Nornir The Python Automation Framework

Nornir Training – Learn the Python Automation
Framework
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What is Nornir?
The Nornir Python automation framework is written in Python and designed to be used for network
automation tasks. It is much faster and gives you more exibility than it’s friend Ansible.
Ansible, which is also written in Python is currently the most popular network automation tool in use today
but it does have some limitations which Nornir has been written to address.
If you want to know the differences between Nornir
and Ansible, in this video I try to answer the very
common question of Get my Free guide on
“Nornir vs Ansible“ Whichgetting
is best?started with
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Nornir allows you to utilise already tried and tested Python libraries such as Netmiko and Napalm to
perform network automation directly from Python scripts.
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You will need to be familiar with Python to use Nornir, however if you have a goodWe
appreciation of Python
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and are nding that tools like Ansible are slower than you want and are limiting you with certain tasks then
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Nornir is de nitely the tool for you. Powered By ConvertKit
Written by David Barroso with some help from Kirk Byers, Nornir allows you to use any feature available to
you within Python to perform your network automation.
You can nd all the Nornir documentation here:

https://nornir.readthedocs.io/en/latest
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If you want to learn NornirNetwork Automation
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entire contents of this blog post are covered in this
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In this Nornir demo I will take you from the very beginning. We will install Nornir, con gure all
the dependencies and run your rst task.
If you are looking for a Nornir training course check the link below.
Nornir Course
Network Automation
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How to install Nornir Send me the guide
Nornir needs to be installed on Linux and for this tutorial I am using an Ubuntu 18.04 desktop
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You simply run the command pip3 install nornir Powered By ConvertKit
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Installing Nornir the Python Automation Framework using pip3 install nornir We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe
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Once it’s installed you can verify it’s there with the command pip3 freeze which will list all yourByinstalled
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libraries.
nornir==2.4.0 should be there (or later version)
Now we have Nornir installed we need to setup a few things. We need to create four les.
defaults.yml
groups.yml
hosts.yml
con g.yml
You can download the les here from my Github Network Automation
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Let’s start with con g.yml this le contains all the information about where the other three les are and you
also specify how many hosts you want Nornir to hit at once. Your email address
For this tutorial I have created a folder called Nornir on my machine and we will create the con g.yml in the
root of that folder. Send me the guide

## Nornir Config File at anytime.
---
core:
num_workers: 100
inventory:
plugin: "nornir.plugins.inventory.simple.SimpleInventory"
options:
host_file: "/inventory/hosts.yml"
group_file: "/inventory/groups.yml"
defaults_file: "/inventory/defaults.yml"
You will need to change the le path if you have your les elsewhere. Network Automation
Within this le the num_workers speci es how many devices you want Nornir to connect to at once.
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Then the inventory plugin is de ned and under the options you specify where the Your
other three les are.
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Then I have created a folder called inventory where I have the other three les.
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Nornir hosts.yaml We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe

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One of the most important les within Nornir is the inventory or hosts le, this lists all thePowered
devices that you
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want to connect to and is written in YAML. Inventory management is a big feature of Nornir!
I have saved the le as hosts.yml
The example le below contains 2 devices.
# Nornir Hosts File

---
CSR1:
hostname: 192.168.1.220
groups: Get my Free guide on

- CSR_Routers Network Automation
CSR2:
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hostname: 192.168.1.221
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groups:
- CSR_Routers
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This le contains the bare minimum you need to run Nornir which is a hostname and a group. I have
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de ned a group called CSR_Routers and put both routers in that group
Nornir groups.yaml
The next le is groups.yml in this le you can specify data that is relevant to that group. Nornir operates a
very hierarchical structure so values are inherited down so anything in defaults affects all devices, and then
anything in groups affects devices in that group only.
My groups le looks like this
## Nornir Groups File
---
CSR_Routers:
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data:
ntp: Your rst name
servers:
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- 1.1.1.1
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I have only speci ed one piece of data an NTP server
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Nornir defaults.yaml Powered By ConvertKit
The nal le is the defaults.yml
This le contains all the information that is relevant to all devices. Any value in here can be overridden by
specifying it lower down the tree i.e in the groups le or even down to a host le level.
My defaults le contains the platform and username and password.
## Nornir Defaults File

