DO457 – Network Automation with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform — Lesson 1: Network Automation Architecture, Inventories, Credentials, Connectivity, and Facts

Learning Objectives

• Interpret the architecture, dependencies, and expected behavior of AAP architecture, network inventories, and credentials.
• Apply connectivity and network facts while preserving reviewable technical evidence.
• Recognize and correct the risk where a hidden prerequisite causes the first configuration step to produce an incomplete result.

Detailed Topics

• AAP architecture: apply the concept to a network operations team automating configuration and compliance through Ansible Automation Platform, record the relevant settings or decisions, and explain the operational consequence.
• network inventories: apply the concept to a network operations team automating configuration and compliance through Ansible Automation Platform, record the relevant settings or decisions, and explain the operational consequence.
• credentials: apply the concept to a network operations team automating configuration and compliance through Ansible Automation Platform, record the relevant settings or decisions, and explain the operational consequence.
• connectivity: apply the concept to a network operations team automating configuration and compliance through Ansible Automation Platform, record the relevant settings or decisions, and explain the operational consequence.
• network facts: apply the concept to a network operations team automating configuration and compliance through Ansible Automation Platform, record the relevant settings or decisions, and explain the operational consequence.

Instructor Demonstration

The instructor demonstrates network automation architecture, inventories, credentials, connectivity, and facts by tracing the relevant architecture, commands, configuration, messages, and evidence. The walkthrough highlights how a hidden prerequisite causes the first configuration step to produce an incomplete result and shows how to isolate the cause without masking dependent issues.

Hands-On Exercise

Build a baseline and capture the initial state for Network Automation Architecture, Inventories, Credentials, Connectivity, and Facts. Add verified outcomes to the network automation project, controller workflow, compliance evidence, and operational runbook.

1. Confirm the scope, versions, access, dependencies, and success criteria.
2. Perform the workflow while recording commands, settings, output, and platform events.
3. Test one expected case and one controlled exception specific to this lesson.
4. Retest the correction and document ownership, rollback, and follow-up actions.

Scenario Analysis

• Identify which dependency most strongly influences AAP architecture in the stated scenario.
• Compare two approaches for connectivity and explain the security, reliability, and support trade-offs.
• Decide what evidence must be retained in the network automation project, controller workflow, compliance evidence, and operational runbook before operational acceptance.

Troubleshooting Guidance

Begin with the first observable difference from the expected result. Check architecture, access, dependencies, and starting conditions separately, then correlate logs, events, commands, and configuration history. Do not accept the initial assumption that a hidden prerequisite causes the first configuration step to produce an incomplete result; confirm the cause with a reproducible retest.

Validation Checklist

• The required architecture, access, dependencies, and starting conditions were checked and recorded.
• The normal path and a course-specific exception were tested.
• The network automation project, controller workflow, compliance evidence, and operational runbook links conclusions to commands, configuration, logs, or other objective evidence.
• Corrective actions, rollback steps, ownership, and handover notes are complete.

Lesson Outcome

Learners can apply Network Automation Architecture, Inventories, Credentials, Connectivity, and Facts, explain the observed Red Hat platform behavior, and support the result with a reviewable network automation project, controller workflow, compliance evidence, and operational runbook.