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Collect Configs with Ansible
Level beginner
Repo https://github.com/NetAutLabs/ansible_collect_configs
Discussion Discussion GitHub Repo
Codespaces GitHub Codespaces
NOSs VyOS, Nokia SR Linux

In this lab, you will write an Ansible playbook to back up configurations of network devices. You will work with a provided topology of four routers set up with Netlab. The inventory is preconfigured to get you started quickly.

Tip

The lab can be run with GitHub Codespaces. For information on how to run the netlab topology on your infrastructure, take a look at netlab.

Inventory

The inventory is prepared, but if you change the device types or the topology, you will need to update the inventory accordingly. You can inspect the inventory using ansible-inventory.

ansible-inventory -i inventory.yaml --graph --vars
@all:
  |--@ungrouped:
  |--@routers:
  |  |--@vyos:
  |  |  |--r1
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_host = 192.168.121.101}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_network_os = vyos}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_ssh_pass = vyos}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_user = vyos}
  |  |  |--r3
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_host = 192.168.121.103}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_network_os = vyos}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_ssh_pass = vyos}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_user = vyos}
  |  |  |--{ansible_network_os = vyos}
  |  |  |--{ansible_ssh_pass = vyos}
  |  |  |--{ansible_user = vyos}
  |  |--@srlinux:
  |  |  |--r2
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_connection = ansible.netcommon.httpapi}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_host = 192.168.121.102}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_network_os = nokia.srlinux.srlinux}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_password = NokiaSrl1!}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_user = admin}
  |  |  |--r4
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_connection = ansible.netcommon.httpapi}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_host = 192.168.121.104}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_network_os = nokia.srlinux.srlinux}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_password = NokiaSrl1!}
  |  |  |  |--{ansible_user = admin}
  |  |  |--{ansible_connection = ansible.netcommon.httpapi}
  |  |  |--{ansible_network_os = nokia.srlinux.srlinux}
  |  |  |--{ansible_password = NokiaSrl1!}
  |  |  |--{ansible_user = admin}

Setup

To interact with the virtual devices, you need to start the topology located in the "netlab" directory. From the main directory, you can use the shortcut command make setup to initiate it. To tear down the lab, use make destroy. If you have the necessary expertise, you can edit the netlab topology, such as changing the Network Operating Systems (NOSs).

Playbook

The goal of the exercise is to write an Ansible playbook that automates the backup of all router configurations in the provided topology. The Discussions on the GitHub Repo can be used to discuss the lab and your solutions.

For many NOSs Ansible collections exist. For example: