Ansible for Network Engineers: Quick Start GNS3 & Ansible

Demonstrate downloading, installing, and configuring GNS3 2.1 on a Windows 10 PC, detailing the GUI and VM components, and requirements for operating systems for Cisco, Arista, and Juniper devices.

Download and install the GNS3 2.1 GUI on Windows, meet minimum requirements, and learn about core components, open source software, and optional tools like Wireshark and Winpcap.

Learn practical troubleshooting steps for GNS3 2.1 on Windows 10, including when to disable firewall and antivirus, reboot, and consult the GNS3 community for solutions.

Install and launch GNS3, build a basic topology with two Vpcs devices and an ethernet switch, configure simple IP addresses, verify connectivity with pings, then save and reopen the project.

Explore building a basic Cisco network in GNS3 using Cisco iOS images with Dynamips on a local server, and learn where to obtain images—prefer Cisco VIRL for stability and legality.

Learn to install and configure Cisco IOS images in GNS3 2.1 using Dynamips, including importing images via S3, setting ram and idle PC value, building two-router OSPF network, and saving configurations.

Discover how to install and run Cisco viral images in GNS3, use the GNS3 VM for Windows/macOS, and choose qemu-based images over IOU for robust switching and routing topologies.

Install and integrate the GNS3 VM with VMware Workstation, warn against version 14, downgrade to version 12, import the GNS3 VM, and enable nested virtualization for operation.

Learn how to run dynamips routers on the GNS3 VM, upload and configure iOS devices, and build multi-device topologies with VIRL integration to test routing and connectivity.

Configure ssh access on a Cisco router, create a local user, enable vty with login local, verify ssh works, then install and inspect ansible and its ansible.cfg.

Create a custom ansible.cfg and local hosts inventory, disable host key checking, and set an ssh timeout of five seconds to enable Ansible list hosts all.

Retrieve ARP cache across network devices using an Ansible playbook in YAML, run against all hosts, store and print output, and filter results with grep and regular expressions.

Create an Ansible cli playbook in yaml format, start with three dashes, name a play to manage a single host on local server using a local connection, and skip facts.

Apply configurations with multiple plays in an Ansible playbook, targeting all devices for OSPF while reserving switch-specific VLAN changes for switch hosts; verify with show commands and the running config.

Import a GNS3 portable project, boot it, configure static IPs on switches and a DHCP appliance, and verify connectivity by pinging devices and name resolution via DNS or hosts file.

Iterate the Ansible playbook to configure multiple tasks, including global switch settings and an IPv6 neighbor discovery policy, with campus design guidelines and debug outputs showing changes.

Shows using an Ansible playbook to configure switch interfaces with data and voice VLANs across multiple switches via a loop, as per the Cisco wired campus design guide.

Explore automation with DevOps tools and distinguish agent lists versus agent based DevOps tools, compare push and pull methodologies, and review DevOps tools including Ansible and Puppet.

Automate network management from a single station using templates and variables to push consistent configs across switches, enabling rapid deployment, versionable backups, and testing with Cumulus VCs.

Leverage cumulus automation to programmatically configure ethernet interfaces, layer 2 information, ip addressing, motd, quagga conf file, and time services, enabling multi-switch changes and hardware-based routing decisions.

Compare agentless and agent-based network automation. Explain push-based configurations over SSH and how agents on switches like Puppet differ.

Compare popular automation tools, focusing on Ansible's agentless push model, playbooks, and modules, with notes on Cfengine, Chef, Puppet, and Saltstack, plus their app stores and configurations.

Explore an Ansible automation example on an Ubuntu VM, comparing pip and apt install, using ad hoc shell commands with -k and -e to retrieve switch release and BGP data.

Automate ssh key provisioning in the ZTP script by fetching the authorized_keys file with wget, setting ownership, and placing it in the home cumulus/.ssh directory for passwordless switch access.

Configure Ansible defaults to get started by setting inventory to a dedicated hosts file, enabling the library for cumulus Linux modules, and disabling host key checking in a lab.

Explore the Ansible hosts file, define a group like leaf with DNS or IP entries, and run playbooks or ad hoc commands against nested leaf groups.

Compare ad hoc commands and playbooks in Ansible for network tasks, highlighting inventory configuration, module usage (command module), and remotely gathering net show system output from a switch.

Explore three levels of Ansible complexity: ad hoc commands, single-file playbooks, and multi-folder task structures, using yaml syntax, jinja2 templates, and a playbook targeting Leaf One with variables.

Run a simple ansible playbook using the playbook file, gather switch facts with the setup module, render the networking config to /etc/network/interfaces, restart networking, and review the recap.

Use multiple files to configure dynamic routing between switches with OSPF using Ansible. Structure the playbook with roles, tasks, variables in a template file, and handlers in a separate file.

Explore how Ansible uses a directory structure to locate templates and files automatically. Scale playbooks by organizing tasks into roles with common files, templates, and variables.

Use the tree to reveal the Ansible project with a common and OSPF numbered role, including Quagga templates, interfaces, and variables for per-device OSPF and DNS tasks.

Explore the order of playbook execution in Ansible for network engineers, starting with the common role, executing its tasks, rendering templates with variables, and pushing configurations to the switch.

Ansible playbook demonstrates a top level playbook running common and OSPF numbered roles on leaf switches as root, with a shared handlers file to restart networking, quagga, and LDAP.

Run an ansible playbook to gather facts from leaf one and leaf two, then license the switch and configure OSPF in the etc/network/interfaces file, with a color-coded recap of results.

Access reference materials and download all course examples from extensible.com and the Cumulus Networks CL Bootcamp on GitHub to get started with Ansible, Puppet, and Chef.

Demonstrates using Ansible to automate OSPF configuration and IP addressing on two leaf switches running Cumulus Linux, including loopbacks, a bonded interface, and bridges, then removing OSPF via Quagga.

Install and configure Ansible on a Linux system, install Cumulus Linux modules from Ansible Galaxy, and implement zero touch provisioning via a web server and DHCP settings for switches.

Clone a GitHub directory and inspect the Ansible playbook that configures leaf switches with bonds, bridges, VLANs, and SVI, then verify OSPF neighbors via ad hoc ping across two switches.

Learn to install Ansible for network devices, using the network automation appliance or a local Ubuntu setup. Explore supported systems, prerequisites, and how SSH-based, agentless management works.

Download, import, and configure the network automation appliance from the Gns3 marketplace to run pre-installed Python 2.7, Ansible, Net Meco, Napalm, Pi, and NTC.