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authors: [bsmeding] title: Nautobot Zero to Hero – Part 3: Deploy Network with Containerlab tags: ["network automation", "containerlab", "lab environment", "network topology"] toc: true layout: single comments: true draft: true

Nautobot Zero to Hero – Part 3: Deploy Network with Containerlab

Set Up Your Network Lab Environment

Deploy a multi-vendor network topology using Containerlab for hands-on practice.

Index

1. Introduction

In this part, we'll deploy a network lab environment using Containerlab. This will provide us with real network devices that we can use for automation practice throughout the series.

We'll: 1. Install Containerlab 2. Create a network topology file 3. Deploy the lab network 4. Verify connectivity between devices

Estimated Time: ~1 hour

2. Prerequisites

  • Completed Part 2: Getting Started with Nautobot
  • Linux system with Docker installed (or use the same VM as Nautobot)
  • Sufficient resources: 4GB+ RAM, 20GB+ disk space
  • Basic understanding of network topologies

3. Install Containerlab

Containerlab is a tool for deploying container-based network topologies. Install it using the official method:

# Install Containerlab
bash -c "$(curl -sL https://get.containerlab.dev)"

# Verify installation
containerlab version

For detailed installation instructions, see the Containerlab documentation.

4. Create Network Topology

The nautobot_zero_to_hero repository includes example Containerlab topologies. Let's use or create a simple multi-vendor topology:

4.1 Example Topology File

Create a file named topology.clab.yml:

name: nautobot-lab

topology:
  nodes:
    r1:
      kind: vr-sros
      image: vrnetlab/vr-sros:20.10.R1
    sw1:
      kind: vr-veos
      image: vrnetlab/vr-veos:latest
    sw2:
      kind: vr-veos
      image: vrnetlab/vr-veos:latest

  links:
    - endpoints: ["r1:eth1", "sw1:eth1"]
    - endpoints: ["sw1:eth2", "sw2:eth1"]

This creates a simple topology with: - One router (Nokia SR OS) - Two switches (Arista vEOS)

4.2 Use Repository Topology

Alternatively, use the topology from the nautobot_zero_to_hero repository:

cd nautobot_zero_to_hero/containerlab
# Review the topology file
cat topology.clab.yml

5. Deploy the Lab

5.1 Deploy the Topology

# Deploy the lab
containerlab deploy -t topology.clab.yml

# Check status
containerlab inspect -t topology.clab.yml

📸 [Screenshot: Containerlab Deployment]

5.2 Access Device Information

Containerlab will create entries in /etc/hosts for easy access:

# View device hostnames
cat /etc/hosts | grep clab

You can also use the update_hosts.sh script from the repository:

./update_hosts.sh

6. Verify Network Connectivity

6.1 Test Device Access

# Test SSH access to devices
ssh admin@clab-nautobot-lab-r1
ssh admin@clab-nautobot-lab-sw1
ssh admin@clab-nautobot-lab-sw2

Default credentials are typically: - Username: admin - Password: admin (or check the repository documentation)

6.2 Verify Device Configurations

# Connect to a device and check configuration
ssh admin@clab-nautobot-lab-sw1
show version
show ip interface brief

6.3 Test Inter-Device Connectivity

From within a device, test connectivity to other devices:

# From sw1, ping sw2
ping clab-nautobot-lab-sw2

7. Wrap-Up

Congratulations! You have successfully: - ✅ Installed Containerlab - ✅ Created a network topology - ✅ Deployed the lab network - ✅ Verified device connectivity

You now have a working network lab environment that you can use for automation practice throughout the series.

8. Next Steps

Now that your network lab is deployed, proceed to Part 4: Device Discovery & Onboarding to: - Install and configure the Device Onboarding plugin - Automatically discover devices from Containerlab - Onboard devices into Nautobot

Happy automating! 🚀