This document discusses how Ansible, an open-source automation tool, can be used with Cumulus Linux to simplify network configuration and management. Ansible allows for automated configuration of network devices running Cumulus Linux through templates and playbooks. Together, Ansible and Cumulus Linux provide benefits like unified automation of both compute and network infrastructure, rapid provisioning, and easy configuration management. Examples of network automation scenarios using Ansible and Cumulus Linux are also provided.

1. v
Simplifying the Network with Ansible
&
Cumulus® Linux®
Sep 3rd 2014

2. Introduction
Michael DeHaan
CTO, Ansible Inc.
Meena Sankaran
Ecosystem & Solutions
Cumulus Networks

3. The Ansible Project
§ Open Source IT Automation Tool
§ Top 5 Project on GitHub last year for numbers of contributors
(now ~840)
§ 7500+ stars, 2200 Forks, Millions of Downloads

4. Example Ansible Users

5. Why Ansible ?
§ Automation language approaches English
§ Order-based, well suited for both imperative and declarative
operations
§ Designed from Day 1 for Multi-Tier Operation
§ Agentless: No Extra Software Install Required
§ Uses Native SSH, which you already have

6. Example of Playbook Language
Example of Playbook Language

7. Ansible, Inc.
§ Company behind Ansible
§ Produces Ansible-Tower, a GUI and Central Server automation solution for
Ansible, also offers support/services

8. A nsible Tower
ansible.com/tower
Optional Central Console Logging,
RBAC, Compliance
Scheduling Push Button Automation

9. Benefits of Ansible + Cumulus Linux
§ Cumulus exposes IT automation as native Linux
§ Ansible can treat Cumulus Linux powered hardware as just another computer
§ Config files are extremely simple to template and deploy
§ A single point of management for both compute and networking infrastructures
§ Powerful support for role-based and team-based access to management

10. Unifying The Automation Stack
§ Cloud/Virt Provisioning (ex: OpenStack)
§ Base OS configuration
§ Application Deployment
§ Application Lifecycle
§ Network Device Configuration

11. What is Cumulus® Linux®?
Best of Networking and Linux come together
A multi-platform operating system for networking
hardware that makes building, managing and
automating massive-capacity next-generation
datacenter networks simple.
§ IPv4/IPv6 routing and bridging at line rate
§ Network Operating System and App Ecosystem
§ Cumulus® Linux® is Linux®

12. ®
Choice of Apps - Rich Open Ecosystem
Routing NW Automation Monitoring NW Virtualization Orchestration Other
Cumulus® Linux®
Open Networking Hardware
Empowered Natively
by Linux Tools
v
No vendor lock-in

13. The Modern Datacenter with Cumulus® Linux® and Ansible
Problems trying to be solved:
§ Rapid network provisioning
§ Automation of Routine Tasks
§ Next-Gen Ideas to make Networks Smarter
Lets talk some scenarios where this makes sense for switches……
Host running Ansible
(could be a Cumulus Linux
on a Bare Metal Switch, or
VM, etc)
OOBM

14. The Modern Datacenter with Cumulus® Linux® and Ansible
OOBM
Scenario 1: Rapid Network Provisioning

15. The Modern Datacenter with Cumulus® Linux® and Ansible
OOBM
eBGP tcp multipath
AS65001
Scenario 1: Rapid Network Provisioning
AS65002
AS65003
AS65004
AS65005
AS65006
AS65007
AS65008 AS65009 AS65010 AS65011

16. Ansible Snapshot -1
PLAY RECAP
***************************************************************host0
: ok=6 changed=5 unreachable=0 failed=0
leaf0 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
leaf1 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
leaf2 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
leaf3 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier1spine0 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier1spine1 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier1spine2 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier1spine3 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier2spine0 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier2spine1 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier2spine2 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier2spine3 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0

17. The Modern Datacenter with Cumulus® Linux® and Ansible
OOBM
Scenario 2: Hot Swapping The Whole Switch

18. Ansible Snapshot - 2
PLAY RECAP ********************************************************************
host0 : ok=4 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
leaf0 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
leaf1 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
leaf2 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
leaf3 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier1spine0 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier1spine1 : ok=10 changed=9 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier1spine2 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier1spine3 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier2spine0 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier2spine1 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier2spine2 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0
tier2spine3 : ok=7 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0

19. The Modern Datacenter with Cumulus® Linux® and Ansible
OOBM
Scenario 3: Configuration Management

20. Ansible Snapshot - 3
TASK: [demo| configure /etc/network/interfaces] ************************
ok: [tier1spine0]
ok: [tier1spine2]
ok: [tier2spine0]
ok: [tier1spine3]
changed: [tier1spine1]
ok: [tier2spine1]
ok: [tier2spine3]
ok: [tier2spine2]

21. The Modern Datacenter with Cumulus® Linux® and Ansible
OOBM
Leaf3 Leaf7
Scenario 4: Gracefully Change the Network
y
Spine2

22. Scenario 4: Gracefully Change the Network
The Ansible Playbook:
• configure Spine2 with higher metric (OSPF cost or
prepend AS for BGP) to make it less desirable
• check routes on Leaf3 to make sure Spine2 is no
longer being used
• Update network admin to let him know Spine2 is ready
for decommissioning

23. The Modern Datacenter with Cumulus® Linux® and Ansible
OOBM
Spine2 (B)
Leaf3 Leaf7
Scenario 4: Gracefully Change the Network

24. Next Steps
§ Resources available at
http://cumulusnetworks.com/solutions/networking-automation/
§ Cumulus Workbench
§ GitHub – Sample Configuration
§ Demo Videos
§ Blog Posts
§ Knowledge Base Articles
§ User-Guides
§ Customer Support available through the sales field teams at Ansible
and Cumulus Networks

25. Demo Topology – 2 Leaf , 2 Spine

27. Bringing the Linux Revolution to Networking
§ Thank You!
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