Data Center Automation using Freeform

COURSE OVERVIEW

This three-day course provides students with the foundational knowledge required to work with the Juniper Apstra Freeform reference design and
to manage networks with the Juniper Apstra software. This class will provide attendees with the knowledge to build, operate, and manage a network
using the Juniper Apstra Freeform features set. Attendees will be given a background on Jinja2 templating.
The course covers the Juniper Apstra Freeform reference design and includes the designing, building, deploying, and automation of a centrally routed
and bridged, 3-stage IP fabric with Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) overlay. The course begins with a review of Jinja2 templating and goes on to
cover the relationship between configuration templates, device context, and property sets. Using this knowledge, a student will use the Juniper
Apstra user interface to instantiate a Freeform blueprint (a running network). After teaching how to use Juniper Apstra to build a running network,
the course takes the student through the process of deploying a centrally routed and bridged 3-stage IP fabric using Freeform. After deploying the
Freeform blueprint, the course reviews the operational tools for managing a system with Juniper Apstra including basic troubleshooting and day 2
operations like drain mode, adding and removing nodes from a fabric, rolling back an entire network (Time Voyager), querying the graph database,
and performing intent-based analytics (IBA).
Through demonstrations and hands-on labs, students will gain experience in configuring and monitoring a Freeform-based IP fabric using Juniper
Apstra. This course is based on Juniper Apstra Release 4.1.1.

COURSE LEVEL
Advanced-level course
OBJECTIVES
After successfully completing this course, you should be able to:
INTENDED AUDIENCE • Describe the benefits of the Freeform reference design
The primary audiences for this course are the following: • Discuss how templates are used for Junos automation
• Create Jinja2 templates
• Networking architects and operators, system • Describe how Jinja2 can be used to create Junos configurations
engineers, DevOps and IT professionals • Describe how to create a config template
• Individuals responsible for configuring, monitoring, • Perform the steps to create a running Freeform blueprint
and troubleshooting modern networks of any size • Describe the usage of device context and property sets
leveraging Junos hardware or operating systems • Explain the behavior of a central routing and bridging (CRB) DC
• Describe the configuration of a CRB-based DC
PREREQUISITES
• Describe how to define intent for the CRB use case
• Basic knowledge of Apstra, including • Describe how to use the default config templates for the CRB use case
o Navigating the global UI • Describe how to enable basic routing in the CRB use case
o Using device profiles • Describe how to enable VXLAN networks in the CRB use case
o Agent installation • Describe how to route between overlay VXLAN networks in the CRB use case
o Device management
• Perform Day 2 operations by modifying device context
o Navigating a blueprint’s UI
• Perform Day 2 operations by modifying config templates
o Using the REST API
• Use the Graph Explorer to traverse the graph datastore
• Basic knowledge of networking and data center
• Describe the function of an IBA probe
designs
• Create an IBA probe
• Understanding of Clos IP fabric
• Basic routing protocol design, configuration, and
performance
• Overlay and underlay routing designs knowledge
• Basic automation design and workflows
• An understanding of Junos device configuration via
CLI
• Strong background in Jinja templating
• Basic automation tools like Python and Ansible
• Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) knowledge is
recommended, but not required

CONTACT YOUR REGIONAL EDUCATION

SERVICES TEAM:
Americas: training-amer@juniper.net
EMEA: training-emea@juniper.net
APAC: training-apac@juniper.net

© 2022 Juniper Networks, Inc. Course content subject to change. See www.juniper.net/courses for the latest details. 1
ALL-ACCESS TRAINING PASS | ON-DEMAND TRAINING | LEARNING PATHS | CERTIFICATION RESOURCES1

Juniper Public
Data Center Automation using Freeform
COURSE CONTENTS
DAY 1 DAY 1 (contd.)

1 Course Introduction 6 Device Context and Property Sets

• Changing hostname in the UI
• Creating a more accurate topology diagram
2 Freeform Overview
• Creating property sets
• What is Freeform? • Viewing the device context
• When to use Freeform • Viewing telemetry versus intent
• Overview of building a network with Freeform • Including the junos_system.jinja and
junos_protocols.jinja config template
• System REST API calls
3 Jinja Review
• Link REST API calls
• Jinja2 Overview • Device context and property set REST API calls
• Jinja2 with Python example
• Loading templates from the file system Lab 3: Device Context and Property Sets
• Jinja2 syntax basics
• Variable expansion DAY 2
• For loops
• Conditionals 7 CRB Use Case — Overview
• Math and logic operators
• CRB theory
• Comparison and other operators
• CRB Junos configuration
• Filters
• Include directive
• Set directive 8 CRB Intent and Default Config Templates
Lab 1: Jinja Review • Steps to define your intent (systems,
hostnames, links, IP addressing, and tags)
• Importing device profiles
4 Config Templates
• Creating tags
• Global config templates • Creating internal systems
• Default config templates • Creating external systems
• Templating methodologies • Creating links
• Importing a config template • Using the default config templates
• Config template REST API calls • Creating a “root” template
• Deploying the initial blueprint

5 Deploy a Freeform Blueprint Lab 4: Creating Intent, Context, and Root Templates
for CRB
• Minimum requirements to deploy a Freeform
blueprint
• Direct config example 9 Basic Routing for CRB
• Importing device profiles
• Steps to enable basic routing
• Edit the topology
• Create property sets for AS numbers, loopback
• Design your network topology
addresses, and routing instances
• Build your network topology
• Create config template for loopback interfaces
• Verify the rendered configurations
• Create config template for routing options
• Deploy the blueprint
• Create config template for policy options
• Verify your network with the Apstra UI
• Create config template for BGP peering
Lab 2: Deploying a Freeform Blueprint • Instantiate a predefined IBA probe (BGP
flapping)

Lab 5: Basic Routing for CRB

© 2022 Juniper Networks, Inc. Course content subject to change. See www.juniper.net/courses for the latest details. 2
ALL-ACCESS TRAINING PASS | ON-DEMAND TRAINING | LEARNING PATHS | CERTIFICATION RESOURCES2

Juniper Public
Data Center Automation using Freeform
COURSE CONTENTS
DAY 2 (contd.)
DAY 3

10 L2 Overlay Networking for CRB 12 Day 2 Operations

• Steps to enable overlay VXLAN networks • Day 2 operations overview
• Create a vlan property set • Move a server by modifying a property set
• Create config template for switch options • Enable drain mode functionality by modifying
• Create config template for VXLAN overlay config templates
networks
Lab 8: Day 2 Operations
Lab 6: Layer 2 Overlay Networking for CRB

13 Graph Explorer
11 L3 Overlay Networking for CRB
• Graph datastore overview
• Steps to enable routing between VXLAN networks • Accessing the graph explorer
• Update vlan property set with IP addressing for IRB • Freeform reference design schema
interfaces • Graph of a running blueprint
• Create a subinterface property set • Using the graph explorer to find a node
• Create config template for external router facing • Querying the graph
subinterfaces
• Create config template for routing instances

Lab 7: Layer 3 Overlay Networking for CRB

14 Intent-Based Analytics Overview
• What is intent-based analytics?
• IBA probe overview
• How to create a probe
• Freeform-specific processors

15 Creating an IBA Probe

• Default probes
• Instantiating a predefined probe
• Creating a new probe

Lab 9: Creating IBA Probes

APSTRAFF01232023

© 2022 Juniper Networks, Inc. Course content subject to change. See www.juniper.net/courses for the latest details. 3
ALL-ACCESS TRAINING PASS | ON-DEMAND TRAINING | LEARNING PATHS | CERTIFICATION RESOURCES3

Juniper Public