Polish Your networking skills with “Python Scripting for network Engineers by Wajid Hassan”

This is the time of technology and trends. Every new technology grip in market is the earnest desire of engineers. Regarding that need “Python Scripting for network Engineers” is the cherry on top of cake. Thinking how? It is the book that makes you aware of the changing trends and guides you accordingly.

The author of this book has taken very appropriate moves in depicting the details of network automation. To all those unaware of network importance, the author has driven attention towards the importance of network automation first.

Then gradually he makes a very clear picture of how to achieve network automation manually. For this he gave awareness about switches and routers too. Cisco infrastructures were explained in a very effective manner. The compatibility of networks with Python is explained in a very unique way with demonstrations. Each and every point has a valid and tested information for example a piece of code.

The explanation is simple and engaging for beginners. This is the plus point that not only engineers but also, non-engineers can understand the book. The basic concepts of python like sets and functions which were complex before are now much easier to grab due to this book.

If you are starting your career as a network engineer or specially if you are a student who wants to be master in automation from start then download this book from link below

Python Scripting for Network Engineers: Realizing Network Automation for Reliable Networks: Wajid Hassan: 9781728791685: Amazon.com: Books

5G Technology Overview

5G technology will dominate mobile networks in 2020 and beyond. Logic Finder is offering a comprehensive course on “5G”which discusses the latest technology in mobile communications in just 5 days. The course provides an overview of the technology aspects that have increased the capacity of network by 100 times than previous technologies. It has some remarkable features like higher throughput, reduced latency, Advanced OSS, high motion ability, improved security, and universal application support. 5G networks supports virtual networks such as low power low throughput (LPLT) networks for low cost IoT that is centre of attraction. All these features will be covered in this 5G course.

Course details here:

https://www.logicfinder.net/5g/

Relationship between modules and classes

This blog is from the series on Python Scripting for Network Engineers
Like everything else, class names always live within a module. Class statements are run during imports to define names, and these names become distinct module attributes. Since classes are attributes of modules, the dot operator must be used to reference the class unless it is an attributed of the __main__ module

Using Classes namespaces can be created, names defined within the class (outside of functions) and functions defined within the class are part of the namespace The class is in the namespace of the module in which it is defined. When the interpreter reads the definition of a class, it creates a class object whose name is the class name, the namespace of the class is referenced via the name. Class instances are created by using the class name as a function call. Attributes are found by looking up the inheritance tree (making polymorphism easy – a natural extension)‏. Instance inherits the attributes of the class. The class inherits the attributes of its parent, etc. Class variables (Java terminology) are those names that are defined within the class outside of any function. Class methods (Java terminology) are defined by using the static method and class method decorators (or those functions).

However, by default, all attributes and methods are private; can’t provide some privacy by properties function and slots (for new style classes)  (only applies to data attributes)‏. Name mangling – can be used on methods and data __getattr__ and __setattr__ – can be used to provide some protection of data attributes. There is no notion of protected like provided by Java or C++. Collections and sequences are the most powerful data structures, not only in python alone but also in all programming languages. All the functions and operations we have learnt in this chapter are reused in other languages e.g. java and c#. This, therefore, makes it very easy to learn other languages with better understanding.

Namespace in Python

Namespace review
a namespace is a mapping of names to objects

examples

built-in namespace (built-in functions and exceptions)‏. This is created when the interpreter is started and never deleted (actually these are part of the __builtin__ module)‏. The namespace of a module is created when module definition is read in (for example, via an import); never deleted statements executed by the top-level in the vocation of the interpreter is part of the module __main__

the namespace of a function is created when the function is executed; deleted or when the function is exited.
the textual region of a program where a namespace is accessible

scopes are determined statically (can look at the code and determine the scope) and used dynamically at least three nested scopes. Local namespace which is searched first. global namespace which is searched second built-in namespace which is searched last.
class definitions (like function definitions) are executed by the interpreter causing the creation of a class object. When a class definition is entered, a namespace is created; any local variables that are defined are a part of this namespace. The class object that is created can be used to access the local variables in the namespace defined by the class definition.
Statements just work the same way functions do. They help avoid repetition while writing codes.
Example:
#!/usr/local/bin/python

