Python for Network Engineers: Python Network Automation Course

Python Network Automation

Course Starts July 16

Starter Package

Ten core lessons including videos and exercises

Not available

Plus Package

Ten core lessons including videos and exercises
Community Forum
Bonus Lesson on using a REST API

Not available

Premium Package

Ten core lessons including videos and exercises
Community Forum
Bonus Lesson on using a REST API
Bonus Lesson on pytest, tox, and Travis CI

Not available

If you are not happy with the course, there is a 30-day money back guarantee. No questions asked.

Student Testimonials

—Before I took this course I was stumbling through scripting to network devices very slowly, without much confidence, just barely cobbling things together. Since taking the course, I've been able to automate systems more quickly, with much more confidence, and with tools fit well for the job at hand. For any network engineer who knows the basic fundamentals of python and is looking to automate networks, I'd highly recommend this course. I paid out of pocket, and it was worth every penny.

—Phillip, October 2019

Course Syllabus

CLASS1 - Git, Netmiko (Part1)

Why Care about Git?
Git Fundamentals
Git Branches
Git Rebasing
Netmiko Overview
Netmiko Show Operations

CLASS2 - Netmiko (Part2)

Netmiko Handling Prompting
Netmiko Delay Factor
Netmiko and TextFSM
Netmiko Config Operations
Netmiko Secure Copy

CLASS3 - Complex Data Structures, YAML/JSON, CiscoConfParse

Handling Complex Data Structures
Changing Data Structure Format
Serialization Protocols
YAML
JSON
CiscoConfParse

CLASS4 - Libraries and TextFSM

Python Libraries and PIP
sys.path and PYTHONPATH
TextFSM Overview
TextFSM Template Structure
TextFSM Creating an Example Template
TextFSM Filldown

CLASS5 - Jinja2

Jinja2 Variables
Jinja2 Conditionals
Jinja2 Loops
Jinja2 and Lists
Jinja2 and Dictionaries
Jinja2 Filters
Jinja2 Includes

CLASS6 - Arista eAPI

Arista's eAPI Request-Response Structure
Creating Connections using pyeapi
Executing Show Commands using pyeapi
Device Configuration using pyeapi
Using the .api() method in pyeapi

CLASS7 - XML and NX-OS NX-API

XML
NX-OS NX-API using JSON-RPC
NX-OS NX-API using XML

CLASS8 - NETCONF and Juniper PyEZ

NETCONF
Juniper PyEZ

CLASS9 - NAPALM

NAPALM Intro and Getters
NAPALM Configuration Merge
NAPALM Configuration Replace
NAPALM and Configurating Templating

CLASS10 - SSH and Concurrency

Concurrency and Threads
Concurrency and Processes

Bonus Lesson - Using a REST API (Plus and Premium Packages Only)

REST API Introduction
REST API Characteristics
Accesing a REST API from the Browser
REST API using Requests (GET)
Creating and Modifying Objects Using a REST API

Bonus Lesson - pytest, tox, and Travis CI (Premium Package Only)

Python Linting and Black
Using pytest for Unit Tests
tox
Creating a CI/CD Pipeline using Travis CI

*Subject to change (although any changes should be minor).

**NetBox is used for the REST API examples, but the content is fundamentally about REST APIs and not NetBox.

FAQ

What is the format of the course?

The course is a ten week email-course. Each week you will receive a lesson that contains a set of videos, some additional content, and some exercises. I will post solutions to the exercises online. Both the Plus and the Premium Package have a community forum where you can ask questions, post code, and interact with me and with the other students.

Is there a lab environment?

Yes, the lab environment will consist of a set of virtual and physical network devices and at least one AWS-Linux server. I will install a set of libraries in the lab environment; this will enable you to get working quickly. From the lab environment you will be able to use Netmiko, Arista's eAPI, NAPALM, NX-API, and Juniper's PyEZ.

What are the prerequisites for the course?

You should be familiar with the basics of Python. You can be slow at writing Python code, but these ideas should not be new to you.

You also need to be familiar with basic network engineering (routing, switching, SNMP, Cisco CLI configuration).

Finally, since the lab environment will use Linux. You should be at least somewhat familiar with Linux. You should know the basics of how to move around the file system, execute a script, and edit a file.

Why Python?

Python facilitates writing clean, readable code and is natively present on Linux and MacOS. Python has gained widespread support in the networking community both from engineers and from vendors. Python has a large, active community and, consequently, numerous resources are available to you (libraries, documentation, books, tutorials, etc.).

What is the community forum?

The community forum is a web forum where students can interact, post code, ask questions, and make recommendations. Students that purchase either the Plus or the Premium Package will have access to the community forum for the duration of the course.

What if I am unsatisfied with the course after I sign-up?

If you are not satisfied with the course, there is a 30-day money back guarantee (from the start of the course). No questions asked.

Me

Family

Zack

About Me:

My name is Kirk Byers.

In the fall of 2010, I started on a journey to: 1)build a product business, 2)become a programmer, and 3)be a father (probably not the best idea to try all these things at once).

I am into Python, networking, and figuring out how to combine them to automate networking tasks.

I am a CCIE (emeritus) in routing and switching and have extensive Python experience. Since early 2014, I have been teaching Python to Network Engineers. Since that time, several thousand individuals have participated in my free Learning Python course.

In addition to teaching, I also created the Netmiko open-source library and am a major contributor to the NAPALM open-source project.

Yes, yes I get it...you are great and all that, but why should I learn Python from you?

I have spent numerous hours over the last eight years using Python, studying Python, and teaching Python. From this, I have gained a considerable amount of Python experience and knowledge.

I can help you apply Python to network engineering tasks too.