Network automation is the process of using software to automate the configuration, management, testing, deployment, and operation of physical and virtual network equipment. Network service availability improves when daily network operations and functions are automated, and repetitive processes are regulated and handled efficiently.
Some of the benefits of network automation are:
• It increases efficiency, reduces human error and lowers operating expense by eliminating manual tasks and streamlining workflows.
• It enhances network service availability and the overall user experience by minimizing downtime, improving performance and ensuring compliance.
• It enables faster and more agile application development and deployment by integrating with cloud-native technologies and DevOps practices.
• It provides global visibility and troubleshooting of network and security policies across data center and cloud environments.
There are different types of network automation depending on the level of intelligence, abstraction and integration involved. Some of the common types are:
• Script-based automation: This type of automation uses scripts or commands to perform specific tasks on network devices. Scripts can be invoked directly or through a programming language, such as Python, Java or Go. Scripts are useful for simple and repetitive tasks, but they can be prone to errors, inconsistencies and scalability issues.
• Platform-based automation: This type of automation uses a software platform or tool that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) or a command-line interface (CLI) to automate network functions. Platform-based automation can support more complex and diverse tasks than script-based automation, but it may require vendor-specific or proprietary solutions that limit interoperability and flexibility.
• Intelligent automation: This type of automation uses machine learning and big data to analyze network behavior, performance and requirements, and to optimize network configuration and management accordingly. Intelligent automation can adapt to changing network conditions and business goals, and provide recommendations or solutions for network issues. One example of intelligent automation is intent-based networking (IBN), which uses a high-level, centralized view of the entire network to determine how a network should function to meet business intent.
Some of the examples of network automation are:
• Network mapping: This is the process of discovering and visualizing the topology, devices, connections and dependencies of a network. Network mapping can help with network planning, design, troubleshooting and documentation. Network mapping can be automated with tools that use protocols such as SNMP, LLDP or CDP to collect information from network devices.
• Network configuration management: This is the process of maintaining consistent and accurate settings across network devices. Network configuration management can help with network security, compliance, performance and reliability. Network configuration management can be automated with tools that use protocols such as SSH, Telnet or NETCONF to push or pull configuration files from network devices.
• Network provisioning: This is the process of allocating and activating network resources for applications or services. Network provisioning can help with network scalability, agility and availability. Network provisioning can be automated with tools that use APIs or orchestration platforms to create, modify or delete virtual network resources such as VLANs, subnets, firewalls or load balancers.
• Network testing: This is the process of verifying the functionality, performance and security of a network. Network testing can help with network quality assurance, optimization and troubleshooting. Network testing can be automated with tools that use protocols such as ICMP, TCP or UDP to generate traffic, measure latency, throughput or packet loss, or detect vulnerabilities or anomalies in a network.