S5E0: "Frameworks Without Much Bite"

Posted 2020-02-16 23:59
Modified 2020-02-16 14:47
Comments 0

We talk about python system management frameworks – namely, Nornir and Fabric. We also throw a bit in about (python-)augeas and Bundle.

• Just the Tip
• Notes
• 15 Clams
• Errata
• Music

Just the Tip

• Paden tells us about test. It lets you perform conditional execution in Bash scripts.

Also, props to the train running by Jthan’s apartment that makes it sound like some sci-fi horror.

Notes

Starts at 20m28s.

I was drinking water. Paden was drinking PBR. Jthan was drinking PBR.

Thanks to Micah Shields on Twitter for suggesting trying out Nornir!

• Python management frameworks
  • Nornir
    • Sort of disappointing when you can get the same functionality with the Ansible python API
    • But both are trash.
    • The documentation is also not good. The tutorial explains more than the reference, which… should be the other way around, and their networking docs make no attempt to explain the difference between NAPALM or NetMiko.
  • Fabric
    • We thought we could use this as a python option for pdsh…
      • But parallelization does not seem to be supported in 2.x.
  • Ultimately, best-case is to just turn up SaltStack and use their python API rather than Nornir or Fabric.
• Python configuration file parsing libraries (38m26s)
  • python-augeas
    • Python bindings that hook into Augeas.
    • There are a large amount of lenses available.
    • CFEngine is very old.
  • Bundle
    • It’s not really worth it. You can implement what it offers yourself in maybe 20-30 lines of straight python, no need to add unnecessary deps to your management environment.

15 Clams

In this segment, Jthan shares with you a little slice of life. The title is a reference to this video. (2m16s in)

Starts at 48m54s.

Jthan gets mad about various configuration managements’ DSLs and he doesn’t realize that they can’t do everything that a proper programming language can, and that they don’t support exactly what he wants out of the box.

Errata

• I’ve been playing with the LDAP backend for openLDAP and it is awesome.
• Jthan timed out from Mumble and neither of us realized it, which is why we start talking over each other.

Music

Author r00t^2
Categories Season Five