Laketec Ansible Network Automation Lab

A turnkey containerlab environment for demonstrating Ansible automation with HPE Aruba AOS-CX virtual switches in a spine-leaf topology.

Quick Start (TL;DR)

# After completing Windows/WSL setup below, run these commands in WSL:
git clone https://github.com/laketec/ansible-lab.git
cd ansible-lab
./scripts/setup-environment.sh
sudo clab deploy -t lab01.clab.yml
ansible-playbook playbooks/00_setup_rest_api.yml
ansible-playbook playbooks/full_demo.yml

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Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Windows Setup with WSL2
3. Docker Installation
4. Containerlab Installation
5. Azure Container Registry - AOS-CX Image
6. VS Code Setup
7. Lab Deployment
8. Running the Demo
9. Troubleshooting

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Prerequisites

Hardware Requirements

• CPU: Hardware virtualization enabled in BIOS (Intel VT-x or AMD-V/SVM)
• RAM: 16GB minimum (32GB recommended for full lab)
• Disk: 50GB free space
• OS: Windows 10 (version 2004+) or Windows 11

Software Requirements (installed during setup)

• WSL2 with Ubuntu
• Docker
• Containerlab
• Ansible 2.10+
• Python 3.8+
• VS Code with extensions

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Windows Setup with WSL2

Step 1: Enable Hardware Virtualization

1. Reboot your computer and enter BIOS/UEFI settings (usually F2, F10, F12, or Del during boot)
2. Find virtualization settings:
   • Intel: Enable "Intel VT-x" or "Intel Virtualization Technology"
   • AMD: Enable "SVM Mode" or "AMD-V"
3. Save and exit BIOS

Step 2: Install WSL2

Windows 11 or Windows 10 (version 2004+)

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

wsl --install

Restart your computer when prompted.

Windows 10 (older versions)

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

# Enable WSL feature
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart

# Enable Virtual Machine Platform
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

Restart your computer, then:

1. Download the WSL2 Linux kernel update package
2. Run the installer
3. Set WSL2 as default:

wsl --set-default-version 2

Step 3: Install WSL-Containerlab Distribution (Recommended)

The Containerlab team provides a pre-configured WSL distribution with everything you need.

1. Verify WSL version (need 2.4.4 or newer):

wsl --version

2. Download the latest .wsl file from: https://github.com/srl-labs/wsl-containerlab/releases/latest

3. Install by double-clicking the .wsl file, or run:

wsl --install --from-file C:\Users\YourName\Downloads\clab.wsl

4. Follow the setup wizard to:
   • Select your preferred shell (bash/zsh/fish)
   • Generate SSH keys for passwordless access
   • Complete initial configuration

Alternative: Manual Ubuntu Installation

If you prefer a manual setup:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu-22.04

Then launch Ubuntu from the Start menu and create your user account.

---

Docker Installation

If Using WSL-Containerlab Distribution

Docker is pre-installed. Verify with:

sudo docker version

If Using Manual Ubuntu Installation

Important: Do NOT use Docker Desktop's WSL integration. Install Docker directly in WSL.

# Update packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt -y install curl

# Install Docker and Containerlab together
curl -sL https://containerlab.dev/setup | sudo -E bash -s "all"

# Verify installation
docker version

Docker Post-Installation

Add your user to the docker group (avoids needing sudo):

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

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Containerlab Installation

If Using WSL-Containerlab Distribution

Containerlab is pre-installed. Verify with:

clab version

If Using Manual Setup

# Install containerlab
curl -sL https://containerlab.dev/setup | sudo -E bash -s "all"

# Verify installation
clab version

---

Azure Container Registry - AOS-CX Image

The AOS-CX virtual switch images must be pulled from Azure Container Registry.

Step 1: Install Azure CLI

curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash

Step 2: Login to Azure

az login

Step 3: OPTIONAL STEP Login to Azure Container Registry (If you have an Azure Login but not Required!)

