Incorporate CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices into network automation and orchestration initiatives.
The Leading Edge of Network Automation is Infrastructure as Code
With Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) having transformed the software development process, network teams are now looking to incorporate CI/CD practices into their network automation and orchestration initiatives to gain greater velocity and improve delivery. Network engineers are beginning to leverage repositories, pipelines, and other tools to accelerate development, testing, and implementation of network automations and orchestration flows.
Innovative teams are deploying pipelines across their network domains to streamline their network configuration lifecycle activities. They are using repositories like Git to create config code branches and maintain versions, using CI pipelines to execute automated test activities, and utilizing CD techniques to reduce risk during production deployment of the network code.
Integrating CI/CD + Network Automation for a Common Pipeline
How Itential Is Enabling Infrastructure as Code for Network Automation
NetOps Infrastructure as Code via Itential Automation Workflows
NetOps teams can design, build, and publish automations using the Itential Automation Platform’s low-code and no-code workflow capabilities.
NetDevOps Infrastructure as Code via CI/CD Pipelines with Itential
Developers can incorporate pipeline calls to the Itential Automation Platform to execute automated/orchestrated network changes during testing and deployment phases.
Additionally, Itential assets like workflows, templates, forms, and data transformation can be managed via CI/CD pipelines for code control, versioning, and testing of network automations and orchestrations.
CI/CD Pipelines Orchestrate Network Automation via Itential’s APIs
Leverage CI/CD pipelines to consumes atomic network capabilities and features from the Itential Automation Platform.
Itential NetDevOps Pipeline for Network Infrastructure as Code
At Itential, we’ve been working to overcome these challenges for our customers. To help them embrace Network Infrastructure as Code methodologies, we have built a platform to better enable network engineers to achieve these goals. Our platform aligns with software engineering-oriented functionality like API exposure and ability to integrate with a wide range of CI/CD tools, while staying flexible for network engineers no matter their level of software development and scripting skill. To do that, we are continually evolving our approach towards a NetDevOps Pipeline for Network Infrastructure as Code.
Itential’s NetDevOps Pipeline Capabilities
Build
Use the power of the Itential Platform to automate the generation of the NIaC payloads.
- Dynamically render configurations from a library of expert-built templates. TemplateIDE >
- Combine reusable chunks of configuration to create composite configurations.
- Transform data from one format into another.
- Run optimizers to eliminate redundant or poorly designed config.
- Utilize integrations to submit code changes to repositories and interact with pipeline toolchains.
Test
The Itential Automation Platform can enhance the NIaC pipeline test stage to improve quality, identify problem areas, and automate a wide range of testing scenarios utilizing native Itential functionality along with test functionality provided by tools integrated with IAP.
- Simulate the change before you make it.
- Compare simulation outputs to known desired outcomes.
- Check to see if your change affects any pre-existing functionality.
Validate
Itential provides a range of native capabilities and Pre-Built Automations to perform validation prior to production deployment.
- Check that a configuration is error free before you deploy it to a device. Config Validator >
- Run a security scan to see if you’re running compromised software.
- Compare config changes against gold standard configuration rules to confirm compliance of the change
- Leverage Itential integration capabilities to interact with tools such as Batfish to provide additional levels of validation.
Deploy
Deploy your infrastructure changes to the network.
- Leverage tools like Ansible and Terraform to push changes. Automation Gateway >
- Update operational support systems to stay in sync with your network changes.
- Keep track of your changes by tagging and versioning them when you deploy.
