Duration 3 Days – 21 hrs.
Overview
The Network Automation with Python Basics Training Course is a hands-on, beginner-friendly program designed for network engineers, system administrators, IT infrastructure professionals, and technical support personnel who want to automate repetitive networking tasks using Python. The course introduces Python programming fundamentals with a strong emphasis on practical network automation applications.
Participants will learn how to write Python scripts, interact with network devices, automate configuration and verification tasks, collect operational data, parse network outputs, and work with popular network automation libraries. The training also introduces API-based network management, SSH automation, and best practices for developing maintainable automation scripts applicable to enterprise networking environments.
By the end of the course, participants will have the foundational knowledge and practical skills needed to begin implementing Python-based network automation within their organizations.
Objectives
- Understand the fundamentals of network automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) concepts.
- Learn Python programming fundamentals required for network automation.
- Create reusable Python scripts for common networking tasks.
- Automate SSH connections to network devices.
- Collect and process device configuration and operational information.
- Parse command outputs using Python.
- Read and write configuration files.
- Work with REST APIs for network management.
- Use popular Python libraries for network automation.
- Apply automation best practices for enterprise network environments.
Target Audience
- Network Engineers
- Network Administrators
- System Administrators
- Infrastructure Engineers
- Network Operations Center (NOC) Engineers
- IT Support Engineers
- DevOps Engineers working with networking
- Cloud Infrastructure Engineers
- Technical Consultants
- IT Professionals transitioning into Network Automation
Prerequisites
- Basic understanding of computer networking
- Familiarity with TCP/IP fundamentals
- Basic knowledge of routers, switches, and network devices
- Experience using the command line (Windows or Linux)
- No prior Python programming experience required
Course Outline
Day 1 – Python Programming Fundamentals for Network Engineers
Module 1: Introduction to Network Automation
- Why Network Automation
- Traditional vs Automated Network Operations
- Automation Benefits
- Common Network Automation Use Cases
- Automation Tools Overview
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Concepts
Module 2: Python Fundamentals
- Installing Python
- Python Development Environment
- Variables
- Data Types
- Strings
- Numbers
- Boolean Values
- User Input
- Comments
- Basic Operators
Module 3: Python Programming Essentials
- Conditional Statements
- Loops
- Functions
- Error Handling
- Modules
- Packages
- Virtual Environments
Module 4: Working with Files
- Reading Text Files
- Writing Files
- CSV Files
- JSON Files
- YAML Basics
- Configuration Files
Hands-on Laboratory
- Python exercises
- Building simple automation scripts
- Reading device inventory files
Day 2 – Network Automation using Python
Module 5: Networking with Python
- Python Socket Basics
- IP Address Handling
- DNS Lookup
- Ping Automation
- Network Reachability Testing
Module 6: Automating SSH Connections
- Introduction to SSH Automation
- Using Paramiko
- Executing Remote Commands
- Reading Device Output
- Saving Results
- Exception Handling
Module 7: Network Device Automation
- Introduction to Netmiko
- Connecting to Cisco Devices
- Running Show Commands
- Configuration Automation
- Backing Up Configurations
- Multi-device Automation
Module 8: Parsing Network Output
- String Manipulation
- Regular Expressions
- TextFSM Overview
- Structured Output
- Creating Reports
Hands-on Laboratory
- Automating configuration backups
- Gathering interface status
- Inventory collection
- Network health checks
Day 3 – API-Based Automation and Best Practices
Module 9: REST APIs for Network Engineers
- API Fundamentals
- HTTP Methods
- JSON Requests and Responses
- Authentication
- API Testing
- Python Requests Library
Module 10: Introduction to Modern Network Automation
- RESTCONF Overview
- NETCONF Overview
- API-Based Network Management
- Controller-Based Automation
- SDN Concepts
- Cloud Network Automation Overview
Module 11: Building Practical Automation Projects
- Device Inventory Automation
- Configuration Compliance Checking
- Interface Monitoring
- Log Collection
- Automated Reporting
- Scheduled Automation Tasks
Module 12: Best Practices
- Writing Maintainable Scripts
- Code Organization
- Logging
- Error Handling
- Security Considerations
- Version Control Introduction (Git)
- Future Learning Roadmap
Final Hands-on Project
Participants will develop a complete network automation project that includes:
- Reading a device inventory
- Connecting to multiple devices
- Executing operational commands
- Collecting device information
- Parsing outputs
- Generating an automated network report
- Exporting results to CSV or JSON
