Network Automation - How Does It Work? - October 10th, 2024

In today’s rapidly evolving world of network management, network automation has become an essential strategy. It helps in making operations smoother, increasing efficiency, and improving the ability to handle network infrastructure better.

Network automation means using software tools, scripts, and technology to automatically manage, configure, monitor, and troubleshoot network devices and services. Read here to explore network automation in detail, its types, working, benefits, and much more.

Table of Contents

Network Automation – Key Takeaways

Network automation automates repetitive tasks, making processes faster and minimizing human errors, which leads to a smoother and more reliable network.
Network automation can be implemented using different methods like script-driven, software-based, or intent-based approaches, and network automation tools like Ansible, Chef, and Puppet are commonly used for simplifying these tasks.
Successful network automation requires overcoming challenges such as device incompatibility and complex tools.

What Is Network Automation?

Network automation is a process of using software to handle tasks like configuring, managing, and testing network devices without human involvement. It helps companies and service providers work more efficiently, reduce mistakes, and cut down costs.

These tools can perform simple tasks, like creating a map of network devices, or handle more advanced jobs, such as managing network settings and setting up virtual networks.

Automation is also important for technologies like software-defined networking (SDN) and network virtualization. It allows the automatic setup of virtual networks and functions, like virtual load balancing, making the entire network management process faster and easier.

How Does Network Automation Work?

Network automation works like software programming because it uses similar logic and rules to automate different tasks. It often involves simple “if X, then Y” statements to create instructions that control the network.

Network administrators can either use built-in tools within the networking platform or write their own automation scripts using the software. These scripts help manage various network components efficiently.

Modern Software-Defined Networking (SDN) platforms have a central control system and come with ready-made automation tasks that can be customized. Alternatively, network teams can use external tools to create scripts and run them through the command-line interface (CLI) or application programming interface (API).

Network Automation Examples

Here are some common network automation examples used in production environments:

Predicting bandwidth needs for internet and WAN (Wide Area Network) links.
Keeping track of network devices and monitoring their status.
Checking service-level agreements (SLAs) and sending alerts when needed.
Automatically creating backups of network configurations.
Making configuration changes to multiple networks and cloud environments at once.
Turning on or off access ports based on employees joining or leaving the company.

These tasks help ensure the network runs smoothly and efficiently.

Types Of Network Automation

Network automation can be applied to any type of network, such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), data centers, cloud networks, and wireless networks. In simple terms, any network resource that can be managed through a Command Line Interface (CLI) or an API can be automated. The types of network automation are:

Script-driven Network Automation: This type uses scripts and programming languages to perform specific tasks. It works best for tasks with clear triggers and procedures. Traditional languages like Perl and Tcl are still used due to their familiarity. However, newer programming languages like Ansible, Python, and Ruby are becoming more popular because they are easier to use and more flexible. Other languages used for this purpose include Bash and Go.
Software-based Network Automation: Also known as intelligent network automation, this type uses software platforms with administrative dashboards. It removes the need to write scripts manually. These platforms often provide templates that allow users to create and run tasks based on easy-to-understand policies.
Intent-based Network Automation: This is the most advanced type of network automation. It uses technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to understand user and business needs. Based on this understanding, it adjusts network policies automatically. For example, if the performance of a business-critical application drops below a set level, the network will try to fix the issue on its own to restore performance.

Network automation offers several benefits

Increased Efficiency: Automating network tasks means that humans no longer have to do repetitive and time-consuming work. This helps speed up processes and makes the network work more smoothly.
Reduced Human Errors: Manual work can lead to mistakes that cause network issues or outages. Automating tasks minimizes the chances of errors since the setup needs to be done correctly only once. If there’s an issue, network engineers can easily roll back changes and fix them quickly.
Lower Operational Costs: Automation reduces the need for manual efforts like network management or device setup. For example, automated provisioning can save time by remotely setting up network connections, so engineers don’t have to visit every office, making the business operate faster and at a lower cost.

Network Automation Tools And Languages

There are many ways for network teams to automate their networks, using different tools, platforms, and protocols.

The Command-Line Interface (CLI) is the oldest and most common method. It is free, customizable, and has been used for years. However, it needs a strong understanding of CLI commands and may not work well in large, spread-out networks.

Open-source tools like Ansible, Chef, and Puppet provide ready-to-use commands and workflows that can be repeated easily. These tools simplify the automation process.

There are also commercial tools available for network automation. Many network hardware companies offer software-based automation tools, often through specialized APIs. Lately, many vendors are making these APIs more open, so different third-party tools can work together, even in networks with products from multiple vendors.

Network Automation Challenges

For some IT teams, automation can be a big challenge. Here are a few reasons why:

Device Incompatibility: Many older network devices use special systems and can’t connect to APIs. This limits the automation tools that can be used and reduces how well automation works.
Complex Tools: Some automation tools can be complicated, especially when they include AI and machine learning features.
Distributed Networks: In hybrid and multi-cloud setups, certain automation tools may not work well, which can slow down efficiency and growth.

The biggest hurdle, however, is the cultural change needed for successful automation of network. Many administrators find automation scary because it reduces their control over the network. While automation can reduce human mistakes, it can also lead to serious outages if not set up correctly. For automation to succeed, everyone involved must understand it and support its use.

Network Automation Best Practices

Implementing automation in production networks requires careful planning. It is important to have the right policies, tools, and mindset before starting the automation process. Here are some best practices for integrating automation:

Take Inventory of Network Devices: Make a complete list of all devices in the network.
Find Automatable Processes: Look for tasks that can be automated.
Research Automation Tools: Explore which tools work best for your specific network setup.
Start Simple: Begin with basic automation tasks, and gradually add more complex processes as you gain experience.

By following these steps, you can set up automation effectively and smoothly.

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Network Automation FAQs

Why is network automation important?

Network automation is important because it increases operational efficiency, reduces human error, and speeds up network changes. It allows IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than repetitive tasks.

What are the benefits of network automation?

Benefits of network automation include improved efficiency, faster deployment of network changes, enhanced security, better resource management, and the ability to quickly scale networks as needed.

What types of tasks can be automated in a network?

Tasks that can be automated include device configuration, software updates, monitoring network performance, troubleshooting issues, and managing network security policies.

What tools are commonly used for network automation?

Common tools for network automation include Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Cisco DNA Center, and OpenDaylight. These tools help manage network devices and streamline automation processes.