Twenty years ago, when I started automating tasks on the distributed network I was managing, there were practically no automation tools available. I started with Expect , which is still my lifesaving tool today. When I have no other way to interact with a system, Expect is my last resort.

Since I’ve now moved all my development to Python, I use Pexpect , which allows me to integrate automation into an ecosystem I already know well.

Preconfiguring templates for EVE-NG

The goal I set for myself, part of a larger project, is to preconfigure templates for EVE-NG. Specifically, I need to:

• import new templates;
• preconfigure each template so that the first interface always belongs to a management VRF, receives an IP address via DHCP, has a privileged user preconfigured, and has SSH enabled;
• verify that the generated images work as expected (ping, login);
• verify the entire process in CI/CD mode after every significant change.

The problem was divided into four parts:

• Ansible searches for the required files and prepares the environments under /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu;
• a script configures each image;
• a script runs an instance and verifies network reachability (ping) and login;
• Pytest takes care of creating temporary instances, configuring them, and verifying them.+

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