Network management technologies

Description

A comprehensive tour of the available network
management technologies available for todays
networks. The course starts with basic tools such as
syslog along with Python network automation. SNMP is
then covered with the *flow technologies and streaming
telemetry. Configuration management with ansible,
Python, NETCONF and RESTCONF is then studied.
The final part of the course looks at SDN. Hands on
sessions are used throughout to reinforce the theory
rather than teach specific manufacturer equipment.
Note that sections are available as individual courses.

What will you learn

Network management technologies course details

Those wishing to manage networks.
(Previous Python experience is NOT needed)

Intro to data comms

5 days

Basic network management

What is network management? Benefits, issues.
FCAPS model. Fault management, Configuration
management, accounting, performance, security.
What to manage, what not to manage. Managing
network devices, managing servers.

Monitoring networks

Ping..., SSH, syslog, TFTP for configurations.
nmap. Wireshark. CLI. Web based management.
Splunk. Nessus, snort, Kali.
Hands on syslog, network inventories.

Programming and automating networks, netOps.
Python, Git. Python network modules, SSH,
paramiko, netmiko. EVE-NG.

Hands onPython
network modules.

Problems with automation and unstructured data.
XML, JSON, YAML. The role of YANG.
Hands on
Parsing data.

SNMP architecture, SNMP MIBs, SMI, the SNMP
protocol, polling security. Configuring SNMP.
SNMPv1, v2, v3, SNMP security. Which version
should you use? MIBs and MIB structure. mib-2,
extra parts of mib-2, Private enterprise MIBs.
Summary: What SNMP is good/bad at.
Hands on
Configuring agents and a NMS. MIB browsing.

Microsoft, Linux, application polling. WMI vs
SNMP. Hands on: Application polling.

Performance management

Polling, push vs pull, netflow, sflow, IPFIX, *flow.
Flows. Where to monitor traffic. Comparing *flow
with SNMP. Architecture: Generators and
collectors. When flows are exported. NetFlow
reporting products. SolarWinds.
Hands on Netflow
configuration. Collectors.

Model driven telemetry, periodic/on change.
Structured data. Telemetry protocol stack. gRPC
and gNMI. Protobuf. gNMI operations. Telemetry
architecture. Telegraf, databases, Grafana.
Hands on Telemetry example.

Configuration management

Chef, puppet, ansible, saltstack. Ansible
architecture, controlling machines, nodes,
agentless, SSH, modules. Inventories, playbooks,
modules, network modules, jinja2 templates.

Hands on Network configuration with ansible.

What is NETCONF? Protocol stack, Data stores,
traffic flows, validating configurations, rollback.
YANG data models and how YANG is used by
NETCONF. XML. Explorers and other tools.

Hands on anx, Python and NETCONF.

The REST API, HTTP, What is RESTCONF?
Tools including Postman. Comparison with
NETCONF.
Hands on Configuration with
RESTCONF.

SSH issues. Using structured data. Jinja2.
ncclient, requests, NAPALM, Nornir. Automated
testing.
Hands on Python network device
configuration with nornir.

Software Defined Networks and orchestration

What is SDN? benefits. SDN architecture. SDN
applications, SDN switches, SDN controllers,
Network Operating Systems. Control plane, data
plane. Northbound interfaces. SDN components.
Southbound interfaces. OpenFlow. ONF,
OpenFlow ports, Flow tables.

Virtual networks, virtual switches, NfV. Service
chaining. NfV and SDN.

Classic SDN, Hybrid SDN, SDN via APIs, SDN
via overlays. Data centre SDN, VXLAN, Service
Provider SDN, SD WAN, Enterprise SDN, WiFi.

OpenDaylight, OpenVSwitch, Open Networking
Forum, Open Network Operating System.
Hands onOpenStack.

What is SD-WAN? Architecture: Edge, gateway,
orchestrator, controller. Overlay and underlay.
Use of MPLS, 4G/5G. Benefits and features.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE).