Automating Netlab-Based Cisco SD-WAN Deployment

Key Takeaways

• Netlab lacks native Cisco SD-WAN support.
• Open-source repo automates SD-WAN after netlab lab launch.
• Solution uses JSON/YAML inputs and Ansible outputs.
• Enables rapid Cisco SD-WAN testing without vendor lock‑in.
• Community can extend netlab with custom automation scripts.

Pulse Analysis

Netlab is an open‑source platform that generates network topologies from declarative JSON or YAML files and produces ready‑to‑run Ansible playbooks. Its design philosophy deliberately avoids embedding vendor‑specific modules, keeping the core lightweight and portable. While this approach simplifies generic lab creation, it also means that emerging technologies such as Cisco’s SD‑WAN are not covered out of the box. Engineers who need to prototype SD‑WAN scenarios therefore face a manual, error‑prone process of stitching together configuration scripts and device images.

To bridge that gap, Sebastien d’Argoeuves published an automation repository on GitHub that triggers Cisco SD‑WAN deployment immediately after a netlab lab is instantiated. The tool parses the netlab topology file, extracts device roles, and feeds the information into a set of Ansible playbooks tailored for Cisco vEdge and vSmart controllers. By leveraging the same JSON/YAML schema that netlab already uses, the solution requires no additional learning curve and can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines for continuous testing. The result is a fully provisioned SD‑WAN environment in minutes rather than hours.

The community‑driven nature of this project underscores a broader trend: open‑source frameworks are becoming the backbone for rapid network innovation. By decoupling lab orchestration from vendor‑specific code, engineers can experiment with multi‑vendor SD‑WAN designs, benchmark performance, and validate security policies without licensing constraints. As more contributors adopt the repository, additional features such as automated firmware upgrades or integration with monitoring tools are likely to emerge. Ultimately, this approach lowers the barrier to entry for organizations seeking to evaluate Cisco SD‑WAN or compare it against competing solutions.