How do you improve network automation script performance?

That’s absolutely correct. In fact, I would follow the same approach while developing the network automation script. Tools are essential part of writing automation. I prefer python programming language which comes with wide range modules already available which makes automation engineer life easier while developing scripting.

Improving the performance of network automation scripts is essential to ensure efficient and reliable network management. Optimize code efficiency, minimize redundancy, and use appropriate data structures. Implement parallel and asynchronous processing for faster execution. Utilize caching and memoization to save time and resources. Optimize network device configurations to reduce latency. Handle errors gracefully and log them for troubleshooting. Efficiently parse data from network device responses. Minimize unnecessary network traffic and resource consumption. Continuously test, profile, and benchmark scripts for improvements. Choose the right tools and consider hardware upgrades if needed.

One thing I always focus on is the automation border. From my perspective We shouldn't automate everything. Although Automation can have multiple advantages in terms of ease of use and performance(in some cases) but We can not cancel the human presence. So the goals should really be reasonable and achievable in a stable manner

Identifying goals and objectives is the most crucial element of automation while choosing tools, methods, and frameworks is secondary when it comes to efficiency. One of the main general focal points of automation is increased efficiency. However, being picky on particular tools a d methods could halt the process and delay deployment of the automation processes. In many cases, especially at medium sized companies, it comes down to utilizing existing tools and resources to create and maintain the automation processes in a timely manner. It's critical for automation engineers to be versatile and have the ability to adapt to changing environments.

Every little goal must be approached with a plan and design. The same goes for script writing. There is always an intent of what you want to achieve with a script. My approach is to logically categorise each step in modules, then write a script to accomplish each. There are different automation frameworks (Nornir, netmiko, etc) that best suit ones use as the need arises. After which CI/CD is employed to continually fine-tune to make the script better by adopting scripting standards. Well, for me, this is it.

Choosing the right language and tools for network automation is like picking the best tool for a job. Python is a popular choice for its simplicity, flexibility, and a wealth of resources. Ansible offers an easier, high-level approach, while Puppet and Chef focus on configuration management. Consider what suits your network, your team's skills, and how easy it is to scale and maintain. Ensure the language or framework aligns with your specific needs, like device compatibility and customization, to make your network automation efforts smoother and more effective.

I will say writing a very clean and consistent code is the most essential part of improving your network automation script performance and avoiding errors and bugs. Moreover, to achieve this, as a programmer you need to use meaningful and descriptive variable names, comments, and documentation. Following the above writeups, I want to believe you will surely improve your network automation script performance

Compiled Code could be used for Intensive Tasks: If there are parts of your script that are particularly CPU-intensive, consider writing those parts in a compiled language like C or Rust and then calling them from your script.

Selecting the appropriate programming language and tools for network automation is akin to selecting the most suitable tool for a particular task. Python is a widely favored option due to its straightforwardness, adaptability, and abundant resources. Ansible provides a user-friendly, high-level approach, whereas Puppet and Chef concentrate on configuration management. It's essential to contemplate what aligns with the specifics of your network, the skill set of your team, and the ease of scalability and maintenance. Ensuring that the chosen language or framework aligns with your precise requirements, such as device compatibility and customization, will contribute to a more seamless and efficient network automation endeavor.

Majority of the networking scripts are written in Python. This is due to couple of reasons 1. Better support of SSH into devices though Paramiko or sensible. 2. Output from devices, being non-structured is easy to parse in a non-compiled language like Python. 3. Since the tooling is normally not revenue making, it's an acceptable tradeoff to use Python which has a slower runtime vs something like Go.

This is obvious! Programmers may retire/transfer or may quit the job but the script will remain there. So, there should be proper and standard documentation and inline comments to explain the section of code. It will make the code easy to read and understand as well as modify when needed.

I totally agree with this and of course for betterment you have to give proper time and with regularity. Often people start with very high enthusiasm but many failed with the same energy. If your energy level will maintain for long periods it will enriched in many ways 💯.

I agree. However, the code should be built based on clear and standard architecture. Be organized and do your best to avoid spaghetti code.

This is self-evident! Programmers may retire, move on to different positions, or leave their jobs, but the script will persist. Therefore, it is imperative to have thorough and standardized documentation along with inline comments that elucidate various sections of the code. This practice not only enhances the code's readability and comprehensibility but also facilitates future modifications when necessary.

Some ways to achieve this - Readability of the code is equally important as it would help future programmers fix bug or extend the code - Use of test driven development to verify the behavior of the code before deploying to production - Use comments to justify decision in the code.

If your script is polling devices or systems for information, ensure you're not polling too frequently or retrieving more data than necessary. Instead, consider event-driven approaches where possible. Also ensure that you're using the latest versions of any libraries or frameworks. Developers often make performance improvements in newer releases. Also, some libraries are inherently faster than others, so consider switching if there's a more efficient option.

It is a continuous process. Nothing is perfect in this world except for God! So, engineers may need to modify, update, and optimize the scripts more often. Even a work of 20 years may require another 2 years of modification to make it more simplified and optimized. In some cases, the entire script might need to be replaced with new and latest technology upgrades

Some way to achieve this - Use asynchronous communication for network devices rather than polling as it's faster. - Use event-driven architecture to do certain tasks. This can be as simple as SNMP hooks. For example, when an interface goes down, the tooling can automatically consume the hook to bounce it. - Use lazy evaluation techniques to reduce memory footprint of the code.

Although optimization is a great goal but it takes time. Efforts can be done in this matter but in the case of network automation this must be extended to include the devices too. Should this be possible then it is great. but the numerous devices found in enterprises might throttle complete optimization in my opinion

Make it simple and refine always. Refactoring is an essential process in development to ensure your code is performing well and the scale up is possible

Testing a script is essential but from my modest experience, passing heavy testing doesn't mean there won't be any problems. Although testing reduces the number of errors but there are always cases in production that surprises both developers and testers so Continuous monitoring is a must.

It is an undeniable part of practice, good practice! We always need to test. Testing makes things perfect. And you never know what will be the outcome. So it is always necessary to test a piece of code before putting it in live! What if it breaks down the entiare network and all communication stops?!

Script testing is undeniably crucial, yet based on my limited experience, successfully passing rigorous tests does not guarantee the absence of issues. While testing helps diminish the occurrence of errors, real-world production environments often present unexpected challenges that catch both developers and testers off guard. Therefore, continuous monitoring becomes imperative.

Profile and benchmark your tools to figure out the limits and dependencies that are used by tooling. One should also pack these tools as container images for easier rollback and deployment. The script should have unit tests as well as integration test in case they are a part of a bigger system

Testing through different software versions and hardware types is useful and you can eliminate the wast majority of minor or bigger bugs. But be aware that there will always be changes by vendors in their software and hardware which might break your code.

To improve network automation script performance: 1. Optimize code for efficiency. 2. Minimize network requests. 3. Use asynchronous operations. 4. Cache data when possible. 5. Reduce unnecessary logging. 6. Parallelize tasks if applicable.

The network automation script performance can be optimized through - Use of tools like Batfish to analyze the impact of the change without deploying. - Use of 2 party review system to review the intent before deploying. - Use of presubmits when sending a script for review that it's not introducing regression. - Avoid coupling the script with the deployment pipeline. - Set up monitoring pipeline to analyze the effect of change. It's extremely useful to even annotate the time of change on the dashboard itself.