 

#Class definition is executed creating a namespace

class MyClass:

mylocal = “mylocal within MyClass”

#After the execution of the class definition, the MyClass name is bound to

#the class object that is created and the original scope is reinstated

 

#The class object can be used to access the MyClass namespace

print MyClass.mylocal

class objects support two operations: attribute reference and instantiation

valid attribute names are the names that were in the namespace when the class object was created

instantiation is performed by using the class name as if it is a function

Function in Python Scriptting

This blog is from a series of Python Scripting for Network Engineers

Function Definition

The def compound statement is used to define functions

def must be followed by:

• name of function
• parenthesized list of arguments
• colon
• the indented body of the function (suite)‏
• the optional return statement terminates execution of the function; if no return or if return not given a value then the special value None is returned

execution causes the Python interpreter to bind function name to the definition

thus, binding is dynamic (occurs at runtime)‏

and, the function name binding can be changed!

Function calls create namespaces. a namespace is (usually implemented as) a dictionary in which the keys are names of variables and the values are the values of those variables, function namespace consists of the function arguments and local variables. Interpreter looks for the value of a variable in this order:

local namespace – current function or method
global namespace – namespace of current module
built-in namespace – built-in functions and objects

Example:
#!/usr/local/bin/python

def f(n):

x = n

print “x in f:”, x

print “y in f:”, y

 

x = 3

y = 4

f(5)‏

print “x outside of f:”, x

print “y outside of f:”, y
Output:

(student)% namespace.py

x in f: 5

y in f: 4

x outside of f: 3

y outside of f: 4

Arguments
One can pass arguments the typical way where the first formal argument initialized to the first actual, second formal to second actual, etc. Or, can provide the name of the formal argument in the call and pass them in any order (called “providing arguments by keyword”)‏. Default argument values can be provided

 

Network Analytics

Network analytics, in its simplest definition, involves the analysis of network data and statistics to identify trends and patterns. Once identified, operators take the next step of ‘acting’ on this data—which typically involves a network operation or a set of operations.

Data is the currency on which digitalization runs – it is ever growing in quantity and quality, across all parts of the network. More and more devices become available all the time, all collecting ever greater volumes of data.

At the same time, new technologies are always developing that can harvest and harness this data for the benefit of the business. Service providers cannot expect to increase their efficiency without it.

Customer experience depends on service delivery, which can only be guaranteed when the network is performing at its best. Through utilizing the insights provided by network analytics to maximize network uptime, vendors can help customers achieve their business goals – when the network performs, so does the business.

Effective network analytics can help us in achieving  more efficient customer acquisition, optimizing marketing strategies and in determination of up-sell opportunities.

The modern network needs equally modern analytics tools that focus on the user experience and aid in troubleshooting. Network analytics must be capable of analyzing and correlating data from a wide range of devices and applications. Most network analytics solutions, however, are only capable of analyzing one part of the user experience, such as connectivity or application performance. Then it’s up to humans to query and correlate data and determine what action needs to be taken.

Machine learning is being added to network analytics to not only troubleshoot issues, but to diagnose the root causes, and recommend corrective actions. A form of artificial intelligence, machine learning uses algorithms to enable technology to learn, identify patterns, make decisions, and perform tasks without being programmed to do so. The more data a machine learning program consumes, the more intelligent the program becomes.

To retain customers and gain a competitive edge over peers, Communications Service Providers (CSPs) collect and analyze vast amounts of data from switches and networking equipment, as well as customer internet usage, applications, billing systems and more,. CSPs analyze billions of usage records to understand the overall health of their network, and identify areas to improve the performance and reliability of their networks.

