Don't spend your time doing work a well-trained monkey could do | From automate the boring stuff with python book Automation is not a replacement for our workforce; it presents an opportunity to embrace agility in a constantly evolving digital society. Considering network engineers' numerous tedious tasks each week, automation becomes a crucial ingredient for success. Beyond the hype and rankings, Python has emerged as the de facto language for automation. Its elegant syntax and versatility have led to the creation of amazing tools. What is Cisco PyATS pyATS, which stands for Python Automated Test System, was developed by Cisco Systems to automate testing and validate networks. It is often called a "Swiss Army knife" due to its ability to perform a wide range of tasks beyond conventional expectations. In addition to automated testing, pyATS supports network configuration testing and updates,... Language: Python, it is oriented for DevOps and NetDevOps


Typical usage: Network configuration tests, anomaly detection, connectivity validation…


Objective: Automating network tests and validation by providing a modular and extensible environment.
Main modules


PyATS: the main framework for automated tests.


Genie: Collection of automation libraries for configuring, analyzing, and verifying network data. PyATS is a big ecosystem of innovations where we can do amazing and it goes beyond Cisco environments! How to install pyATS quickly on Windows Subsystem for Linux ( Ubuntu 24.04 LTS) The best way to install pyATS is to create a Python virtual environment and this is the quickest way to do it by observing the capture below installing pyATS To install Genie the process is the same! Checking the installation PyATS and Genie are installed with their packages. Verifying PyATS versions pyats version check After running the command we see the version,pyATS is properly installed and we can achieve amazing things we want. Key concepts to know about pyATS What makes pyATS unique is its abstraction, and to understand it better, you need to engage with these abstractions! Testbed: This is the representation of network environments. A YAML file describes devices, their roles, and IP addresses, and here is how it looks when the file is written.
# Step 0: list of devices
devices:
  iosxr1:
    # Step 1: OS and Type
    type: iosxr-Prod
    os: iosxr
    # Step 2: credentials
    credentials:
      default:
        username: admin
        password: Hacker@204k
    # Step 3: connection parameters
    connections:
      vty:
        protocol: ssh
        ip: test-mgmt.talesoftechnology.com
        port: 8080 Test scripts: python scripts that contain all instructions for every test.
Parsers: with an impressive library and over 1500 parsers, Genie expertly converts raw text into structured text.
Triggers: they enable specific automated actions, in response to events, in other words, they are similar to webhooks. Main features and use cases States comparison: network comparison state before and after a change or update.
Report and journaling: it generates test reports and detailed logs for every
Multi-environment execution: it is compatible with physical and virtual environments. Practical use cases State validation: Compare the configuration status of a device before and after a change to ensure there is no configuration drift.
Anomaly detection: Automate the identification of anomalies in device configurations or states.
Connectivity Test: Use ping or traceroute commands to check connectivity between devices Conclusion Now you know how to install pyATS using the Windows Subsystem for Linux, and you don’t need a lengthy guide! You understand the basic concepts; even though pyATS can seem abstract, the best way to grasp it is through interaction with various abstractions. Automation is essential for agility today, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel with tedious tasks. With pyATS, you can save time and   reduce stress compared to handling  everything manually. In the next article, you will learn how to create a testbed, and we will demystify pyATS, it’s not as hard as you think! Don't spend your time doing work a well-trained monkey could do | From automate the boring stuff with python book Don't spend your time doing work a well-trained monkey could do | From automate the boring stuff with python book Automation is not a replacement for our workforce; it presents an opportunity to embrace agility in a constantly evolving digital society. Considering network engineers' numerous tedious tasks each week, automation becomes a crucial ingredient for success. Beyond the hype and rankings, Python has emerged as the de facto language for automation. Its elegant syntax and versatility have led to the creation of amazing tools. Python Python What is Cisco PyATS pyATS , which stands for Python Automated Test System, was developed by Cisco Systems to automate testing and validate networks. It is often called a "Swiss Army knife" due to its ability to perform a wide range of tasks beyond conventional expectations. In addition to automated testing, pyATS supports network configuration testing and updates,... pyATS pyATS Language: Python, it is oriented for DevOps and NetDevOps Typical usage: Network configuration tests, anomaly detection, connectivity validation… Objective: Automating network tests and validation by providing a modular and extensible environment.
