Cisco pyATS — Network Test and Automation Solution

Book excerpt: Unlock the power of automated network testing with the Cisco pyATS framework. Written by industry experts John Capobianco and Dan Wade, Cisco pyATS—Network Test and Automation Solution is a comprehensive guide to theCisco pyATS framework, a Python-based environment for network testing, device configuration, parsing, APIs, and parallel programming. Capobianco and Wade offer in-depth insights into the extensive capabilities of pyATS and the pyATS library (Genie). You’ll learn how to leverage pyATS for network testing, including software version testing, interface testing, neighbor testing, and reachability testing. You’ll discover how to generate intent-based configurations, create mock devices, and integrate pyATS into larger workflows using CI/CD pipelines and artificial intelligence. You’ll explore the pyATS Blitz feature, which introduces a low-code no-code approach to network testing by allowing you to configure devices and write test cases using YAML, much like Ansible. And you’ll learn how to reset devices during or after testing with the pyATS Clean feature, build a pyATS image from scratch for containerized application deployment, and much more. Whether you’re a network professional, software developer, or preparing for the Cisco DevNet Expert Lab exam, this book is a must-have resource. Understand the foundations of NetDevOps and the modern network engineer’s toolkit Install, upgrade, and work with the pyATS framework and library Define test cases, control the flow of test execution, and review test results with built-in reporting features Generate automated network documentation with Jinja2 templates and Genie Conf objects Apply CI/CD practices in network automation with GitLab, Ansible, and pyATS Leverage artificial intelligence in pyATS for enhanced network automation