Red Hat Ansible for Network Automation

Create a vars file defining the variables that will be used.

1. Download the expansion-data.yml file into the vars/ directory. This file maps layer 3 address data to interfaces and also provides interface descriptions.

   [student@workstation proj]$ cd vars
   [student@workstation vars]$ wget \
   > http://materials.example.com/full/vars/expansion-data.yml
   [student@workstation vars]$ cd ..
   [student@workstation proj]$ 

Compose a playbook with a play that satisfies the business requirements as stated by Jasper.

1. Create a playbook named expansion.yml as shown below. This could be developed as three separate playbooks and then combined, possibly by using include or import. Alternatively, roles could be used.

   This provides an example of a simple, straightforward method of explicitly encoding actions as tasks. It works, and it is relatively easy to look at this playbook and understand what is being done. There are, however, more efficient ways to accomplish what this playbook does. The playbook used to provision the example.com network for the Consolidation phase accomplishes a similar set of objectives with one play.

2. Write a play containing tasks that configure cs01.

   - name: configure cs01 for expansion
     hosts: cs01
     vars_files:
     - vars/expansion-data.yml
   
     tasks:
   
     - name: label the management interface
       ios_interface:
         name: GigabitEthernet1
         description: management
   
     - name: label the outside interface
       ios_interface:
         name: GigabitEthernet2
         description: outside
   
     - name: configure layer3 interfaces
       ios_l3_interface:
         aggregate: "{{ layer3_data[inventory_hostname] }}"
   
     - name: set default gateway
       ios_static_route:
         prefix: 0.0.0.0
         mask: 0.0.0.0
         next_hop: 172.16.2.1
   
     - name: bring the outside interface up
       ios_interface:
         name: GigabitEthernet2
         enabled: yes

3. Write a play containing tasks that configure spine01.

   - name: configure spine01 for expansion
     hosts: spine01
     vars_files:
     - vars/expansion-data.yml
   
     tasks:
   
     - name: make sure ospf is not enabled
       vyos_config:
         lines:
           - delete protocols ospf
   
     - name: label the management interface (eth0)
       vyos_interface:
         name: eth0
         description: management
   
     - name: label the outside interface (eth5)
       vyos_interface:
         name: eth5
         description: outside
   
     - name: label the inside interface (eth1)
       vyos_interface:
         name: eth1
         description: inside
   
     - name: configure layer 3
       vyos_l3_interface:
         aggregate: "{{ layer3_data[inventory_hostname] }}"
   
     - name: set default gateway
       vyos_static_route:
         prefix: 0.0.0.0
         mask: 0
         next_hop: 172.16.2.2
   
     - name: add static route for server subnet
       vyos_static_route:
         prefix: 10.10.10.0
         mask: 30
         next_hop: 10.10.5.2

4. Write a play containing tasks that configure leaf01.

   - name: >
      a play that configures leaf01
      this is the expansion model
     hosts: leaf01
     vars_files:
     - vars/expansion-data.yml
   
     tasks:
   
     - name: label the management interface (eth0)
       vyos_interface:
         name: eth0
         description: management
   
     - name: label the uplink interface (eth5)
       vyos_interface:
         name: eth5
         description: uplink
   
     - name: label the server interface (eth1)
       vyos_interface:
         name: eth1
         description: server01
   
     - name: configure layer3 interfaces
       vyos_l3_interface:
         aggregate: "{{ layer3_data[inventory_hostname] }}"
   
     - name: set default gateway
       vyos_static_route:
         prefix: 0.0.0.0
         mask: 0
         next_hop: 10.10.5.1

Perform the plays in the playbook to enact the desired changes.

[student@workstation proj]$ ansible-playbook expansion.yml

Execute ad hoc commands and verify that layer 3 addresses and interface descriptions are mapped to interfaces as described in the tables found at the start of this exercise. The expansion scenario networking devices are spine01, leaf01, and cs01. The following ad hoc command verifies the addresses and interface descriptions on spine01 and leaf01:

[student@workstation proj]$ ansible -m vyos_command \
> -a "commands='sh int'" spine01,leaf01

The following ad hoc command checks layer 3 addresses on cs01.

[student@workstation proj]$ ansible -m ios_command \
> -a "commands='sh ip int br'" cs01