, how it bridges Terraform providers, the honest state of the company, and why network automation remains fundamentally harder than cloud or server automation. Scott and Urs dig into the idempotency trap of mixing imperative code with declarative engines, rollback pitfalls, and provider quality across vendors. Scott closes with a controversial opinion: network engineers who stop caring at the server boundary are setting themselves up to get left behind.

Peter Sprygada   

Chief Architect at Itentia Joins Urs and Steinzi to talk about the AI hype train and network automation.

Network Auto Magic Podcast Episode Summary

Juniper Mist SSR Platform and API Automation

Episode Overview

This episode features Steinn & Urs discussing Juniper's Session Smart Router (SSR) platform and Mist automation capabilities with two Juniper guests:

Episode Guests

• Daniel Petrov: Product Manager for HPE Juniper Networking AI-native SD-WAN team
• Thomas Munzer: Platform team member focused on API integrations and automation (And Steinzi’s personal hero)\

Key Technology Highlights

SSR (Session Smart Router) Platform

• Core Technology: Secure Vector Routing (SVR) - eliminates traditional IPsec tunnels
• Key Benefits:
• Sub-second failover capabilities
• No fragmentation issues (maintains 1500 MTU)
• Selective encryption (doesn't double-encrypt already encrypted traffic)
• Tunnel-less overlay architecture
• Fast boot times (under 2 minutes)

New SSR 400 Series

• Features: Built-in switching, PoE support, 5G capability, built-in Wi-Fi, fanless design
• Power Efficiency: Designed for customers deploying 20,000+ devices
• Security: Built-in IDP engine with simple profile selection
• Licensing Change: Eliminated bandwidth-based licensing in favor of three tiers (Standard, Advanced, Premium)

Security Features

• Quantum-resistant encryption (NIST FIPS 203, 204, 205 standards)
• Advanced anti-malware and antivirus protection
• SSL proxy capabilities
• Security assurance analytics (13-month traffic analysis)

API and Automation Ecosystem

API Architecture

• Scale: Over 1,000 API endpoints
• Philosophy: API-first development - UI uses the same public APIs
• Coverage: Everything visible in UI is accessible via API
• Consistency: Same endpoints work for both SRX and SSR platforms despite different underlying OSes

Developer Tools

• Python SDK: Comprehensive software development kit
• Terraform Provider: Recently launched for infrastructure-as-code
• Postman Collections: Pre-built workflows and practical examples
• Open API Specification: 100,000+ lines of documentation
• Chrome Extension: Discovers API calls made by the UI

Integration Features

• Webhooks: Proactive notifications instead of polling
• Audit Logging: Complete change tracking with before/after states
• Template System: Centralized configuration management
• Multi-tenancy: MSP-friendly with UUID-based resource identification

Mist Cloud Platform Benefits

Management Features

• Automatic Patching: Security updates applied automatically
• Marvis AI: Proactive troubleshooting and network optimization
• TDR Testing: Built-in cable testing without connected devices
• Dynamic Packet Capture: Automated network troubleshooting
• Idea Portal: Customer feature request and voting system

Operational Advantages

• Centralized Control: Single pane of glass for access points, switches, and WAN
• Monthly Feature Releases: Continuous platform improvements
• Virtual Lab Support: Can test configurations in virtualized environments
• Instant Power-On: PoE devices get power immediately during boot

Automation Use Cases

• Site Deployment: Template-based rollouts across thousands of locations
• Security Policy Management: Centralized firewall rule automation
• Network Monitoring: Custom dashboards and executive reporting
• Change Management: Configuration versioning and rollback capabilities
• Multi-vendor Integration: Works alongside other Juniper products (Apstra for data center)

Enterprise Adoption

• Scale: Customers deploying hundreds of thousands of sites
• Industries: Banks, retail (largest fast food chain), and enterprise customers
• Gartner Recognition: Top-right quadrant for five consecutive years

