[Infrastructures] using IA methodologies to build network element configuration

[Andrew Fort]

Colleagues,
Almost invariably, this list discusses (mostly UNIX) systems.

I'm both a sysadmin and network engineer, having a CS degree background 
and done varying degrees of work as both network engineer/designer and 
sysadmin.  I'm all for sane 'infrastructure design', congruent or 
proscriptive tools to build it, recover it and manage it (depending on 
which lingo you prefer), and so on...

However, I find that the majority of networks (in fact, all those I've 
ever worked at, both large and small), both initially design their 
network configurations using a manual process, and largely maintain them 
using a manual process.

I use some cfengine triggers to define build times, and make to manage 
my dependencies and string together my vendor-specific configurations 
(based on the network model), and this is what I'd call a convergent 
tool -- since people are still allowed to configure services manually, 
divergence is inevitable.

Some have recently tried to raise the profile of doing for networks what 
  we already do for systems, for example; Brent Chapman now has a blog 
discussing this field (www.greatcircle.com/blog/).  I know that some 
have developed their own systems and that some vendors are touting their 
solutions; I am, however, surprised that I find very little information 
about this approach to building networks.

Is it just that I'm not finding the right folks, or do the majority of 
network engineers (some even call themselves 'architects' ;-) just not 
get it?

Surely there must be some folks on here who build network configurations 
as well as host configurations?

   - How have you approached the push/pull problem with applying 
configuration (considering that the major network equipment vendor 
doesn't provide an open 'pull' architecture)
   - How do you manage order and dependency (I'd argue order is equally 
important for systems as well as networks)?
   - How do your systems handle/differ for initial system build versus 
ongoing configuration management?

I have a few ideas about this I'd love to discuss, but won't use any 
more bandwidth unless there are interested parties.  Anyone?

regards,
andrew fort