Deploying Device Configurations

netlab Ansible playbooks deploy configurations through device-specific task lists and templates. When adding a new device type, you’ll have to create either a generic deploy configuration task list and a bunch of configuration templates, or a task list for every module supported by the device (plus the initial configuration).

You can also mix-and-match the two approaches. For example, you could have a generic deploy configuration task list, but use a separate list of tasks for initial configuration.

Search Paths

The Ansible playbooks used by netlab initial command try to find device-specific task lists or templates using netlab_device_type or ansible_network_os (when netlab_device_type is missing) Ansible variable, including a combination with netlab_provider (for provider-specific configuration). These variables are usually defined as device group variables in system settings.

Ansible playbooks use the following search path to find configuration templates:

  • templates in current directory

  • ~/.netlab/templates

  • netsim/ansible/templates Python package directory

Within these directories, Ansible playbooks try to find one of these Jinja2 templates (config_module is set to initial for initial device configuration):

- "{{ config_module }}/{{netlab_device_type}}-{{ netlab_provider }}.j2"
- "{{ config_module }}/{{netlab_device_type}}.j2"
- "{{ config_module }}/{{ansible_network_os}}-{{ netlab_provider }}.j2"
- "{{ config_module }}/{{ansible_network_os}}.j2"

After finding the Jinja2 template, the initial configuration deployment playbook tries to find device/module-specific Ansible task list within netsim/ansible/tasks Python package directory to deploy the configuration (config_module is set to initial for initial device configuration):

- "{{netlab_device_type}}/{{ config_module }}-{{ netlab_provider }}.yml"
- "{{netlab_device_type}}/{{ config_module }}.yml"
- "deploy-config/{{netlab_device_type}}-{{ netlab_provider }}.yml"
- "deploy-config/{{netlab_device_type}}.yml"
- "{{ansible_network_os}}/{{ config_module }}-{{ netlab_provider }}.yml"
- "{{ansible_network_os}}/{{ config_module }}.yml"
- "deploy-config/{{ansible_network_os}}-{{ netlab_provider }}.yml"
- "deploy-config/{{ansible_network_os}}.yml"

Finding Custom Configuration Templates

The following paths are searched when looking for custom configuration templates specified in config list or through a plugin:

  • Current directory (custom configuration templates and user plugins)

  • ~/.netlab directory (custom configuration templates and user plugins)

  • netsim/extra directory (system plugins)

When looking for a custom configuration template in the above search path, the following names are tried (config is the name of custom configuration template or directory):

- "{{ config + '/' + inventory_hostname + '.' + netlab_device_type + '-' + netlab_provider + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '/' + inventory_hostname + '.' + netlab_device_type + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '/' + inventory_hostname + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '/' + netlab_device_type + '-' + netlab_provider + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '/' + netlab_device_type + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '/' + ansible_network_os + '-' + netlab_provider + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '/' + ansible_network_os + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '.' + inventory_hostname + '.' + netlab_device_type + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '.' + inventory_hostname + '.' + ansible_network_os + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '.' + inventory_hostname + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '.' + netlab_device_type + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config + '.' + ansible_network_os + '.j2' }}"
- "{{ config }}"
- "{{ config + '.j2' }}"

The custom configuration could be deployed via a dedicated task list or via generic configuration deployment task list (see above). The deployment process uses this search path:

- "{{ lookup('env','PWD') }}/{{ custom_config }}/deploy-{{ inventory_hostname }}.yml"
- "{{ lookup('env','PWD') }}/{{ custom_config }}/deploy.{{ netlab_device_type }}-{{ netlab_provider }}.yml"
- "{{ lookup('env','PWD') }}/{{ custom_config }}/deploy.{{ netlab_device_type }}.yml"
- "{{ lookup('env','PWD') }}/{{ custom_config }}/deploy.{{ ansible_network_os }}-{{ netlab_provider }}.yml"
- "{{ lookup('env','PWD') }}/{{ custom_config }}/deploy.{{ ansible_network_os }}.yml"
- "{{ lookup('env','PWD') }}/{{ custom_config }}/deploy.yml"
- "../../extra/{{ custom_config }}/deploy.{{ netlab_device_type }}-{{ netlab_provider }}.yml"
- "../../extra/{{ custom_config }}/deploy.{{ netlab_device_type }}.yml"
- "deploy-config/{{netlab_device_type}}-{{ netlab_provider }}.yml"
- "deploy-config/{{netlab_device_type}}.yml"
- "../../extra/{{ custom_config }}/deploy.{{ ansible_network_os }}-{{ netlab_provider }}.yml"
- "../../extra/{{ custom_config }}/deploy.{{ ansible_network_os }}.yml"
- "deploy-config/{{ansible_network_os}}-{{ netlab_provider }}.yml"
- "deploy-config/{{ansible_network_os}}.yml"
- "../missing.yml"

Ansible Variables

The following Ansible variables are set before a device-specific task list is executed:

  • config_template – configuration template name (warning: the presence of configuration template might not be checked)

  • netsim_action – action currently being executed (initial, module name, or custom configuration name)

  • config_module – name of currently-deployed module (present only in the module configuration deployment phase of netlab initial)

  • custom_config – name of currently-deployed custom configuration (present only in the custom configuration deployment phase of netlab initial)

Sample Configuration Deployment Task Lists

Most network devices need a minimal configuration deployment task list, for example (Cisco IOS):

- cisco.ios.ios_config:
    src: "{{ config_template }}"

Some deployment task lists are a bit more complex. For example, Cumulus VX/FRR configuration deployment could use bash or vtysh:

- template:
    src: "{{ config_template }}"
    dest: /tmp/config.sh
- set_fact: deployed_config={{ lookup('template',config_template) }}
- command: bash /tmp/config.sh
  when: not ansible_check_mode and ("#!/bin/bash" in deployed_config)
- command: vtysh -f /tmp/config.sh
  when: not ansible_check_mode and not ("#!/bin/bash" in deployed_config)

Mikrotik RouterOS deployment copies a configuration file to the device with scp and executes an import command on the device:

- local_action:
    module: tempfile
    state: file
    suffix: temp
    prefix: ansible.{{ inventory_hostname }}.
  register: tempfile_1

- local_action:
    module: template
    src: "{{ config_template }}"
    dest: "{{ tempfile_1.path }}"

- local_action:
    module: command
    cmd: "scp -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -i {{ lookup('env', 'HOME') }}/.vagrant.d/insecure_private_key {{ tempfile_1.path }} vagrant@{{ ansible_host }}:config.rsc"

- routeros_command:
    commands: /import config.rsc

- local_action:
    module: file
    path: "{{ tempfile_1.path }}"
    state: absent
  when: tempfile_1.path is defined

You’ll find even more complex examples in deploy-config/srlinux.yml and deploy-config/sros.yml

Mixing Task Lists and Configuration Templates

Nexus OS configurations usually use configuration templates. deploy-config/nxos.yml task list is as trivial as Cisco IOS one:

- cisco.nxos.nxos_config:
    src: "{{ config_template }}"

Unfortunately, the Nexus 9300v linecards become active almost a minute after the device boot is completed. We could check whether the Ethernet interfaces are present every time a configuration template is deployed on Nexus 9300v; a more streamlined approach uses a separate task list for initial device configuration in nxos/initial.yml:

- name: Wait for Eth1/1 to appear
  cisco.nxos.nxos_command:
    commands:
    - show interface brief
    wait_for:
    - result[0] contains Eth1
    interval: 5
    retries: 20

- cisco.nxos.nxos_config:
    src: "{{ config_template }}"