Ansible for Network Engineers. CSR,Fortigate, SW, Checkpoint

Navigate the control machine after installing ansible, inspect and adjust ansible.cfg to modify default parameters such as the command timeout to 30 seconds, and learn where to write your code.

Configure the host file by setting the target host's IP address or business name, define username, password, and other variables, and organize hosts with groups and IP address ranges.

Learn how to extend the Ansible host file by creating aliases such as CSR, assign IP addresses (internal and public), and specify usernames, while noting secure password storage options.

Learn how to run your first Ansible ad hoc command on localhost, configure host information in the inventory, and perform uptime checks on Cisco devices.

Learn how to structure Ansible playbooks and roles, define rules and tasks, create folders and a main document, and run playbooks against target devices with proper YAML formatting.

Learn to read the first playbook's output in Ansible, understand hosts, hostname, and IP address details, interpret changes vs no changes, and see how conditions shape task execution and reporting.

Explore what an Ansible module is and how it provides scripts that simplify playbooks and enable device access via credentials, usable with Ansible playbooks or API.

Explore the ios_command module in depth, showing how to execute multiple commands with a list, verify outputs, and manage interactive prompts in an ansible lab for network devices.

Use the ios_command module to automate ios upgrade or downgrade by sequencing copy, verification, and conditional command execution with wait-for keyword logic and timeouts.

Learn how to use the IOS_CONFIG module to apply global configuration changes on devices, create an ansible role with galaxy, and verify and apply changes only when needed.

Explore the ios config module to manage global configuration and interface loopback settings, including ip address, shutdown, descriptions, and nested policy and class map configurations.

Learn how to save configurations with Ansible for network devices, choosing between never, always, modified, and changed states, and ensure running versus startup configurations reflect your changes.

Back up Cisco IOS device configurations with Ansible, using the same command to create a backup folder and save the device configuration, with automation via a cron-like job noted.

Configure BGP using Ansible by preparing a staged playbook with parent and child tasks, validating neighbor settings, and applying changes safely to network devices to avoid duplicates.

Use per-device variables in Ansible to tailor configuration changes across devices. Define host_vars and group_vars in YAML, specify unique hostnames and IPs, and apply changes via a playbook.

Explore the Ansible cli_command module for network devices, learn to run scripts with variables, execute multiple commands, and manage different connection types and prompt sequences.

Learn to build an ansible script that prompts for user input, uses variables for username and password, and applies them on devices to create users and enable general-purpose automation.

Master complex match statements in Ansible by leveraging regular expressions, escaping special characters, and using not and digit patterns to accurately match numbers and strings.

Run the first time wizard for R80.40 firewall on AWS, configuring a single machine as security manager and gateway, and download and install the smart console.

Learn to automate checkpoint gateway configurations with Ansible by managing sessions, using an authentication method to avoid repeatedly entering username and password, and exploring Ansible Galaxy options.

Add a host to the firewall gateway by creating an object with a name and IP address, and update the inventory for multiple locations; verify with management commands.

Learn how to prepare the Ansible control machine for Fortigate management by installing required components, including pip, enabling seamless firewall configuration.