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Brownfield Network Automation

 

Brownfield Automation

 

 

 

 

Brownfield Network Automation

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses constantly seek ways to enhance productivity, streamline operations, and stay ahead of the competition. Network automation has emerged as a powerful solution to achieve these goals, allowing organizations to automate manual tasks, optimize network performance, and boost overall efficiency. While greenfield network automation is widely discussed, this blog post sheds light on another vital aspect: Brownfield Network Automation. Let’s explore how this transformative approach can unlock the untapped potential of existing networks.

Brownfield Network Automation refers to automating an existing network infrastructure that has already been deployed and is fully operational. Unlike greenfield automation, which involves building a network from scratch, brownfield automation focuses on optimizing and modernizing existing networks. It allows businesses to leverage their current investments while reaping the benefits of automation.

Highlights: Brownfield Network Automation

  • The Traditional CLI

Software companies that build automation for network components have an assumption that traditional management platforms don’t apply to what is considered to be the modern network. Networks are complex and contain many moving parts and ways to be configured. So, what does it mean to automate the modern network when considering brownfield network automation? Innovation in this area has been lacking for so long until now with ansible automation.

If you have multi-vendor equipment and can’t connect to all those devices, breaking into the automation space is complex, and the command line interface (CLI) will live a long life. This has been a natural barrier to entry for innovation in the automation domain.

  • Automation with Ansible

But now we have the Ansible architecture using Ansible variables, NETCONF, and many other standard modeling structures that allow automation vendors to communicate to all types of networks, such as brownfield networks, greenfield, multi-vendor, etc. These data modeling tools and techniques enable an agnostic programmable viewpoint into the network.

The network elements still need to move to a NETCONF-type infrastructure, but we see all major vendors, such as Cisco, moving in this direction. Moving off the CLI and building programmable interfaces is a massive move for network programmability and open networking.

 

For pre-information, visit the following.

  1. Network Configuration Automation
  2. CASB Tools
  3. Blockchain-Based Applications

 

Back to basics with Brownfield Network Automation

Network devices have massive static and transient data buried inside, and using open-source tools or building your own gets you access to this data. Examples of this type of data include active entries in the BGP table, OSPF adjacencies, active neighbors, interface statistics, specific counters and resets, and even counters from application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) themselves on newer platforms. So how do we get the best of this data, and the role of automation can help you here?

  • A key point: Ansible Tower

To operationalize your environment and drive automation to production, you need to have everything centrally managed and better role-based access. This is where you could use Ansible Tower, which has several Ansible features such as scheduling, job templates, and a project that help you safely enable automation in the enterprise at scale.

 

 

Ansible Red Hat

Challenges of Brownfield Automation:

Implementing network automation in a brownfield environment poses unique challenges. Legacy systems, diverse hardware, and complex configurations often hinder the seamless integration of automation tools. Additionally, inadequate documentation and a lack of standardized processes can make it challenging to streamline the automation process. However, with careful planning and a systematic approach, these challenges can be overcome, leading to significant improvements in network efficiency.

Benefits of Brownfield Network Automation:

1. Enhanced Efficiency: Brownfield Network Automation enables organizations to automate repetitive manual tasks, reducing the risk of human errors and increasing operational efficiency. Network engineers can focus on more strategic initiatives by eliminating the need for manual configuration changes.

2. Improved Agility: Automating an existing network allows businesses to respond quickly to changing requirements. With automation, network changes can be made swiftly, enabling organizations to adapt to evolving business needs and market demands.

3. Cost Savings: By automating existing networks, organizations can optimize resource utilization, reduce downtime, and improve troubleshooting capabilities. This leads to substantial cost savings regarding operational expenses and increased return on investment.

4. Seamless Integration: Brownfield Network Automation allows for integrating new technologies and services with existing network infrastructure. Businesses can seamlessly introduce new applications, services, and security measures by leveraging automation tools without disrupting existing operations.

5. Enhanced Network Security: Automation enables consistent enforcement of security policies, ensuring compliance and reducing the risk of human error. Organizations can strengthen their network defenses and safeguard critical data by automating security configurations.