---
platform: ios
username: roger getting started with
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password: cisco
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So that’s it! We have all the les created let’s see if it works?
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For this example I am using EVE-NG which is running 5 x CSR Routers
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Nornir Example
Now whilst you could do all of this with pure Python and use the libraries Netmiko and Napalm yourself.
Nornir takes all the hard work out of that and lets you use Python but within a framework
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bene t from the inventory and the native use of Netmiko behind the scenes. getting started with
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This gives you the bene t of using Python for Network Automation within theYour
Nornir Framework
rst name
which gives you the bene ts of inventory and connection handling.
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So now we have all the pieces in place we need one more le and that is the Python script we are going to
run. Send me the guide

Let’s create that – I am going to call mine start.py this is saved in my Nornir directory.
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This le will reference the con g.yml le we created earlier, import a few libraries and then runBythe
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commands we want using Netmiko
from nornir import InitNornir
nr = InitNornir("config.yml")
from nornir.plugins.tasks.networking import netmiko_send_command
from nornir.plugins.functions.text import print_result
result = nr.run(netmiko_send_command, command_string="sh ip int brief")
print_result(result)
This le imports the relevant libraries from Nornir and then speci es the commands we are going to send
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to our routers. In this case sh ip int brief
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So running this Python script will do a sh ip int brief on each router and then print the results to the screen.
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Let’s drop into our command line and run the Python script!
Just type python3 start.py and you should see this Send me the guide

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Network Automation
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Frequently asked questions Send me the guide
What is Nornir?
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Nornir is a Python Automation Framework, it utilises already established Python libraries like Netmiko and
Napalm to perform network automation tasks. Allowing you to focus on writing Python scripts for your
tasks, whilst letting Nornir take care of the inventory and connectivity for devices.
Is Nornir better than Ansible?

Nornir is faster than Ansible and gives you more exibility as you are writing tasks directly in Python. To
say if it’s better than Ansible is a matter of opinion and dependant on your skills with Python. Ansible is
easier to use and get started with but as you progress
What does a network automation engineer
Get do?
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Network engineers of the future are going to have to become pro cient in using Python,
NetworkGit,Automation
Nornir Ansible
and to learn coding to be able to do their jobs. A network automation engineer is someone who has
embraced these skills and is using them in their daily job to improve ef ciency andYour
productivity
rst name when
con guring network devices.

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Conclusion Send me the guide
So hopefully at this point you should have been able to connect to a few devices and run a your
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About Roger Perkin

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Currently based in the UK working for a Cisco Gold Partner as a Senior Network & Security
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Serena Martin says
March 23, 2020 at 6:22 am
This provided information is really so nice, thanks for giving this post and the more skills to develop
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Mithun says
September 10, 2020 at 12:44 am
do you have the full course for nornir
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Roger Perkin says

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September 11, 2020 at 9:56 am
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Hi Mithun, I am currently recording it. Should be completed by the end of September 2020
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Hi I'm Roger.
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Nornir Training – Learn the Python Automation

Your rst name

Your email address

Send me the guide

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe

If you want to know the differences between Nornir

Your rst name

Your email address

Nornir is de nitely the tool for you. Powered By ConvertKit

You can nd all the Nornir documentation here:

Your email address

Send me the guide

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe

If you like learning by reading scroll down! Powered By ConvertKit

Your rst name

Your email address

How to install Nornir Send me the guide

Your rst name

Your email address

Send me the guide

nornir==2.4.0 should be there (or later version)

Your rst name

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe

Send me the guide

Nornir hosts.yaml We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe

I have saved the le as hosts.yml

The example le below contains 2 devices.

# Nornir Hosts File

groups: Get my Free guide on

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe

My groups le looks like this

ntp: Your rst name

Send me the guide

Nornir defaults.yaml Powered By ConvertKit

The nal le is the defaults.yml

My defaults le contains the platform and username and password.

## Nornir Defaults File

Your rst name

Send me the guide

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe

commands we want using Netmiko

from nornir import InitNornir

from nornir.plugins.tasks.networking import netmiko_send_command

from nornir.plugins.functions.text import print_result

result = nr.run(netmiko_send_command, command_string="sh ip int brief")

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Your rst name

Your email address

Frequently asked questions Send me the guide

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe

Is Nornir better than Ansible?

con guring network devices.

Conclusion Send me the guide

command using Nornir! at anytime.

Filed Under: Network Automation with Python

About Roger Perkin

Your email address

Send me the guide

Get started with Network Automation We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any

Your rst name

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