# Login to ACR
az acr login --name laketec

# Or use docker login directly
docker login laketec.azurecr.io

Step 4: Pull the AOS-CX Image

# Pull from ACR
docker pull laketec.azurecr.io/aoscx:10.15.1005

# Tag for local use (matches lab topology file)
docker tag laketec.azurecr.io/aoscx:10.15.1005 aoscx:10.15.1005

Step 5: Pull the Ubuntu SSH Image

docker pull laketec.azurecr.io/ubuntu-ssh:24.04
docker tag laketec.azurecr.io/ubuntu-ssh:24.04 ubuntu-ssh:24.04

Uploading Images to Azure Container Registry (ACR, Azure Admins Only)

If you need to upload the an image to your ACR:

# Create ACR (if not exists)
az acr create --resource-group <your-rg> --name <your-acr-name> --sku Basic

# Enable admin user (for docker login)
az acr update --name <your-acr-name> --admin-enabled true

# Get ACR credentials
az acr credential show --name <your-acr-name>

# Login to ACR
az acr login --name <your-acr-name>

# Tag and push a new image
docker tag <containername> laketec.azurecr.io/<containername>
docker push laketec.azurecr.io/<containername>

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VS Code Setup

The Containerlab extension for VS Code provides an integrated graphical interface for managing container-based network labs directly within your editor.

Key Features

• Topology Visualization: View your network topology as an interactive graph diagram, making it easier to understand complex multi-node designs
• Lab Management: Deploy, destroy, and inspect labs without leaving VS Code
• Node Interaction: Connect to lab nodes (routers, switches, hosts) via SSH directly from the editor
• YAML Support: Syntax highlighting and validation for .clab.yml topology files
• Status Monitoring: See which labs are running and the state of individual nodes

Why It's Important

1. Streamlined Workflow: Eliminates context-switching between terminal and editor - you can edit configs, deploy labs, and troubleshoot all in one place
2. Visual Understanding: Network topologies are inherently visual. Seeing a graph of spine/leaf connections (like your lab with 2 spines, 3 leaves, and 2 hosts) is far more intuitive than reading YAML
3. Faster Troubleshooting: One-click SSH access to nodes speeds up debugging and testing
4. Lower Barrier to Entry: Makes containerlab more accessible to those less comfortable with CLI-only workflows
5. Ansible Integration: Pairs well with the Ansible extension - you can visualize your lab topology while developing and testing playbooks against it

For your demo environment with Aruba AOS-CX switches and Ubuntu hosts, this extension would let participants visually see the network topology and quickly connect to any device for hands-on learning.

Step 1: Install VS Code on Windows

Download and install from: https://code.visualstudio.com/

Step 2: Install Required Extensions

Open VS Code and install these extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X):

1. WSL (ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl) - Required for WSL integration
2. Containerlab (srl-labs.containerlab) - Lab management and visualization
3. Ansible (redhat.ansible) - Ansible syntax highlighting and IntelliSense
4. YAML (redhat.vscode-yaml) - YAML language support

Or install via command line:

code --install-extension ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl
code --install-extension srl-labs.containerlab
code --install-extension redhat.ansible
code --install-extension redhat.vscode-yaml

Step 3: Connect VS Code to WSL

1. Open VS Code
2. Press F1 or Ctrl+Shift+P
3. Type "WSL: Connect to WSL" and select it
4. VS Code will reload connected to your WSL environment

Step 4: Open the Lab Project

In VS Code (connected to WSL):

# Clone the repository
cd ~
git clone https://github.com/laketec/ansible-lab.git
cd ansible-lab
code .

Containerlab Extension Features

Once connected to WSL with the Containerlab extension:

• Explorer Panel: View discovered topologies and running labs
• TopoViewer: Graphical topology visualization (Ctrl+Alt+G)
• Quick Deploy: Deploy labs directly from editor (Ctrl+Alt+D)
• Quick Destroy: Stop labs (Ctrl+Alt+K)
• SSH Access: Click on nodes to open terminal connections
• Draw.io Diagrams: Right-click labs to generate network diagrams

Keyboard Shortcuts:

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Alt+D	Deploy topology
Ctrl+Alt+R	Redeploy topology
Ctrl+Alt+K	Destroy topology
Ctrl+Alt+G	Open graph view

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Lab Deployment

Step 1: Clone the Repository

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/laketec/ansible-lab.git
cd ansible-lab

