Ansible for Network Engineers: Hands-On & Capstone Projects

100% Hands-On : Master Ansible from Basics to Advanced for Network Engineers with 100+ Videos and Capstone Projects

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What you'll learn

Master Ansible Basics and Advanced Concepts: Configure and automate network devices with Ansible playbooks, modules, and templates tailored for network engineer
Integrate Ansible with ServiceNow: Use ServiceNow modules with Ansible to create seamless end-to-end automation workflows for ITSM integration.
Automate Cisco Devices with Ansible: Manage network tasks like configuration backup, IOS upgrades, and username updates using powerful Ansible modules.
Build Practical Skills with Capstone Projects: Complete projects like VLAN automation and IOS upgrades to tackle real-world networking challenges.
Leverage Ansible Automation Platform: Set up workflows, manage dynamic inventories, and schedule jobs using Ansible Automation Platform..
Optimize Ansible for Scalability: Use roles, collections, tags, and advanced strategies to streamline and optimize automation workflows.

Description

Unlock the power of network automation with Ansible! Designed specifically for network engineers, this comprehensive course takes you from beginner to advanced levels, emphasizing real-world, hands-on labs to build practical expertise.

What makes this course unique?

ServiceNow Integration: Learn to integrate Ansible with ServiceNow to orchestrate end-to-end automation workflows seamlessly.

Four Capstone Projects: Tackle real-world scenarios and build projects that prepare you for industry challenges.

100+ Videos: Dive deep into a wealth of content covering concepts, labs, and advanced topics.

This course is perfect for those who want to:

Network engineers aiming to master Ansible for device configuration and management.

Professionals looking to implement end-to-end automation with ServiceNow.

Learners preparing for the DevNet Expert certification journey.

What you'll get:

Step-by-step creation and management of Ansible playbooks for network devices.

Real-world applications with a variety of network equipment.

Advanced features like Ansible Collections, Roles, Templates, Automation Platform, Custom Modules, and integrations with ServiceNow and Slack.

Join the growing community of network professionals leveraging automation to simplify and optimize their workflows. Start your journey towards becoming a DevNet Expert today!

Course Outline:

Course Introduction

Introduction

Introduction to Ansible for Network Engineers

Why use Ansible for Network Automation

Comparing Ansible with Puppet, Chef, and SaltStack: Key Differences

Ansible Architecture & Concepts

Ansible Control Node Installation and Setup

Lab Setup for Network Automation

Ansible Basics: Configuration, Inventory, and Playbooks

Ansible Configuration

Ansible Ad-Hoc command and Inventory Basics

YAML 101

Inventory in YAML format

Ansible Playbook

Mastering Variables in Ansible

Understanding Variables in Ansible

Valid Variable Names

group_vars and host_vars

ansible_facts

Magic Variables

include_vars

set_fact

[ Capstone Project 1] - Configuration Backup

Capstone Project 1 - Configuration Backup - Overview

Capstone Project 1 - Configuration Backup - Solution

Using Conditionals

loop and with_items

Registering variables with a loop

loop_control

until

Using when

Managing Cisco IOS Devices with Ansible

ios_facts module

ios_command - Part 1

ios_command - Part 2 - prompt

ios_config - Introduction

ios_config - parents

ios_config - after

ios_config - before and match

ios_config - backup and backup-options

ios_config - diff_against and diff_ignore_lines

ios_config - save_when

ios_config - src

Resource Module - hostname

Resource Module - interfaces

Resource Module - l2_interfaces and l3_interfaces

RegEx and Parsers

RegEx in Ansible

cli_parse and TextFSM, NTC-templates, and pyATS

[ Capstone Project 2] - Automated Local Username Update and Cleanup

Capstone Project 2 - Automated Local Username Update and Cleanup - Overview

Capstone Project 2 - Automated Local Username Update and Cleanup - Solution 1

Capstone Project 2 - Automated Local Username Update and Cleanup - Solution 2

Filters Plugins and Jinja2

Filters - Introduction

Filters combine

Filters ternary

Filters map

Filters to_json and to_nice_json

Filters to_yaml and to_nice_yaml

Filters zip

Filters ip_addr

Filters to_datetime and strftime

Jinja2 Introduction

Jinja2 - if else

Jinja2 - for loop

Jinja2 - include

Jinja2 - ios_config

Deep Dive into Lookup and Callback Plugins

Lookup Plugins Overview

Lookup Plugin - File

Lookup Plugin - env

Lookup Plugin - pipe

Lookup Plugin - template

Callback Plugin - stdout

Callback Plugin - aggregate

Callback Plugin - notification - log_plays and email

Callback Plugin - notification - slack integration

Managing Task Execution with Blocks, Assert, and Handlers

Block

Assert

Handlers

Reusable Automation with Collections, Roles, Includes and Imports

Collections

Roles

Include and Import

Ansible Best Practices and Optimizations

Strategies in Ansible

Forks and Serial in Ansible

Using tags

Using check_mode

Delegation

no_log and log_path

ignore_errors

failed_when and changed_when

Ansible Lint

ansible_vault

[ Capstone Project 3] - Automated IOS Upgrade

Capstone Project 3 - Automated IOS Upgrade - Overview

Capstone Project 3 - Automated IOS Upgrade - Solution

Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) and AWX Essentials

Ansible Automation Platform Overview and Installation

Setting up AAP to manage hosts

Users, Teams and Roles in AAP

Job Template Surveys

Scheduling Jobs

Notifications in AAP

Creating Dynamic Inventory in AAP

Using Workflow in AAP

Advanced Ansible: Custom Inventory Plugins and Modules

Custom Inventory Plugin

Custom Module

ServiceNow Integration with Ansible

ServiceNow Overview and snow_record Module

ServiceNow snow_record update using Jinja2 and HTML

ServiceNow ITSM Incident Module

ServiceNow ITSM Change Module

[ Capstone Project 4] - Automated VLAN Configuration using ServiceNow Workflow and AAP

Capstone Project 4 - Automated VLAN Configuration using ServiceNow Workflow and AAP - Overview

Capstone Project 4 - Automated VLAN Configuration using ServiceNow Workflow and AAP - Solution

Who this course is for:

Network Engineers: Professionals looking to automate network device management and workflows using Ansible.
IT and Automation Enthusiasts: Anyone eager to learn network automation concepts and apply them in real-world scenarios.
DevNet Certification Aspirants: Learners preparing for the DevNet Expert certification and seeking hands-on experience with Ansible.
Beginner to Intermediate Learners: Individuals with basic networking knowledge (no programming required) who want to build expertise in network automation.