7 Automating Network Operations Free Online FlashCards

What are the five stages of a safe network automation workflow?

Discover and select, assess, plan, apply, then verify and record.

What distinguishes desired state from observed state?

Desired state is the intended configuration or condition; observed state is what the network currently has.

How do YANG, NETCONF, and RESTCONF relate in network automation?

YANG models configuration and state data. NETCONF and RESTCONF can expose modeled data and operations.

What information should a network inventory contain?

It records managed devices and useful attributes such as hostname, management address, platform, software version, site, role, and support group.

Why should inventory be reconciled before a network change?

An incorrect target list can make an otherwise correct playbook cause a widespread outage.

Why run compliance checks in audit mode before automatic correction?

Run checks in audit mode first to identify and review differences before enabling automatic correction.

How should intentional compliance exceptions be managed?

Exceptions should be documented, limited in scope, and time-limited.

How should network configuration backups be protected and identified?

Store them centrally with device identity, collection time, software context, and change reference; restrict access and encrypt storage and transport.

Does having a configuration backup prove that recovery is possible?

No. Restoration may depend on compatible software, dependencies, credentials, or a staged recovery procedure; restoration should be tested.

What should a network change record specify?

It should state the purpose, affected devices and services, proposed difference, risk, validation steps, approval, maintenance window, and recovery approach.

How should a network change be deployed in stages?

Preview and validate the change, apply it to a lab, canary, or small group, verify configuration and service behavior, then expand in batches with stop conditions.

What does Terraform's plan command do, and why recheck its output?

It previews proposed actions before they are applied. Recheck the plan before application because the real infrastructure may have changed since the preview.