Getting started with automating network infrastructure requires a logical, step-by-step approach. You should start simple with a relevant use case and translate the process into a series of logical tasks. Then, you can build out integrations and surrounding processes to ensure it works with your infrastructure and meets your standards. Last, you will implement your tasks until the workflow is complete.
In the third part of the Building Network Automation Workflows with Itential demo series, we will continue to build upon the workflow from the previous demo. Now that your use case is fully built out with the pre-check, network change, and post-check processes, it’s time to add in integrations with the systems in your ecosystem and data transformation between those systems. This allows for a fully automated end-to-end process.
In this demo, Rich Martin, Director of Technical Marketing at Itential, shows step-by-step how to:
- Self-generate an integration using an OpenAPI specification file from NetBox.
- Utilize newly integrated API tasks for IP Address requests and Inventory query.
- Create a Data Transformation to manipulate data for network changes.
- Build, run, and test the workflow using Operations Manager.
Demo Notes
(So you can skip ahead, if you want.)
00:00 Introduction & Demo Overview
03:00 How to Create an Integration Model Using an API Document
05:51 Review the API Endpoints from the NetBox API document
09:25 Create the Integration Instance from the Integration Model
10:55 Overview of the Series Workflow
12:22 Create & Test a Workflow for Testing the API Task to Reserve an IP Address
24:43 Create & Test a Data Transformation to Use with the API Task Output
40:07 Add the Transformation Task to the Test Workflow & Run a Test
44:17 Add the NetBox IP Address Workflow into the Main Workflow