Best Practices for Brownfield Network Automation:

1. Comprehensive Network Assessment: Conduct a thorough assessment of the existing network infrastructure, identifying areas that can benefit from automation and potential obstacles.

2. Standardization and Documentation: Establish standardized processes and documentation to ensure consistency across the network. This helps in streamlining the automation process and simplifying troubleshooting.

3. Gradual Implementation: Adopt a phased approach to brownfield automation, starting with low-risk tasks and gradually expanding to more critical areas. This minimizes disruption and allows for easy troubleshooting.

4. Collaboration and Training: Foster collaboration between network engineers and automation specialists. Training the network team on automation tools and techniques is crucial to ensure successful implementation and ongoing maintenance.

5. Continuous Monitoring and Optimization: Regularly monitor and fine-tune automated processes to optimize network performance. This includes identifying and addressing any bottlenecks or issues

 

Brownfield Network Automation; DevOps Tools

Generally, you have to use DevOps tools, orchestrators, and controllers to do the jobs you have always done yourself. However, customers are struggling with the adoption of these tools. How do I do the jobs I used to do on the network with these new tools? That’s basically what some software companies are focused on. From a technical perspective, some vendors don’t talk to network elements directly.

This is because you could have over 15 tools touching the network, and part of the problem is that everyone is talking to the network with their CLI. As a result, inventory is out of date, network errors are common, and CMD is entirely off, so the ability to automate is restricted based on all these prebuilt silo legacy applications. For automation to work, a limited number of elements should be talking to the network. With the advent of controllers and orchestrators, we will see a market transition.

 

DevOps vs. Traditional

If you look back, when we went from time-division multiplexing (TDM) to Internet Protocol (IP) address, the belief is that network automation will eventually have the same impact. The ability to go from non-programmability to programmability will represent the most significant shift we will see in the networking domain.

Occasionally, architects design something complicated when it can be done in a less complicated manner with a more straightforward handover. The architectural approach is never modeled or in a database. The design process is uncontrolled, yet the network is an essential centerpiece.

There is a significant use case for automating and controlling the design process. Automation is an actual use case that needs to be filled, and there are various ways vendors have approached this. It’s not a fuzzy buzzword coming out of silicon valley. Intent-based networking? I’m falling victim to this myself, too, sometimes. Is intent-based networking a new concept?

 

OpenDaylight (ODL)

I spoke to one vendor building intent-based API on top of OpenDaylight (ODL). There has been an intent-based interface for five years, so it’s not a new concept to some. There are some core requirements for this to work. You have to be federated, programmable, and modeled.

Some have hijacked intent-based to a very restricted definition, and an intent-based network has to consist of highly complex mathematical algorithms. Depending on who you talk to, these mathematical algorithms are potentially secondary for intent-based networking.

OpenDaylight (ODL)

Diagram: OpenDaylight (ODL): Network Automation.

 

One example of an architectural automation design is connecting to the northbound interface like Ansible. These act as the trustworthy source for the components underneath their management. You can then federate the application programming interface (API) and speak NETCONF, JSON, and YAML types. This information is then federated into a centralized platform that can provide a single set of APIs into the IT infrastructure.

So if you are using ServiceNow, you can request a through a catalog task. That task will then be patched down into the different subsystems that tie together that service management or device configuration. It’s a combination of API federation data modeling and performing automation.

The number one competitor of these automation companies are users that still want to use the CLI or vendors offering an adapter into a system, yet these are built on the foundation of CLIs. These adapters can call a representational state transfer (REST) interface but can’t federate it.

This will eventually end up breaking. You need to make an API call to the subsystem in real-time. As networking becomes increasingly dynamic and programmable, federated API is a suitable automation solution.

Brownfield Automation

 

 

Conclusion:

Brownfield Network Automation offers a powerful opportunity for organizations to unlock the full potential of existing network infrastructure. By embracing automation, businesses can enhance operational efficiency, improve agility, and achieve cost savings. While challenges may exist, implementing best practices and taking a systematic approach can pave the way for a successful brownfield automation journey. Embrace the power of automation and revolutionize your network for a brighter future.