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[Aruba DevNet Lecture 5] Completing the NetOps Pipeline with Git and CI/CD

So far we have Python과 Ansible, and New Central APIArmed with this, we've conquered the core elements of network automation one by one. However, in a practical environment, simply having a few script files on your personal computer isn't enough to achieve true automation.

Today, the final installment in the series, we'll explore the "big picture" of how code integrates with a company's business strategy (ITSM) and, combined with cutting-edge AI technologies, transforms into a self-evolving network (AIOps).

1. Why ITIL 5 and CI/CD are necessary for network operations.

In an enterprise environment, the most important things are ‘stability‘ and ‘traceability’.
Just as developers manage source code, so too does the infrastructure environment. IaC (Infrastructure as Code)should be managed as follows.

  • Version Control (Git): 3rd lectureUpload the switch VLAN configuration code created in to Git. This provides complete traceability of who changed the network configuration, when, and why. Now, your code becomes both a blueprint and a resume for your network.
  • CI/CD pipeline integration: When the code is modified (committed), GitLab or GitHub ActionsIt automatically checks the grammar and deploys it to the test network first.

2. [Architecture] CI/CD-based network deployment workflow

The overall flow is exactly the same as the software development process.

  1. Plan & Code: An engineer writes code to add a new VLAN in VS Code.
  2. Commit & Push: Push the changed code to your internal Git repository.
  3. Review & Merge: A senior engineer reviews and approves the code.
  4. CI/CD Pipeline Integration: Once the code is merged, GitHub Actions or GitLab CI will take effect.
  5. Deploy (CD): In an isolated environment (Runner) within the pipeline ansible-playbook The command is automatically executed and reflected on the Aruba CX switch.

3. [Practical Example] Automating Ansible Deployments with GitHub Actions

A simple pipeline configuration file that automatically deploys the Ansible playbook written in Lesson 3 through GitHub Actions (.github/workflows/deploy_network.yml) is an example.

YAML
name: Deploy Aruba CX Network Config

This pipeline will only run when code is pushed to the # 'main' branch.
on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  deploy-to-switches:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      # 1. Import the code from the repository into the Runner.
      - name: Checkout Code
        uses: actions/checkout@v3

      # 2. Install the ensemble in the pipeline environment.
      - name: Install Ansible
        run: |
          sudo apt update
          sudo apt install -y ansible

      # 3. Install Ansible Collection for Aruba CX switch control.
      - name: Install Aruba CX Collection
        run: ansible-galaxy collection install arubanetworks.aos_cx

      # 4. Deploy the configuration to the actual switch. (For security, use GitHub Secrets for the password.)
      - name: Run Ansible Playbook
        env:
          ANSIBLE_HOST_KEY_CHECKING: ""False""
        run: |
          ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini vlan_setup.yml \
          -e "ansible_password=${{ secrets.ARUBA_SWITCH_PASSWORD }}""

Once this pipeline is built, you will no longer need to connect directly to the switch. Just modify the code and push.

4. Evangelist Insights: Harmonizing ITIL 5 and NetOps

Introducing CI/CD to your network isn't just a technical fad.
This is the company's ITSM (IT Service Management) 및 ITIL 5 FrameworkIt is strongly combined with .

The core of ITIL 5 ‘Change Enablement’ Think about the process.

A Git "Pull Request" becomes a change approval request, and the process of deploying approved code through CI/CD is itself a complete change control process. What if a failure occurs? Simply pressing the "Revert" button in Git instantly rolls back to the previous network state.

This is the true way to achieve business stability and IT agility at the same time. Automation Ecosystemno see.

Concluding the DevNet series...

Automation doesn't happen overnight.

Just as the small API call tests in Lecture 1 combined to create the massive CI/CD pipeline of Lecture 5 today, I hope you can start with a small script in your own field.

HPE Aruba Networking's powerful APIs and ecosystem will be your unwavering weapon.

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