Main modules PyATS: the main framework for automated tests. Genie: Collection of automation libraries for configuring, analyzing, and verifying network data. Language: Python, it is oriented for DevOps and NetDevOps Language : Python, it is oriented for DevOps and NetDevOps Language Typical usage: Network configuration tests, anomaly detection, connectivity validation… Typical usage : Network configuration tests, anomaly detection, connectivity validation… Typical usage Objective: Automating network tests and validation by providing a modular and extensible environment. Main modules Objective : Automating network tests and validation by providing a modular and extensible environment. Objective Main modules PyATS: the main framework for automated tests. PyATS : the main framework for automated tests. PyATS Genie: Collection of automation libraries for configuring, analyzing, and verifying network data. Genie : Collection of automation libraries for configuring, analyzing, and verifying network data. Genie PyATS is a big ecosystem of innovations where we can do amazing and it goes beyond Cisco environments! PyATS is a big ecosystem of innovations where we can do amazing and it goes beyond Cisco environments! PyATS is a big ecosystem of innovations where we can do amazing and it goes beyond Cisco environments! How to install pyATS quickly on Windows Subsystem for Linux ( Ubuntu 24.04 LTS) The best way to install pyATS is to create a Python virtual environment and this is the quickest way to do it by observing the capture below installing pyATS To install Genie the process is the same! Genie Genie Checking the installation PyATS and Genie are installed with their packages. Verifying PyATS versions pyats version check pyats version check After running the command we see the version,pyATS is properly installed and we can achieve amazing things we want. Key concepts to know about pyATS What makes pyATS unique is its abstraction, and to understand it better, you need to engage with these abstractions! Testbed: This is the representation of network environments. A YAML file describes devices, their roles, and IP addresses, and here is how it looks when the file is written.
# Step 0: list of devices
devices:
  iosxr1:
    # Step 1: OS and Type
    type: iosxr-Prod
    os: iosxr
    # Step 2: credentials
    credentials:
      default:
        username: admin
        password: Hacker@204k
    # Step 3: connection parameters
    connections:
      vty:
        protocol: ssh
        ip: test-mgmt.talesoftechnology.com
        port: 8080 Testbed: This is the representation of network environments. A YAML file describes devices, their roles, and IP addresses, and here is how it looks when the file is written. # Step 0: list of devices
devices:
  iosxr1:
    # Step 1: OS and Type
    type: iosxr-Prod
    os: iosxr
    # Step 2: credentials
    credentials:
      default:
        username: admin
        password: Hacker@204k
    # Step 3: connection parameters
    connections:
      vty:
        protocol: ssh
        ip: test-mgmt.talesoftechnology.com
        port: 8080 Testbed : This is the representation of network environments. A YAML file describes devices, their roles, and IP addresses, and here is how it looks when the file is written. Testbed # Step 0: list of devices
devices:
  iosxr1:
    # Step 1: OS and Type
    type: iosxr-Prod
    os: iosxr
    # Step 2: credentials
    credentials:
      default:
        username: admin
        password: Hacker@204k
    # Step 3: connection parameters
    connections:
      vty:
        protocol: ssh
        ip: test-mgmt.talesoftechnology.com
        port: 8080 # Step 0: list of devices
devices:
  iosxr1:
    # Step 1: OS and Type
    type: iosxr-Prod
    os: iosxr
    # Step 2: credentials
    credentials:
      default:
        username: admin
        password: Hacker@204k
    # Step 3: connection parameters
    connections:
      vty:
        protocol: ssh
        ip: test-mgmt.talesoftechnology.com
        port: 8080 Test scripts: python scripts that contain all instructions for every test. Parsers: with an impressive library and over 1500 parsers, Genie expertly converts raw text into structured text. Triggers: they enable specific automated actions, in response to events, in other words, they are similar to webhooks. Test scripts : python scripts that contain all instructions for every test. Test scripts Parsers: with an impressive library and over 1500 parsers, Genie expertly converts raw text into structured text. Parsers: Triggers : they enable specific automated actions, in response to events, in other words, they are similar to webhooks. Triggers Main features and use cases States comparison: network comparison state before and after a change or update. Report and journaling: it generates test reports and detailed logs for every Multi-environment execution: it is compatible with physical and virtual environments. States comparison : network comparison state before and after a change or update. States comparison Report and journaling : it generates test reports and detailed logs for every Report and journaling Multi-environment execution : it is compatible with physical and virtual environments. Multi-environment execution Practical use cases State validation: Compare the configuration status of a device before and after a change to ensure there is no configuration drift. Anomaly detection: Automate the identification of anomalies in device configurations or states. Connectivity Test: Use ping or traceroute commands to check connectivity between devices State validation : Compare the configuration status of a device before and after a change to ensure there is no configuration drift. State validation Anomaly detection : Automate the identification of anomalies in device configurations or states. Anomaly detection Connectivity Test : Use ping or traceroute commands to check connectivity between devices Connectivity Test Conclusion Now you know how to install pyATS using the Windows Subsystem for Linux, and you don’t need a lengthy guide! You understand the basic concepts; even though pyATS can seem abstract, the best way to grasp it is through interaction with various abstractions. Automation is essential for agility today, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel with tedious tasks. With pyATS, you can save time and   reduce stress compared to handling  everything manually. In the next article, you will learn how to create a testbed, and we will demystify pyATS, it’s not as hard as you think!

The code in this story is for educational purposes. The readers are solely responsible for whatever they build with it.

This story contains new, firsthand information uncovered by the writer.

Network Test and Automation: PyATS 101 in 5 Minutes

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