NG-iRTS: A Python and Ansible-Based Infrastructure as Code Framework for Enterprise Network Automation
Keywords:
Network Automation, Infrastructure as Code, Ansible, VXLAN configurationsAbstract
The increasing adoption of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) in enterprise networks has created a need for scalable, reliable, and secure automation frameworks. While Ansible provides a declarative and state-driven approach to deployment, it does not include dynamic validation, which is necessary in complex multi-vendor environments. In contrast, Python-based automation allows for greater procedural flexibility, but it is susceptible to configuration inconsistencies, and has limited compliance verification. This paper presents the Next-Generation Infrastructure Run-Time System (NG-iRTS), a hybrid framework that combines Ansible’s declarative orchestration with Python-based dynamic validation. The proposed framework uses a dual-pipeline architecture to separate the validation of configurations from the deployment of configurations through the use of Abstract Syntax Tree (AST)-based analysis, security compliance verification and policy-aware execution. The proposed framework is validated through enterprise scale simulations of network automation using conventional Ansible-based automation and standalone Python scripting, with experimental results indicating better deployment reliability, configuration consistency and operational efficiency with reduced execution overhead. NG-iRTS offers a scalable and resilient solution that bridges the gap between declarative infrastructure management and intelligent run-time verification for modern enterprise networks by integrating automated validation, policy compliance and closed-loop orchestration.
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