Network analytics tools can also make recommendations about the best ways to resolve a performance issue. Alert fatigue can be a problem when IT is flooded with alarms that often focus on relatively minor issues. However, networking vendors are making progress on consolidating and prioritizing events, knowing that having too many alarms puts IT at risk of missing a critical incident. Through ongoing trend analysis, network analytics tools promise to help identify service interruptions before they actually happen. These tools can also assist IT organizations in longer-term capacity planning by providing better insights into current bottlenecks. IT professionals can use this data to more accurately estimate future requirements. IT can also use analytics to make more incremental modifications to improve performance.

We are offering Software Defined Networking (SDN) and OpenFlow course. Check it out !

Software Defined Networking (SDN) and OpenFlow 

References:

https://www.vertica.com/solution/communication-and-network-analytics/

https://www.sequeldata.com/why-you-need-network-analytics-with-machine-learning-capabilities/

Conditional Expressions

In programming, conditional expressions are statements or constructs of a program that performs an instructed action depending on the result of the Boolean condition (Alvaro, 2016). The block of statements below the condition is executed if the Boolean statement evaluates to True. If the Boolean condition evaluates to False then the statements below that condition are skipped and the execution of the program jumps to the next condition to be evaluated. This goes on until the program execution finds a condition whose evaluation results is True. If none of the Boolean conditions evaluates to True then the execution jumps to final else statement at the end of the code. The block of statements below the else statement at the end of the code act as the default execution statements for the program.

There are a number of conditional expressions in Python programming. The common ones include; if, if-else, If–then(–else), Else if and the If–then–else expressions. Other expressions such as for loop and while loop is also part of the many conditional expressions in Python programming.

Pseudocode for if statement in python

weight = float (input (“How many pounds does your suitcase weigh? “))

if weight > 50:

print (“There is a $25 charge for luggage that heavy.”)

Pseudocode for if-else statement in python

temperature = float (input (‘What is the temperature? ‘))

if temperature > 70:

print (‘Wear shorts.’)

else:

print (‘Wear long pants.’)

Pseudocode for loop statement in python

fruits = [“apple”, “banana”, “cherry”]
for x in fruits:

print(x)

Pseudocode for while loop statement in python

i = 1
while i < 6:

print(i)

i += 1

These statements/expressions determine the flow of the program execution. They are, therefore, used to control the flow of the program execution. The programmer must avoid semantic, syntax, typing and other errors when writing program code for conditional statements. Errors lead to none-execution of the code and even lead to infinite loops.

 

Network Analytics

Network analytics is key to helping IT proactively deliver great user experiences, but analytics for the enterprise access network is complicated. Besides the array of connectivity options, the heterogeneous mix of client devices and the different application models to accommodate, there are volumes of relevant input data that can be used.

To take advantage of network analytics, an enterprise needs an infrastructure capable of producing performance and utilization data for the network. The data could include low-level information, such as bit rates through a particular physical network port, collision and packet drop rates, and latencies. Higher-level information might include packets affected by specific security policies, originating from any given address, or bound for any given address. An enterprise also needs systems to collect, store and analyze this enormous amount of network data.

Additionally, network analytics will become more important and more broadly deployed as network security becomes more critical. And, in the wake of sweeping enterprise trends like IoT and micro services, the number and variety of entities on the network are expected to grow precipitously, leading to copious amounts of network data.

We are offering Software Defined Networking (SDN) and OpenFlow course. Check it out !

Software Defined Networking (SDN) and OpenFlow

References:

• https://www.ciena.com/insights/what-is/What-is-Network-Analytics.html
• https://www.networkworld.com/article/3190857/analytics/demystifying-network-analytics.html
• https://www.networkworld.com/article/3240997/big-data-business-intelligence/network-analytics-will-change-everything.html
• https://blogs.cisco.com/analytics-automation/network-analytics-explained
• https://www.accenture.com/us-en/service-communications-network-analytics

Rack Rental for CCIE Routing and Switching

Our INE Routing & Switching v5 rack is designed to support all of the features and technologies used for the INE R&S v5 workbook.

The racks consist of the same virtual and physical hardware that you will find from INE, 10 Cisco Routers and four Cisco Catalyst 3560-24 switches with 15.x IOS.

