E-Learning: Programming for Network Engineers - CPLL (PRNE-CPLL)

Learn how to manage a network more efficiently with Network Programmability. This course is designed for Network Engineers looking to use Network Programming to simplify or automate their tasks. It covers the fundamentals of Python programming within the context of performing functions relevant to network engineers.

This Cisco self-paced course is designed with interactivity in mind — through hands-on labs, review questions, and summary challenges Gamification features such as badges and leaderboard provide social visibility and motivation to perform better.

Exam:Not Applicable

Certification: Not Applicable

Duration: The PRNE Training on Demand course is a self-paced course based on the 1-day instructor-led training version. It consists of 16 sections of instructor video and text, totaling more than 7 hours of instruction along with interactive activities, 27 hands-on lab exercises, content review questions, and challenge questions

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Describe use cases and examples of the value of network programmability
• Acquire a full complement of Python programming skills — basics, data structures, control structures, comparison operators, input and output, structured programming, object-oriented programming, etc.
• Use Python to communicate to individual network devices, using examples of real networking communication and operations
• Use Python to communicate to multiple devices
• Use Object-Oriented Programming within Python to abstract network devices
• Use databases within a network-based application to store information about the network
• Use test methodologies to create quality applications
• Leverage software available via open source and existing libraries e.g. Cisco GitHub, Cisco DevNet, Python general-purpose and Cisco-specific libraries, NX-API

Network Programmability

• Types of Network Programmability
• CLI versus NETCONF
• Standalone versus controller
• Leveraging Existing Code

Your First Network Program

• Program Functionality
• Program Walkthrough
• Complete Program
• Running Your First Program

Python Overview

• Programming Languages
• Python
• Installing Python
• Running Python

Creating Your First Python Program

• "Hello Device" Application
• Numbers, Strings and Variables
• Code Blocks: Indentation
• Commenting Your Code
• Pydoc Autodocumentation Generation
• Create a Reuseable Application

Reading and Writing

• Input/Ouput Basics
• Reading from a File
• Read Information from a File
• Reading from stdin
• Writing to a File
• Write Information to a File

Communicating with Network Devices

• Communicating via CLI
• Telnet Connection
• Telnet to a Network Device
• SSH Connection
• Establish an SSH Connection

Python Data Structures

• List Basics
• List Copying
• List Iteration
• Lists with Other Data Structures
• List Comprehensions
• Dictionaries
• Find, Modify, Add and Delete Items in a Dictionary
• Advanced Dictionary Functions
• Using Lists and Dictionaries
• Tuples
• Named Tuples
• Sets
• Prining Data Structures
• Using Tuples and Sets

Comparing Network Information

• Simple Comparisons
• Complex Comparisons
• Regular Expressions
• Creating Comparisons

Conditional Code

• IF Statement
• ELSE and ELIF
• Advanced IF Statements
• Using Conditionals with Network Devices

Looping with for and while

• for Loops
• For Loops with Data Structures
• Using Range
• while Loop
• Using Loops
• Looping Control
• Nested Loops
• elseCommand in for or while Loops
• Using break and continue
• Tabulate and Print Rutes Per Interface

Functions

• Function Definition Example
• Scope
• Function Parameters
• Default Values
• Creating Functions
• Returning Values
• Creating FunctionsThat Return Values

Object-Orientated Programming

• Terminology
• Classes and Objects
• Attributes
• Methods
• Creating Classes and Objects

Object-Orientated Programming: Classes

• Inheritance
• Composition
• Defining Classes
• Encapsulation
• Defining Child Classes

 Modules and Packages

• Modules
• Creating a Module
• Importing a Module
• Using Modules
• Packages
• Creating a Package
• Using Packages
• Importing a Module from a Package

Python and Data Storage

• CSV Files
• JSON Files
• Binary Files
• Reading and Writing Structured Files
• Using Database for Storing Networking Data
• Reading and Writing Database Files
• Storing Traffic Data 

Debugging, Testing and Logging

• Debugging
• Debugging a Network Application
• Unit Testing
• Unit Testing a Network Applications
• Logging
• Logging Communication with Network Devices

Attendees should meet the following prerequisites:

• Experience with network management (CCNA-level recommended)