Gigamon Programmability and Automation for Network Visibility Engineers (GPNE) - Lab Topology

 

Lab Topology

Detailed Module Descriptions for Gigamon Automation Training:

1. Getting Started: Your Initial Gigamon Interaction with Python

  • Description: This foundational module guides you through the process of establishing your first connection to a Gigamon device using Python. You will learn to write and execute a basic Python script that interacts with the Gigamon API, laying the groundwork for more complex automation tasks.
  • Key Skills:
    • Setting up your Python environment for Gigamon API interaction.
    • Constructing and executing simple API calls.
    • Verifying successful communication with the Gigamon device.

2. Python Interactive Exploration: Rapid Prototyping and Debugging

  • Description: Discover the power of the Python Interactive Shell for rapid prototyping, testing API calls, and debugging your scripts. This module emphasizes the importance of interactive development for efficient automation.
  • Key Skills:
    • Using the Python Interactive Shell to execute commands.
    • Inspecting API responses in real-time.
    • Rapidly testing and iterating on code snippets.

3. Python Fundamentals: Core Data Types

  • Description: Gain a solid understanding of Python's fundamental data types, including integers, floats, strings, and booleans. This knowledge is crucial for manipulating data retrieved from Gigamon devices.
  • Key Skills:
    • Working with numeric and textual data.
    • Understanding data type conversions.
    • Applying basic arithmetic and string operations.

4. Advanced Data Structures: Python's Complex Data Types

  • Description: Explore Python's complex data types, such as lists, tuples, and dictionaries. These structures are essential for organizing and managing data retrieved from Gigamon's API.
  • Key Skills:
    • Creating and manipulating lists and tuples.
    • Working with key-value pairs in dictionaries.
    • Efficiently storing and retrieving structured data.

5. Text Manipulation: Standard String Operations

  • Description: Master Python's string manipulation capabilities to process and format data extracted from Gigamon devices. This module covers essential string operations for parsing and presenting information.
  • Key Skills:
    • String concatenation and slicing.
    • String formatting and manipulation.
    • Parsing and extracting relevant information from text data.

6. Pattern Recognition: Basic Pattern Matching

  • Description: Learn how to utilize Python's regular expressions to identify and extract specific patterns from Gigamon data. This skill is vital for parsing log files and filtering relevant information.
  • Key Skills:
    • Understanding basic regular expression syntax.
    • Using Python's re module for pattern matching.
    • Extracting specific data elements from text.

7. Data Transformation: Reformatting Flow Map Output

  • Description: Learn to transform raw Gigamon Flow Map output into more readable and usable formats. This skill is critical for data visualization and analysis.
  • Key Skills:
    • Parsing flow map data.
    • Formatting data into desired output.
    • Data manipulation for reporting.

8. Conditional Logic: The if-else Construct

  • Description: Implement decision-making logic using Python's if-else statements. This module demonstrates how to create scripts that respond dynamically to different Gigamon device states and API responses.
  • Key Skills:
    • Writing conditional statements.
    • Controlling program flow based on data values.
    • Implementing error handling and validation.

9. Iteration: for Loops

  • Description: Automate repetitive tasks using Python's for loops. This module covers iterating over lists, dictionaries, and API responses to efficiently process Gigamon data.
  • Key Skills:
    • Iterating over data structures.
    • Performing repetitive actions on Gigamon data.
    • Automation of bulk tasks.

10. Iteration: while Loops

  • Description: Use Python's while loops for tasks that require repeated execution until a specific condition is met, such as continuously monitoring Gigamon device states.
  • Key Skills:
    • Writing while loops for conditional execution.
    • Implementing continuous monitoring and polling.
    • Creating loops that end based on changing conditions.

11. Code Organization: Creating and Using Functions

  • Description: Learn to create reusable functions to modularize your Gigamon automation scripts. This module emphasizes the importance of code organization and maintainability.
  • Key Skills:
    • Defining and calling functions.
    • Passing arguments and returning values.
    • Improving code readability and reusability.

12. Object-Oriented Programming: Creating and Using Classes

  • Description: Explore object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts and learn to create custom classes for managing Gigamon objects and data. This module introduces a powerful approach to organizing complex automation tasks.
  • Key Skills:
    • Defining classes and objects.
    • Implementing methods and attributes.
    • Using OOP principles for Gigamon automation.

13. Program Execution: The Python main() Construct

  • Description: Understand the if __name__ == "__main__": construct and its role in organizing Python scripts. This module covers best practices for structuring your automation code.
  • Key Skills:
    • Using the main() function for program entry.
    • Organizing scripts for modularity.
    • Understanding python file execution.

14. File System Interaction: Traversing the File Structure

  • Description: Learn to navigate and interact with the file system to read and write Gigamon configuration files and log data.
  • Key Skills:
    • Using Python's os module for file system operations.
    • Traversing directories and files.
    • Reading and writing files.

15. Data Parsing: Comma-Separated Values (CSV)

  • Description: Learn to read and process data from CSV files, which are commonly used for exporting Gigamon data.
  • Key Skills:
    • Using Python's csv module.
    • Parsing and manipulating CSV data.
    • Extracting data for reporting

. 16. Data Parsing: Extensible Markup Language (XML)

  • Description: Learn to read, store, and retrieve data from XML files, which are used to represent structured data from Gigamon devices.
  • Key Skills:
    • Using Python's xml libraries.
    • Parsing and manipulating XML data.
    • Extracting data from XML structures.

17. Data Parsing: JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)

  • Description: Master the art of reading, storing, and retrieving data from JSON format, the standard data format used by Gigamon's RESTful APIs.
  • Key Skills:
    • Using Python's json module.
    • Parsing and manipulating JSON data.
    • Interacting with API responses.

18. Data Parsing: Raw and Unstructured Data

  • Description: Gain the skills to extract and process data from raw or unstructured formats, such as log files or custom data streams.
  • Key Skills:
    • Using string manipulation and regular expressions.
    • Developing custom parsing logic.
    • Extracting meaningful data from unstructured sources.