Python Network Automation Course

Lesson 1 • File and Data Handling

Read and write text files, CSV, and JSON to store and retrieve network data. Directly enables config backup and inventory management tasks.

Lesson 2 • Control Flow and Functions

Write conditionals, loops, and reusable functions to automate repetitive network tasks. Introduces modular code design used in all subsequent scripts.

Lesson 3 • Python Modules and Script Structure

Organise code into modules, import standard library tools, and structure scripts for reuse. Prepares students for building maintainable automation projects.

Lesson 4 • Core Python Data Types

Master strings, integers, lists, tuples, dicts, and sets with network-focused examples. These types underpin every automation script in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Network Protocols Relevant to Automation

Survey SSH, Telnet, SNMP, NETCONF, RESTCONF, and gRPC at a functional level. Establishes protocol context for the connection libraries introduced later.

Lesson 2 • IP Addressing and Subnetting Review

Revisit IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, CIDR notation, and subnet maths using Python's ipaddress module. Provides the addressing foundation for all device-targeting scripts.

Lesson 3 • Device Configuration Concepts

Understand running vs. startup configs, configuration modes, and commit models. Directly informs how automation scripts push and validate changes.

Lesson 1 • Managing Multiple Device Connections

Iterate over device inventories and connect to many hosts in sequence or in parallel. Builds the scalable connection patterns used in fleet-wide automation.

Lesson 2 • Multi-Vendor Access with Netmiko

Leverage Netmiko's device-type abstraction to connect to routers and switches from multiple vendors. Reduces boilerplate and handles prompt detection automatically.

Lesson 3 • SSH Connectivity with Paramiko

Use Paramiko to open SSH sessions, execute commands, and capture output. Introduces low-level connection control before higher-level abstractions.

Lesson 1 • Using NTC-Templates Library

Leverage the community NTC-Templates collection to parse common show commands without writing templates. Accelerates development for standard vendor commands.

Lesson 2 • Regular Expressions for Network Text

Apply Python's re module to extract IPs, interface names, and status fields from CLI output. Regex is the baseline parsing skill before template-based tools.

Lesson 3 • Genie and PyATS Parsing

Use Cisco's Genie library to parse show commands into deeply nested Python objects. Introduces model-driven parsing for complex multi-vendor environments.

Lesson 4 • Data Transformation and Normalization

Clean, filter, and reshape parsed data into normalised structures ready for reporting or decision logic. Bridges raw parsing and actionable automation outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Backup and Restore Workflows

Automate scheduled config backups and restore procedures for disaster recovery. Directly supports operational continuity and audit requirements.

Lesson 2 • Idempotent Configuration Practices

Design scripts that apply config only when needed, avoiding duplicate or conflicting changes. Builds safe automation habits critical for production environments.

Lesson 3 • Sending Configuration Commands

Use Netmiko's send_config_set to push multi-line configs and verify acceptance. Establishes the basic config-push workflow before templating and validation.

Lesson 4 • Jinja2 Configuration Templating

Generate device-specific configs from Jinja2 templates and variable data sources. Enables scalable, consistent config generation across heterogeneous fleets.

Lesson 1 • Automating SDN Controllers via API

Interact with SDN controller REST APIs to manage topology, flows, and policies programmatically. Demonstrates API automation at the controller abstraction layer.

Lesson 2 • NETCONF Automation with ncclient

Use ncclient to open NETCONF sessions, retrieve configs, and edit device state via RPC. Enables model-driven automation on NETCONF-capable devices.

Lesson 3 • RESTCONF with Python

Query and modify YANG-modelled data over RESTCONF using standard HTTP and the requests library. Bridges REST familiarity with model-driven network management.

Lesson 4 • REST API Fundamentals

Understand HTTP methods, status codes, headers, and authentication used in network REST APIs. Provides the conceptual base for all API interaction in this chapter.

Lesson 1 • Parallel Execution and Scaling

Configure concurrent task execution in Nornir and Ansible to reduce runtime on large fleets. Addresses performance requirements for production-scale automation.

Lesson 2 • NAPALM for Multi-Vendor Management

Use NAPALM's unified API to retrieve facts, push configs, and compare state across vendors. Introduces abstraction-layer automation before full framework adoption.

Lesson 3 • Ansible for Network Automation

Write Ansible playbooks using network modules to configure devices without Python scripting. Covers inventory, variables, tasks, and handlers in a network context.

Lesson 4 • Framework Selection and Integration

Evaluate trade-offs between Ansible, Nornir, and NAPALM for different use cases. Guides students in combining frameworks within a single automation pipeline.

Lesson 1 • Change Management and Compliance

Integrate automation workflows with change-control processes and compliance checks. Ensures automated changes meet organisational governance and audit standards.

Lesson 2 • Version Control for Automation Code

Manage automation scripts and configs in Git with branching, pull requests, and tagging. Enables team collaboration and change traceability in production.

Lesson 3 • Testing Automation Scripts

Write unit and integration tests for automation code using pytest and mock libraries. Prevents regressions and validates logic before production deployment.

Lesson 4 • Observability and Alerting

Instrument automation scripts with structured logging, metrics, and alerts for operational visibility. Enables rapid diagnosis of failures in production automation runs.