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Welcome to NetDevOps.it

Your Gateway to Network Automation Excellence

Welcome to NetDevOps.it, a hub for network engineers and DevOps enthusiasts seeking to elevate their network automation skills. This site is dedicated to sharing knowledge, tools, and insights for mastering the art of Network Development Operations.

Note: This site is under construction. New content is being added regularly, but some sections may not be fully operational yet.

What is NetDevOps?

NetDevOps is an approach that brings modern DevOps principles and practices to network operations. It aims to improve agility, automation, and collaboration in network management by leveraging tools and methodologies commonly used in software development.

In traditional network operations, changes are often manual, error-prone, and slow. NetDevOps introduces automation, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), and version control to enhance efficiency, consistency, and scalability.

Key Principles of NetDevOps

  1. Automation
    Automate repetitive tasks such as configuration management, testing, and deployment to reduce human errors and increase operational efficiency.

  2. Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
    Define network infrastructure using code for consistency and repeatability. Popular tools include Ansible, Terraform, and Python.

  3. Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
    Implement pipelines to validate and deploy network changes automatically using tools like GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, and GitHub Actions.

  4. Collaboration
    Foster cross-functional teamwork between network engineers, developers, and operations using version control systems like Git.

  5. Monitoring and Feedback
    Integrate telemetry and monitoring solutions (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, NetBox) for real-time insights into network performance.

Benefits of NetDevOps

  • Increased Agility: Faster deployment of network changes and new services
  • Improved Reliability: Reduced downtime through automation and proactive monitoring
  • Enhanced Scalability: Manage large-scale networks with consistent practices
  • Cost Efficiency: Lower manual labor and operational overhead

What You'll Find Here

NetDevOps.it is more than just a blog — it's a comprehensive resource library for network engineers. Here's what you can expect:

🛠️ Ansible Roles and Collections

  • Ready-to-use Ansible roles for common network automation tasks
  • Custom collections to accelerate your automation projects
  • Best practices and patterns for writing maintainable automation code
  • Examples for Cisco IOS, Arista, Nexus, and other network platforms

Available Roles: - Ansible Role: GitLab Docker - Deploy GitLab CE with Docker - Ansible Role: AWX Docker - Deploy AWX/Ansible Tower with Docker - Ansible Role: Nautobot Docker - Deploy Nautobot with Docker - Ansible Role: Nginx Docker - Deploy Nginx with Docker - Ansible Role: Docker - Install and configure Docker - Ansible Role: SWAG Docker - Deploy SWAG (Secure Web Application Gateway)

Collections and Resources: - Ansible Roles and Collections Overview - Complete guide to available automation resources

📚 Step-by-Step Tutorials

  • Ansible fundamentals - from basic concepts to advanced techniques
  • Network automation workflows - practical examples you can implement today
  • CI/CD pipelines - integrating automation into your development process
  • Infrastructure as Code - managing network configurations with version control

Available Tutorials: - Ansible Tutorial 1: Concepts - Introduction to Ansible basics - Ansible Tutorial 2: Modules - Working with Ansible modules - Ansible Tutorial 3: Variables and Facts - Using variables and gathering facts - Ansible Cisco NAPALM Diff - Configuration comparison with NAPALM - Git Basics - Version control fundamentals - Linux Basics - Essential Linux commands and concepts - Vagrant Install - Setting up Vagrant for development - Synology Install Docker Compose - Docker on Synology NAS - Enable WSL on Windows - Windows Subsystem for Linux setup

Tutorials Overview: - Tutorials Index - Complete list of available tutorials

🏗️ Nautobot Integration

  • Single Source of Truth (SSoT) strategies for network automation
  • Dynamic inventory management with Nautobot IPAM
  • Custom jobs and workflows to streamline network operations
  • Integration patterns with Ansible and other automation tools

Nautobot Resources: - Nautobot as SSoT/CMDB - Comprehensive guide to using Nautobot - Docker Container: Nautobot - Nautobot container deployment