Developer Resources

• Apps Lab Portal: Collection of automation scripts and examples
• GitHub Repositories: Python script libraries and tools
• Documentation: Comprehensive API guides and best practices
• Support: Direct access to product teams for troubleshooting

Technical Architecture Notes

• Cloud-Native Design: Configurations pushed from cloud to devices
• Resilient Operations: Network continues functioning during cloud connectivity loss

Network Automagic episode 004 - Autocon3 hallway track

This is a three part episode from Autocon3

Network Automagic EP003 - NUTS with Marco Martinez

https://networkautomagic.net/podcast/na003/

In this episode, we sit down with Marco Martinez, a core maintainer of NUTS (Network Unit Testing System), to explore how this powerful tool is revolutionizing network testing automation.

Marco walks us through the development of NUTS, designed to address comprehensive testing challenges in large networks that go beyond simple configuration checks. Learn how NUTS automatically tests routing tables, BGP neighbors, and more through an elegant system built on the Pi test library with YAML-defined tests.

🔍 Key Topics: • NUTS architecture and development philosophy • The innovative "INPG Stack" for generating test definitions and visualizing results • Integration with Nornir, Napalm, Netbox, and Infrahub • Comparison with tools like pyATS, ONDATRA, and BATFISH • Pre/post change testing strategies and prioritization • Unix systems advantages for network automation

📋 Episode Timeline: 00:00 - Introduction 03:46 - NUTS Overview and Philosophy 12:31 - Technical Components 25:16 - Integration Ecosystem 35:01 - Visualization with INPG Stack 42:31 - Unix Systems Advantage 48:46 - Tool Comparison 55:21 - Future Development 61:11 - Conclusion and Resources

📚 Resources: • NUTS GitHub Repository: https://github.com/network-unit-testing-system/nuts • SwiNOG#39 Presentation: https://youtu.be/ZVl0GnYMUEo • Network Automation Landscape: https://steinzi.com/network-automation-landscape/

🎧 Listen to Network Automagic: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2UubY0s1KCJ4ct9srD2yUW • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/network-automagic/id1796167806 • RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/1012b01b8/podcast/rss

🎵 Featured Music: "Party Weekend" by Joe 'King' Carrasco and the Crowns (1980)

#NetworkAutomation #NUTS #NetworkTesting #NetDevOps #Automation #Python #NetworkEngineering

Subscribe for more network automation content!

🎬 Network Automagic 002 - Infrahub with Damien Garros 

https://networkautomagic.net/podcast/na002/

We sit down and talk about Infrahub from https://www.opsmill.com with Damien, is it a replacement for Netbox?
Let’s hear about the fully flexible schema and what Damien thinks about the future of network automation.

Listen to the show anywhere:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@networkautomagic

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2UubY0s1KCJ4ct9srD2yUW?si=e22f5d886e3c4166

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/is/podcast/network-automagic/id1796167806

🍔 Show notes resources:

Infrahub from OpsMill

https://www.opsmill.com

Infrahub Lab

https://opsmill.instruqt.com/pages/labs

Infrahub live demo

https://demo.infrahub.app

Infrahub on GitHub

https://github.com/opsmill

Infrahub install guide

https://docs.infrahub.app/guides/installation

Netbox Service mappings

https://netboxlabs.com/blog/netbox-service-mappings-tech-preview-design-driven-automation-comes-to-netbox/

Opsmill blog How To Turn Your Source Of Truth Into A Service Factory:

https://www.opsmill.com/how-to-turn-your-source-of-truth-into-a-service-factory/

💽 Featured Music:

"Party Weekend" by Joe 'King' Carrasco and the Crowns (1980)

A slice of vintage Spanish rock that's as rebellious as our approach to network automation

Don't forget to smash that like button if you're tired of fragile automation scripts that break faster than your last New Year's resolution!

#networkautomation  #temporal   #techtalks  #network #ipv4 #automation #python  #golang