Benefits of Leveraging Ansible for Cisco IOS XE Automation

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Ansible is an open-source automation tool that can be used to automate the configuration and management of network devices, including Cisco IOS XE Software. The benefits of using Ansible for automation of Cisco IOS XE Software are as follows:

A. Ansible playbooks are packaged and installed on IOS XE devices for automatic execution when an IOS device reboots: This means that Ansible can be used to configure a device before it is fully operational, ensuring that the device is configured correctly from the moment it comes online. Additionally, because the playbooks are installed on the device itself, there is no need to rely on external tools or resources for configuration management.

B. All IOS XE operating systems include Ansible playbooks for basic system administration tasks: These pre-built playbooks can be used as a starting point for configuring a new device, saving time and effort. The playbooks are specifically designed to work with IOS XE, which means that they are optimized for the platform and take full advantage of its features and capabilities.

C. It is a device-independent method for automation and can be used with any type of device or operating system: Ansible is a platform-agnostic automation tool that can be used to configure and manage a wide range of devices and operating systems. This makes it a powerful tool for organizations that have heterogeneous IT environments, as it allows them to standardize their automation processes across all platforms.

D. Ansible playbooks can be written from the IOS XE EXEC command line to configure the device itself: This feature allows network administrators to use familiar command-line interfaces to configure and manage network devices. Additionally, because Ansible playbooks are written in YAML, which is a human-readable format, network administrators can easily understand and modify the configuration files without the need for specialized training.

E. It does not require any modules of software except SSH to be loaded on the network device: Ansible communicates with network devices using SSH, which is a standard protocol that is supported by most network devices. This means that there is no need to install any additional software or modules on the network device, which reduces the risk of configuration errors and simplifies the automation process.