🐳 Docker Images and Containers

  • Pre-built automation environments to speed up your development
  • Containerized tools for consistent deployment across environments
  • CI/CD ready images for automated testing and deployment

Docker Resources: - Docker Images Overview - Complete guide to available Docker images - Docker Container: Nautobot - Nautobot container deployment

🔐 SSO and Authentication Solutions

  • Identity management for network automation platforms
  • Secure access patterns for enterprise environments
  • Integration guides for popular SSO providers

SSO Resources: - SSO Solutions - Single Sign-On implementation guide

📖 Blog and Insights

  • Real-world project lessons and case studies
  • Tool comparisons and recommendations
  • Industry trends and best practices
  • Community insights and collaboration opportunities

Latest Blog Posts: - Nautobot Docker Apps - Deploying applications with Nautobot - Getting Started with Network Automation - Beginner's guide to network automation - Netdata Monitoring System - Real-time monitoring solution

Tool Reviews and Guides: - Ansible - Configuration management and automation - Terraform - Infrastructure as Code - OpenTofu - Open source Terraform alternative - SaltStack - Configuration management platform - Nornir - Python-based automation framework - pyATS - Cisco's network testing framework - Jenkins - CI/CD automation server - GitLab CI/CD - GitLab's CI/CD platform - GitHub Actions - GitHub's CI/CD platform - Prometheus - Monitoring and alerting - Grafana - Data visualization and analytics - InfluxDB - Time series database - CloudFormation - AWS infrastructure as code

Blog Index: - Blog Overview - Complete blog archive

🎓 Courses and Training

  • Structured learning paths for network automation
  • Hands-on workshops and exercises
  • Certification preparation resources
  • Skill development roadmaps

Available Courses: - Courses Overview - Available training programs - Courses (Dutch) - Training programs in Dutch

🤖 AI in Networking

  • Artificial Intelligence applications in network automation
  • Machine Learning for network optimization
  • AI-powered tools and platforms

AI Resources: - AI in Networking - Artificial Intelligence applications in network automation

Common NetDevOps Tools

Category Tools
Configuration Management Ansible, SaltStack, Nornir
CI/CD Pipelines Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions
Infrastructure as Code Terraform, OpenTofu, CloudFormation
Network Automation Netmiko, NAPALM, pyATS
Monitoring & Telemetry Prometheus, Grafana, InfluxDB
Version Control Git, GitHub, GitLab

How to Get Started with NetDevOps

  1. Learn the Fundamentals: Understand automation tools and scripting languages (e.g., Python)
  2. Use Version Control: Start using Git for tracking changes and collaboration
  3. Automate Small Tasks: Begin by automating simple tasks such as configuration backups
  4. Implement CI/CD Pipelines: Gradually introduce automation pipelines to your network operations
  5. Leverage Infrastructure as Code: Define and manage your network infrastructure using code

About Me

Hi, I'm Bart Smeding — a passionate Network Automation Solutions Architect with years of experience helping companies transform their network operations. My mission is to guide organizations on their journey from zero to hero in network automation.

I specialize in: - Blueprint Strategies: Crafting tailored automation roadmaps - Infrastructure Setup: Deploying the necessary tools and platforms - Brownfield Onboarding: Seamlessly integrating existing environments - Device Deployment: Automating network device rollouts - 3rd-Party Tool Integration: Bridging the gap between diverse systems - Engineer Enablement: Empowering in-house teams with education and resources to extend and sustain the automation framework

All solutions are built with a preference for open-source tools, custom scripts, and collaborative learning to ensure sustainability and adaptability.

For more about me, visit my About page or LinkedIn profile.

Quick Navigation

🚀 Getting Started

🛠️ Automation Tools

🏗️ Network Management

🐳 Container Solutions

🔐 Security & Authentication

📖 Blog & Insights

🎓 Learning Resources

👤 About & Contact

Let's Connect

Have questions or want to collaborate? Feel free to reach out or connect with me on LinkedIn.

Together, Let's Build the Future of Network Automation

Explore, learn, and automate — because the future of networking is here, and it's automated.