We’ve talked about network automation plenty on Packet Pushers. Many of those conversations have been about little things, like writing a script to do a specific task. But is that really network automation?

Our guest today is Ken Celenza, and he’s here to argue that scripting repeatable tasks is just the beginning of the automation journey. Ken, who is Director of Automation at NetworkToCode, works with customers to build and integrate with automation frameworks that address the entirety of their network automation needs.

Ken and the Packet Pushers have a wide-ranging conversation about automation, including automation principles, data models and schemas, testing code, and more.

While much of today’s discussion revolves around open source software, this is simply a means to convey a message, and by no means not prescribing any specific solution as the best way forward. If a commercial product fits your needs and your budget, go for it.

Sponsor: ThousandEyes

ThousandEyes gives you performance visibility from every user to every app over any network, both internal and external, so you can smoothly migrate to the cloud, transform your WAN, troubleshoot faster and deliver exceptional user experiences. Sign up for a free account at thousandeyes.com/packetpushers and choose a free ThousandEyes t-shirt.

Sponsor: Cumulus Networks

Cumulus Networks presents Networking with S.O.U.L – Simple, Open, Untethered Linux. These 4 tenants enable modern, agile networks be built to support the new demands of the business. Save an average of 45% on CapEx and approximately 74% on OpenEx by adopting these SOULful networking solutions. Learn how to leverage the top 5 automation tips and tricks in your network — head to http://cumulusnetworks.com/ppautomation to download our automation white paper.

Show Links:

Source of Truth – Himawan Nugroho

Device Configurations Are Not A Good Source Of Truth – IP Space

Data Models – IP Space

Continuous Testing For Networks – Matt Oswalt on Packet Pushers Ignition

Model-driven Programmability: The Rise of Network Automation – Cisco Blogs

OpenConfig: Standardized Models For Networking – Packet Pushers

Using Vendor & Platform Neutral Data Models with Ansible – GitHub

NetworkToCode – Slack

Ken Celenza on Twitter

Ken on LinkedIn

Ken on GitHub