Lesson 1SNMP deep dive: versions v1/v2c/v3, MIBs, OIDs, walk/get/bulk, traps and informsGo deep into SNMP for watching and small control. Compare SNMP versions, understand MIBs and OIDs, use walk, get, and bulk operations, and set up traps and informs in a safe way.
SNMP v1, v2c, and v3 security differencesMIB structure, OID naming, and browsingUsing get, get-next, walk, and bulkgetConfiguring traps and informs on devicesScaling SNMP polling and rate controlLesson 2Infrastructure automation tools: Ansible networking modules, module vs. connection plugins, idempotence and playbook patternsUnderstand how tools for automating infrastructure handle network devices. You will use Ansible modules for networking and connection plugins, apply patterns that don't change things twice, and build playbooks for safe, big-scale changes.
Network inventory and host variable designNetwork-specific connection plugins overviewIdempotent configuration patterns in playbooksValidating changes with check and diff modesError handling and rollback strategiesLesson 3Choosing protocols for mixed-vendor environments: trade-offs (read-only vs config), security, performance, vendor supportLearn to pick management protocols in networks from different makers. Compare ways to read only or change configs, security ways, how it affects speed, and support from makers to make strong, easy-to-keep automation plans.
Read-only vs configuration change workflowsSecurity models and credential handlingLatency, throughput, and scaling considerationsVendor feature coverage and roadmap riskOperational standardization across vendorsLesson 4SSH fundamentals for network devices: key-based auth, session management, command execution, terminal settingsLook at basic SSH as used by network devices. Learn key-based login, how sessions work, ways to run commands, terminal setups, and ways to make security strong for automatic access.
Key generation, storage, and rotationSSH ciphers, MACs, and protocol versionsInteractive shells vs exec channelsTerminal length, paging, and promptsJump hosts, bastions, and proxy commandsLesson 5REST APIs on network gear: common vendor endpoints, authentication (token, basic, OAuth), JSON/XML payloadsLearn how REST APIs show up on network devices. You will look at common points, login ways, JSON or XML data formats, versions, and patterns for safe, no-duplicate changes.
Resource modeling for interfaces and VLANsToken, basic, and OAuth authenticationJSON request and response payload designError handling and HTTP status mappingAPI versioning and backward compatibilityLesson 6gNMI and streaming telemetry: subscription models, protobuf/JSON encodings, push vs pollGo into gNMI and streaming telemetry for new watching. Learn subscription ways, protobuf and JSON codes, push against poll choices, and how to mix telemetry into watching lines.
gNMI service model and RPC operationsOn-change, sample, and once subscriptionsProtobuf message schemas and toolingJSON encoding and translation to metricsScaling collectors and buffering strategiesLesson 7Network automation libraries: Netmiko, Paramiko, Napalm, PyATS/Genie — capabilities, drivers, limitationsLook at Python libraries for network automation and their choices. Compare Netmiko, Paramiko, Napalm, and PyATS or Genie on what they can do, drivers, simple ideas, testing help, and work limits.
Paramiko SSH primitives and channelsNetmiko device drivers and send_commandNapalm getters and configuration mergePyATS and Genie parsing and testingLibrary selection and interoperabilityLesson 8Debugging and testing connections: connectivity checks, timeouts, retries, logging best practicesLook at real ways to check and fix network connections. You will plan connectivity tests, adjust timeouts and retries, set up logs, and make repeatable test flows for automatic and hand work.
Designing health and connectivity checksTimeout tuning and retry backoff strategiesStructured logging and correlation IDsCapturing and analyzing protocol tracesBuilding repeatable connection test playbooksLesson 9NETCONF and YANG: RPC model, capabilities, data modeling with YANG, XML/JSON encodingsStudy NETCONF and YANG as main standards for network programming. You will learn the RPC way, talking about capabilities, YANG data modeling, and XML or JSON codes for config and state handling.
NETCONF sessions, locks, and RPC workflowCapability discovery and server feature setsYANG modules, trees, and data typesXML and JSON encodings for YANG dataModel-driven configuration workflowsLesson 10Vendor-specific programmatic interfaces: Cisco IOS-XE/IOS-XR/JunOS RESTCONF, Arista eAPI, Fortinet/Checkpoint APIsLook at APIs from specific makers that add to standard ones. Compare Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Fortinet, and Check Point things, focusing on login, data models, speed limits, and mixing patterns.
Cisco IOS-XE and IOS-XR RESTCONF usageJunOS REST APIs and JSON data modelsArista eAPI transport and command formatsFortinet and Check Point firewall APIsHandling rate limits and vendor quirks
