Using Terraform with Cisco Modeling Labs to construct network simulati

[nathanmonteyne0]

Hi All,

So I'm working on a learning and testing setup using CML with the goal of constructing network simulation to test network automation. The Idea is inspired by content from Daniel Dib.

Initial objective
My objective is intentionally simple and focused on topology automation:

- two rotuers
- Two switches
- Routers and switches connected
- all devices connected to a management network
- The management network connected to an external connector

My question for this lab would be to you guys.
Would this approach work in the CML sandbox environment? or is this limited to self-hosted CML?
Also trying to keep this CML minded but would this also work EVE-NG?

Follow up for different labs SD-Access and SD-WAN

in addition to this lab I'd like to explore SD-Access and SD-WAN environments mainly as a learning exercise
My current understanding is that terraform should be limited to topology creation only(Devices,links, management connectivity) and it should not be used for example the SD-Access stuff like fabric creation VN assignment fabric roles same general principle applies to SD-WAN, where controllers should own intent rather than Terraform.
Please correct me if this understanding is wrong.

That said, I'm still figuring out what a good learning objective should be for SD-Access and SD-WAN labs:

- I haven't worked much with SD-WAN
- I have some SD-Access exposure, but I'm not sure what makes sense to intentionally test or validate in a lab like this

My questions about this:
1. Is my understanding of terraform vs controller responsibilities correct?
2. For learning purposes, what are realistic and useful goals for SD-Access and SD-WAN labs built in CML?
3. Are there any common pitfalls when trying to combine these two?

Thanks in advance for the lessons learned and guidance.

[bigevilbeard]

I think at some stage everyone in their network career has been inspired by Daniel Dib!

In answer to the question tho, it looks pretty good, great idea to use TF for the "physical" underlay and then leave the controllers for the "logical" intent.. For the CML SBX, this works well for testing but note lacks persistence (once you tear this down or your reservation ends, its gone!), whereas if you have CML-P or EVE-NG running local, this setup allows you to keep your topology indefinitely. CML has an official Terraform provider, EVE-NG requires using its API or from what i read the community driven providers to achieve the same result (please check this, no expert here, this is Google Fu)

For your learning goals, I would for sure focus on bootstrap/ztp for SDWAN and the router handoff for SDA, as these are the most critical integration points, but just be aware that SD-WAN and SDA controllers require massive RAM; you may need to run the controllers on a separate server and only host the edge nodes inside your simulation. This will not be possible in the CML SBX!

Hope this helps!