Welcome to the deep dive. Looks like someone is ready to tackle network programmability head on.
You could see that.
We've got excerpts from a book on yang, a few white papers, even some RFCs. Someone's been doing their homework.
It seems like managing the network is becoming a bit of a struggle, like hurting cats. Maybe more like.
Hurting cats with a spoon from the sound of it. Okay, but hey, maybe we can help with that, expert speaker, what do you think?
Absolutely, I think it's safe to say the old ways of managing networks, well, they just aren't cutting it anymore.
You're definitely not alone there.
I think a lot of folks are feeling that pain.
Yeah, that makes sense. I've heard whispers that the command line interface, the CLI, is kind of reaching its limits.
You know. It's like it's like trying to write a novel on a typewriter.
It got the job done back then, it did, Yeah.
But these days you need something, I don't know, a little more powerful.
Yeah, you need a word processor or something like that. But what's so limiting about the CLI these days, especially with networks becoming so complex.
Well, for one, modern networks are just massive it's gotten way beyond what humans can reasonably manage, right I think about it. Businesses need to be able to like deploy new services instantly in seconds, not months, and that kind of agility is just impossible with like manual CLI commands.
It's yeah, like you're stuck typing in commands one by one.
By one, hoping you don't, you know, make a typo and crash the whole system.
Yeah, it's it's slow, it's prone to errors. It's not built for automation.
Definitely not.
And then imagine being afraid to even upgrade your devices because you think, oh, my custom scripts are going to break, right, you know that's the reality for a lot of people.
Yeah, that's a scary thought.
They're clinging to CLI based management. Clies just weren't built to talk to machines. And if we want automation, we need standards, we need programmable interfaces.
Okay, I'm sensing a butt coming.
Oh that's where Yang comes in. Yang Young. I knew it. Okay. So everyone's saying Yang is like the magic solution to all our CLI woes, but like, what is it really and how does it actually solve these problems?
So Yang stands for yet another next generation. It's kind of a funny name, yeah, but basically it's a language for describing network devices and services like a blueprint.
You know, so instead of having a jumble of different commands for every vendor, yeah, exactly, Like we're giving all our devices one language they can understand exactly.
Yang models are like contracts between your devices and applications. Make sure everyone's on the same page.
Okay, that's pretty neat. But if YANG is so great, how come everyone isn't already using it? Any downsides? Or is it just you know, too good to be true.
Well, like anything new, there is a learning curve. Yang is a pretty you know, ro best language.
So it's like learning a new programming language. You need to put in the time, but then you can do all sorts of amazing things exactly. Okay, So let's say I'm sold on this YANG thing. Where do I even begin? How does this work in practice?
Okay? So let's use this book soon an example from the book you sent. Imagine like a network connecting bookstores and publishers and customers. Okay, you can use Yang to model everything, inventory, orders, delivery routes, all of it.
So I can actually define like this is a bookstore, it has these capabilities, and like it needs to connect to the publisher's network this way.
Yeah, exactly, you're not just defining data, you're defining relationships between all the parts of your network.
Okay, that's pretty cool. But Yang itself is just a language, right, It's not actually like sending commands to my routers and switches. How does that part work?
Right? Yang sets the rules, but we need something to make it happen. That's where these protocols come in, like net cof and rest com.
Okay, so Yang is like the blueprint, and then netcof and restcom are like the construction workers who actually build the thing. They handle the communication with the devices.
That's a great way to put it, and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses. You know. Net con it's very robust, great for big changes where you absolutely cannot afford an error.
That sounds like a lifesaver when you're dealing with a complex network. One small mistake could cause chaos.
Exactly. And then you've got rest con. Okay, rest coon if is more web friendly, good for integrating with modern web services, so I.
Could manage network devices from a web browser, or even tie them into my company's existing web application.
Exactly opens up a lot of possibilities.
The sources also mentioned something called GNMI.
What's that about, Oh, GNMI that stands for GRPFE Network Management Interface. It's newer known for its speed and efficiency. Okay, particularly good for things like telemetry.
Telemetry. Right, Yeah, that's about getting real time insights from the network, isn't it. Instead of constantly asking devices for updates, it's like a live stream of.
Data precisely, no more waiting around. You just get those insights instantly.
This makes a lot of sense. But how does all of this tie back into YANG? How do these protocols actually work work together?
That is a fantastic question and one that we will definitely be unpacking in the next part of our deep dive.
Sounds good, but.
For now, I want to leave you with this thought.
Okay, YANG isn't just about automating network management. It's about laying the foundation for intelligent networks, networks that can adapt and give you real time insights.
That's pretty mind blowing. We've gone from the limitations of the CLI to this whole new world of what is it network programmability, all powered by Yang in these different protocols exactly. But before we get lost in all the technical details, I want to take a step back. Why should all of this matter to our listeners? What's the big takeaway here? Welcome back? So are you ready to see how all this Yang stuff actually works in practice? I am.
