Networks consist of distributed nodes — routers, switches and the like — that systems administrators and network engineers have, for the most part, managed individually via command line interfaces.

Build or buy? That's the typical discussion around network automation. In reality, however, the discussion is more involved and nuanced than that. Every project today has some open source. It drives ...

Some network teams are finding power and simplicity in the shift from telling devices what to do, using imperative programming, to describing what they should be, using declarative programming.

Use the Python Netmiko module to automate switches, routers and firewalls from multiple vendors. I frequently find myself in the position of confronting "hostile" networks. By hostile, I mean that ...

Familiarity with basic networking concepts, configurations, and Python is helpful, but no prior AI or advanced programming ...

Certification programs like those offered by Cisco and Juniper Networks can help network engineers document their proficiency in network automation. Modern networks require more dynamic changes than ...

Ryan Tischer, a technical services architect at Cisco Systems, is the author of Programming and Automating Cisco Networks. Networks consist of distributed nodes — routers, switches and the like — that ...