Step 2: Run the Setup Script

chmod +x scripts/setup-environment.sh
./scripts/setup-environment.sh

This script will:

• Install Ansible and required Python packages
• Install the HPE Aruba AOS-CX Ansible collection
• Verify Docker and Containerlab are working
• Check that required container images are available

Step 3: Deploy the Lab

sudo clab deploy -t lab01.clab.yml

Expected output:

+---+-----------------+--------------+-------------------+-------+---------+----------------+
| # |      Name       | Container ID |       Image       | Kind  |  State  |  IPv4 Address  |
+---+-----------------+--------------+-------------------+-------+---------+----------------+
| 1 | clab-lab01-host1| xxxxxxxxxxxx | ubuntu-ssh:24.04  | linux | running | 172.20.20.x/24 |
| 2 | clab-lab01-host2| xxxxxxxxxxxx | ubuntu-ssh:24.04  | linux | running | 172.20.20.x/24 |
| 3 | clab-lab01-leaf1| xxxxxxxxxxxx | aoscx:10.15.1005  | aoscx | running | 172.20.20.3/24 |
| 4 | clab-lab01-leaf2| xxxxxxxxxxxx | aoscx:10.15.1005  | aoscx | running | 172.20.20.4/24 |
| 5 | clab-lab01-leaf3| xxxxxxxxxxxx | aoscx:10.15.1005  | aoscx | running | 172.20.20.2/24 |
| 6 | clab-lab01-spine1| xxxxxxxxxxxx | aoscx:10.15.1005 | aoscx | running | 172.20.20.5/24 |
| 7 | clab-lab01-spine2| xxxxxxxxxxxx | aoscx:10.15.1005 | aoscx | running | 172.20.20.6/24 |
+---+-----------------+--------------+-------------------+-------+---------+----------------+

Step 4: Wait for Switches to Boot

AOS-CX virtual switches take 2-3 minutes to fully boot. Check status:

# Check if switches are responding
ansible aoscx_switches -m ping

---

Running the Demo

Network Topology

                    +----------+     +----------+
                    |  spine1  |     |  spine2  |
                    |172.20.20.5|    |172.20.20.6|
                    +----+-----+     +----+-----+
                         |                |
          +--------------+----------------+--------------+
          |              |                |              |
     +----+-----+   +----+-----+    +----+-----+
     |  leaf1   |   |  leaf2   |    |  leaf3   |
     |172.20.20.3|  |172.20.20.4|   |172.20.20.2|
     +----+-----+   +----+-----+    +----------+
          |              |
     +----+-----+   +----+-----+
     |  host1   |   |  host2   |
     +----------+   +----------+

Step 1: Enable REST API (Required First)

ansible-playbook playbooks/00_setup_rest_api.yml

Step 2: Test Connectivity

ansible-playbook playbooks/01_test_connectivity.yml

Step 3: Run Full Demo

ansible-playbook playbooks/full_demo.yml

Individual Playbooks

Playbook	Description
00_setup_rest_api.yml	Enable HTTPS REST API on all switches
01_test_connectivity.yml	Test SSH and REST API connectivity
02_gather_facts.yml	Collect device info (version, serial, etc.)
03_configure_vlans.yml	Create demo VLANs (100-400)
04_configure_snmpv3.yml	Configure SNMPv3 with SHA/AES
05_configure_syslog.yml	Enable centralized syslog
06_configure_ntp.yml	Configure NTP servers
07_backup_configs.yml	Backup running configurations
08_cleanup_vlans.yml	Remove demo VLANs
09_configure_dns.yml	Configure DNS settings
full_demo.yml	Run all configuration steps
reset_lab.yml	Remove all demo configurations

