Network Automation Project - ITQ College

Ansible - Advertise Masage of the day on Cisco-IOS network devices in a Campus design.

Basic Overview • Key Features • Contributing

Basic Overview

• This repository contains the network automation project that showcases the design, configuration, and security of a multi-branch organizational network, utilizing various technologies such as OSPF, GRE over IPsec, VLANs, and Ansible Automation playbook.

  • you can find a PPTX (slide-show) file in the doc folder for more detailed description of the project.

• The network consists of 3 branches (1 main branch and 2 secondary branches) connected via an ISP for general access. The network includes:

  • Main Branch (A):
    • Two routers (R1, R2) with OSPF for dynamic routing.
    • Distribution Switches (DSW1 and DSW2) with HSRP acting as gateways for VLANs.
    • VLANs for Business Departments, IT team, and Management.
    • DSW1 is the primary root for VLANs 10 and 99; DSW2 for VLAN 20.
  • Secondary Branches (B & C):
    • One switch and one router each, serving as DHCP servers and gateways using Router on a Stick (ROAS).

• Topology image:

Key Features

The network is equipped with the following features:

• GRE over IPsec: Provides secure tunneling between branches using point-to-point connections.

  • Dynamic routing through OSPF over the tunnel.

• Unique ISAKMP keys and IPsec profiles for each tunnel.

• OSPF (Open Shortest Path First): Used for dynamic routing between all routers in the network.

  • Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) for redundancy and efficient traffic distribution.
  • Site-to-Site (S2S) neighboring relationships established via OSPF.

• Router on a Stick (ROAS): Configured for VLANs in secondary branches, simplifying routing and gateway services.

• HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol): Provides gateway redundancy for VLANs in the main branch.

  • DSW1 as the active router for VLANs 10 and 99, DSW2 for VLAN 20.
  • Virtual IP addresses configured for gateway services with priority settings.

• LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol): Used to aggregate multiple physical links for increased bandwidth and redundancy.

• PVST (Per-VLAN Spanning Tree): Configured for loop prevention and efficient traffic management in VLANs.

• Automation with Ansible: Ansible playbooks are used to automate the advertisement of Message of the Day (MOTD) to all Cisco network devices, ensuring consistent communication across the network.

Security

• The network has multiple security measures in place to ensure stability and prevent unauthorized access:
  • Port Security: Limiting MAC addresses and enabling sticky MAC on critical ports.
  • DHCP Snooping: Prevents DHCP spoofing by ensuring only trusted ports forward DHCP offers.
  • Spanning Tree Guard Root: Protects against unwanted changes to the Root Bridge.
  • Access Control: VTY lines secured with ACLs, Telnet disabled and all devices share a consistent security policy.
  • Unused Ports: Disabled across the network to prevent unauthorized access.
  • Encryption: SSH, End-to-end encryption between routers in different branches to enhance network security.

Automation Tool

• The Message of the Day (MOTD) configuration is automated and deployed to all network devices.

• Playbook: Written in YAML format, the playbook reads from a text file containing the MOTD and applies it to all devices, saving the configuration to startup files.
• Host File Configuration: The playbook can reference individual branches or the entire network for targeted automation.

Contributing

• please feel free to contact for colaboration or if you find any issues, or just want to tell me something.
  • My Discord: mrmeeseeks404 📫
• coming up next
  • How to install & Use GNS3 and common troubleshooting.
  • More GNS3 networks using differents Dynamic Routing Protocols, such as EIGRP, BGP...