Consumable bits of Automation to get you started | Minimizing the knobs - Claudia de Luna
A network change is almost always the same. Generate the configuration payload. Check to confirm the network state is as expected. In a perfect world we would test the change in a test environment but more often than we care to admit, this get dropped. Document, communicate, and schedule the change. Push the change. Execute QA and validation tests. Document and communicate the completion of the change. Every network change has at least some or all of these steps. It is a workflow of activities and tools and techniques can be brought to bear at every step. Its time to start choreographing this dance we do every day. It may look daunting but let’s look at what it takes to automate each of these steps with the minimum set of information required to get the job done. In this way we can see what might be easier to automate in your environment and what might be more difficult. If you have hiked up a really steep hill, you know success doesn't come from looking at the top. Sometimes you can't even see the top. Success comes from completing the next few steps, and then the next few. Let’s identify those next few steps.