Gain insights into automating network reconnaissance, orchestrating repetitive changes, and transforming network configuration management. Discover CI/CD pipeline migration for full network automation.

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​​Network automation begins with automating network reconnaissance. This is accomplished by gathering important information from network devices while building a library of dynamic on-demand utilities and generating living documentation. Starting small, the course exhibits the simplicity and elegance of network automation.

Next, you will learn how to automate larger changes that require a high number of repetitive steps. These changes will be executed serially in a specific orchestrated order, making them perfect for an automated solution. After gaining comfort with the new tools, you can fully transform network configuration management to an automated, intent-based, self-documenting system.

The final step is learning how to migrate to a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline, thereby fully automating the network.

Automate Your Network

Now let's execute the playbook. 

The `documentation.yml` file is completely non-intrusive and non-disruptive to the network. The `ios_facts` module will gather some information from the network.
Otherwise, everything in the documentation playbook builds offline automated documentation based
on the intent files. 

# Check for idempotency
Checking for the idempotency of the documentation is a quick and easy way to identify the changes being
made to the data models or dynamic templates. If the output from the documentation playbook has changed and is not idempotent, it is possible to use this differential to provide change management or
operations.It will also help identify the difference between the documentation and the running-configuration. 

```bash
ansible-playbook documentation.yml –check -v 

ansible-playbook documentation.yml 
```

# Verify output

After executing the documentation playbook, make sure to use Git to commit all the generated output
into the repository. 
```bash
git add *

git commit –a

git push
```

All the automatically and dynamically generated documentation is now part of the repository and available to be viewed. Browse to the output folders holding the configuration
and Markdown files. Explore and validate them for accuracy. Using these files, it is possible to
confirm exactly what will be pushed to the network in advance. 

Use this methodology to include artifacts
along with pull requests to merge changes into the master branch. These artifacts can be easily read and
understood by others in the change management approval flow. They can also be used by network operations on a day-to-day basis without needing to log onto the network.  

Let's take a look at how to execute the documentation playbook and verify its output.

Introduction

What Is Network Automation?

Why Automate the Network?

How to Automate the Network

Where to Start with Network Automation

Repository Structure

Network Reconnaissance

Tactical Playbooks

Data Models and Dynamic Templates

Dynamic Intent-Based Documentation

Configuration Management

Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery

Conclusion

Execute Playbook: Documentation