Target Specific Devices

# Run on spine switches only
ansible-playbook playbooks/03_configure_vlans.yml --limit spines

# Run on a single device
ansible-playbook playbooks/02_gather_facts.yml --limit leaf1

---

Lab Management

View Running Labs

sudo clab inspect --all

Stop the Lab

sudo clab destroy -t lab01.clab.yml

SSH to a Switch

ssh admin@172.20.20.5  # spine1
# Password: admin

View Lab Logs

docker logs clab-lab01-spine1

---

Project Structure

ansible-lab/
├── README.md                    # This file
├── DEMO_GUIDE.md               # Presentation guide for demos
├── lab01.clab.yml              # Containerlab topology definition
├── ansible.cfg                 # Ansible configuration
├── inventory/
│   └── hosts.yml               # Device inventory (5 switches)
├── group_vars/
│   └── aoscx_switches.yml      # Shared variables (VLANs, SNMP, etc.)
├── playbooks/
│   ├── 00_setup_rest_api.yml   # Enable REST API (run first!)
│   ├── 01_test_connectivity.yml
│   ├── 02_gather_facts.yml
│   ├── 03_configure_vlans.yml
│   ├── 04_configure_snmpv3.yml
│   ├── 05_configure_syslog.yml
│   ├── 06_configure_ntp.yml
│   ├── 07_backup_configs.yml
│   ├── 08_cleanup_vlans.yml
│   ├── 09_configure_dns.yml
│   ├── full_demo.yml
│   └── reset_lab.yml
├── backups/                    # Configuration backups
└── scripts/
    └── setup-environment.sh    # Automated environment setup

---

Configuration Variables

All configuration is centralized in group_vars/aoscx_switches.yml:

VLANs

demo_vlans:
  - id: 100
    name: LAKETEC_MGMT
  - id: 200
    name: LAKETEC_DATA
  - id: 300
    name: LAKETEC_VOICE
  - id: 400
    name: LAKETEC_IOT

Monitoring

snmpv3_user: laketec_monitor
syslog_server: 10.0.0.1
ntp_servers:
  - 10.0.0.1
  - pool.ntp.org

---

Troubleshooting

WSL Issues

WSL not starting:

# Check WSL status
wsl --status

# Update WSL
wsl --update

# Restart WSL
wsl --shutdown

Cannot enable virtualization:

• Verify hardware virtualization is enabled in BIOS
• Disable Hyper-V conflicts: bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

Docker Issues

Docker not running:

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Permission denied:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Docker Desktop conflicts:

• Disable Docker Desktop WSL integration in Docker Desktop settings
• Uninstall Docker Desktop if only using WSL

Containerlab Issues

Lab won't deploy:

# Check Docker is running
docker ps

# Check images are available
docker images | grep aoscx

# Deploy with debug output
sudo clab deploy -t lab01.clab.yml --debug

Switches not responding:

# Wait longer - AOS-CX takes 2-3 minutes to boot
sleep 180

# Check container status
docker ps -a

# View switch logs
docker logs clab-lab01-spine1

Ansible Issues

Connection timeouts:

# Increase timeout in ansible.cfg
[persistent_connection]
connect_timeout = 120
command_timeout = 120

REST API errors:

# Ensure REST API is enabled first
ansible-playbook playbooks/00_setup_rest_api.yml

Collection not found:

ansible-galaxy collection install arubanetworks.aoscx --force

ACR Issues

Authentication failed:

# Re-login to Azure
az login

# Re-login to ACR
az acr login --name <your-acr-name>

Image not found:

# List available images in ACR
az acr repository list --name <your-acr-name>

# List tags for an image
az acr repository show-tags --name <your-acr-name> --repository aoscx

---

Security Notes

• Default credentials (admin/admin) are used for this demo environment
• In production, use Ansible Vault to encrypt sensitive variables:

ansible-vault encrypt group_vars/aoscx_switches.yml
ansible-playbook playbooks/full_demo.yml --ask-vault-pass

---

Key Concepts Demonstrated

• Idempotency: Playbooks can be run multiple times safely
• Parallel Execution: All 5 switches configured simultaneously
• Infrastructure as Code: All configurations version-controlled
• Variable-Driven: Change group_vars to modify all configurations
• Automated Backups: Timestamped configuration snapshots

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Resources

• Containerlab Documentation
• Containerlab Windows Guide
• VS Code Containerlab Extension
• HPE Aruba AOS-CX Ansible Collection
• Ansible Documentation

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License

This project is provided as a demonstration environment.

Author

Laketec - Network Automation Demo