Manage and automate networks

Perfect Storm

Automatic troubleshooting of failed network devices is just one practical example of automating network processes. For example, a sensor could continuously monitor the availability of a router by Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). If this router fails, an event is triggered and StackStorm [1] automatically starts a predefined workflow. The workflow, in turn, can include the following steps:

1. Launch a ping test to ensure that this is not just a temporary connection error.
2. If this contact attempt fails, restart the service.
3. If this step fails, too, StackStorm sends a notification to the administrator containing the log data of the problem device.

Such event-driven automation allows the detection of failures in real time and automatic initiation of actions, such as restarting services or blocking suspicious activities. These actions translate to a significant reduction in downtime and manual intervention. However, StackStorm not only helps you resolve network outages more quickly, it also adds efficiency to recurring tasks.

StackStorm is a particularly good choice for handling complex tasks. One of the tool's key advantages is that it combines automation and orchestration. Whereas automation takes care of repetitive tasks such as configuring hundreds of servers, orchestration takes things a step further by making decisions on the basis of conditions or thresholds, which means you can create workflows that react dynamically to events. Before I show you exactly how this works with the free open source tool, which is available under the Apache 2.0 license, I'll take a brief look at its structure.

Architecture and Components

StackStorm works on the principle of "if A, then B," which means that any event on a network or system, be it the

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