Get started quickly with fast and easy remote desktop access. All telnet connections to routers and switches have been pre-configured to automatically connect saving you a lot of time. No need to waste time connecting to each router and switch individual. Spend more time focusing on lab time instead of on setting up the console connection.

FTP server is also available for saving and restoring configs.

Hardware Specifications

Routers

R1 : CISCO2811 256 MB Dram / 128MB Flash with 2x FastEthernet Port 15.1T IOS

R2 : CISCO2811 256 MB Dram / 128MB Flash with 2x FastEthernet Port 15.1T IOS

R3 : CISCO2811 256 MB Dram / 128MB Flash with 2x FastEthernet Port 15.1T IOS

R4 : CISCO2811 256 MB Dram / 128MB Flash with 2x FastEthernet Port 15.1T IOS

R5 : CISCO2811 256 MB Dram / 128MB Flash with 2x FastEthernet Port 15.1T IOS

R6 : CISCO2811 256 MB Dram / 128MB Flash with 2x FastEthernet Port 15.1T IOS

R7:   CISCO2821 256 MB Dram / 128MB Flash with 2x Gigabit Ethetnet Port 15.1T IOS

R8:   CISCO2821 256 MB Dram / 128MB Flash with 2x Gigabit Ethetnet Port 15.1T IOS

R9:   CISCO2821 256 MB Dram / 128MB Flash with 2x Gigabit Ethetnet Port 15.1T IOS

R10: CISCO2821 256 MB Dram / 128MB Flash with 2x Gigabit Ethetnet Port 15.1T IOS

 Switches

Switch	Ports	Model	SW Version	SW Image
SW1	52	WS-C3560-24TS	15.0(2)SE4	C3560-IPBASEK9-M
SW2	52	WS-C3560-24TS	15.0(2)SE4	C3560-IPBASEK9-M
SW3	52	WS-C3560-24TS	15.0(2)SE4	C3560-IPBASEK9-M
SW4	52	WS-C3560-24TS	15.0(2)SE4	C3560-IPBASEK9-M

Access Server

Cisco 2610 with NM-16A  Module card Terminal ports up to 16 Devices console output Software version running 12.1 (4b)

Fast, Easy, Dedicated VPN Access

Access to the rack is available via a fast LogMeIn VPN connection

Packages

Routing & Switching v5 1 Month (30 days) 24 hours	$329.00
Routing & Switching v5 1 Month (30 days) 12 hours	$199.00
Routing & Switching v5 2 weeks (14 days) 6 hours	$99.00
Routing & Switching v5 1 week   (7 days)  24 hours	$100.00

Reach out to us at training@logicfinder.net for discounts and rack reservations

OpenStack

OpenStack is a project originally started by NASA and Rackspace for delivering a cloud computing and storage platform. Today, OpenStack is a global collaboration of developers and technologists producing an open source cloud computing platform for public and private clouds.

OpenStack software controls large pools of compute, storage, and networking resources throughout a datacenter, managed through a dashboard or via the OpenStack API. OpenStack works with popular enterprise and open source technologies making it ideal for heterogeneous infrastructure.

OpenStack lets users deploy virtual machines and other instances that handle different tasks for managing a cloud environment on the fly. It makes horizontal scaling easy, which means that tasks that benefit from running concurrently can easily serve more or fewer users on the fly by just spinning up more instances. For example, a mobile application that needs to communicate with a remote server might be able to divide the work of communicating with each user across many different instances, all communicating with one another but scaling quickly and easily as the application gains more users.

Hundreds of the world’s largest brands rely on OpenStack to run their businesses every day, reducing costs and helping them move faster. OpenStack has a strong ecosystem, and users seeking commercial support can choose from different OpenStack-powered products and services in the Marketplace.

We offer OpenStack For Engineers Training Course, Check out our course

OpenStack for Engineers

References

https://www.rackspace.com/openstack

https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/openstack.html

https://opensource.com/resources/what-is-openstack

https://www.openstack.org/