Let's get down to the nitty gritty. How does Yang actually help me, you know, manage my network? And particularly thinking about things like setting up a secure VPN connection between like multiple sites. That always feels like a major headache.
Oh, I can definitely see that being a pain point. In the old CLI centric world. That would mean logging into every single device, typing in commands, hoping you don't make a typo. It's a recipe for late night's troubleshooting.
Tell me about it, and then if you need to make a change, you got to go through that whole process again on every single device exactly.
And that's where YANG can make a world of difference. Instead of manually configuring everything, you define a YANG model that captures your VPN service, IP addresses, encryption, authentication methods, all the important stuff.
So it's like a blueprint for my VPN, but in code exactly.
And then remember those protocols we talked about metconf and rest CONC. They take that YANG model and translate it into device specific configurations.
So instead of me typing in commands on each device, net con anofhores CONC does it for me.
Exactly, And you can use that same YANG model for all sorts of different devices, regardless of the vendor.
So I don't need to learn a different set of commands for each brand of router or sweat.
Nope. That's the beauty of YANG. It eliminates the need for vendor specific expertise.
That's a huge time saver for sure. Okay, but what about monitoring. Once my VPN is set up, how do I know it's actually working?
Well, remember telemetry. You can define YANG models for that too. You can get real time insights into the performance of your VPN.
So instead of waiting for things to break, I can actually see how things are performing and fix problems before they even happen exactly.
You can see bottlenecks, security issues, anything that might be affecting your VPN. It's all about being proactive.
Okay. So that's for managing individual services like my VPN, But what about more complex things like, I don't know, managing a bunch of different network services across multiple clouds. Can Yang handle that?
That's where Yang really shines. It allows you to go beyond managing individual devices and actually orchestrate entire network services.
So it's like, I don't know, like a conductor leading an orchestra, but instead of instruments, it's all these different network services exactly.
You define the relationships between those services, their dependencies, and Yang takes care of the rest. It's really about creating a symphony of network services.
But you mentioned earlier that Yang is a pretty complex language. How do I even get started with this? Is this like years of training.
You don't need to become a Yang expert overnight. Start with the basics. Containers, lists, leafs. Those are the building blocks of Yang.
Okay, so those are the basics. But I'm guessing there's a lot more to it than just that, right.
Oh yeah, there's a lot more things like augmentations and deviations.
Augmentations and deviations, what are those?
Think of augmentations Like adding an extension to your house, You're expanding its capabilities without changing the core structure. With Yang, augmentations let you add new stuff to existing models without changing the original and deviations let you tweak a YANG model for like specific.
Devices, So it's like I can customize YANG to fit my needs.
Exactly, and that's really important for building you know, flexible and scalable solutions, and you don't have to figure all of this out on your own. There are tools out there to help you, like paying libbyaning wide DK.
So these tools they're like my power tools for building and managing my network precisely.
They take all the complexity of YANG and make it actually usable.
Okay, but with so many tools out there, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Where do I even begin?
Start with what you need and build your toolkit as you go. The good news is that the YANG community is super helpful. Tons of resources online. People are always willing to lend a hand.
That's reassuring. It's less scary when you know there's a community to support you. But before we go too deep into the weeds, I want to bring it back to the big picture. All this talk about YANG is great, but why should businesses care? What's the real world impact?
Well, at its core, network programmability is all about making businesses more agile, more efficient, more innovative.
So it's not just about automating tasks, it's about changing how businesses operate exactly.
Businesses can save money, they can deploy news services faster, they can improve network really ability. It's really a game changer.
Those are some pretty compelling benefits. So network programmability is kind of like essential for digital transformation.
It is businesses that don't adapt are going to fall behind.
Okay, I'm convinced YANG sounds like a must have for any business that relies on its network. But let's be real, it can't all be smooth sailing, right, Yeah. What are some of the challenges businesses might face along the way.
Of course, implementing any new technology has its challenges.
Like what what should businesses be prepared for?
One common challenge is finding skilled people. Yang experts are in high demand, so finding and keeping them can be tough.
Yeah, I can see that it's such a specialized field. Investing in training is probably crucial, right, absolutely.
And then there's the human element, getting people to change their ways to embrace this new way of doing things. That can be tough.
People are creatures of habit. It's understandable that some might be resistant to change of.
Course, but it's all about communication, explaining the benefits, addressing those concerns.
So those are the people challenges. What about technical challenges.
Well, one thing is ensuring that everything works together different vendors, different platforms. Even though YANG is a standard, there can be variations in how it's implemented.
So it's not always just plug and play.
You got to do your testing, make sure your YANG models work across your entire network.
Makes sense.
Anything else security, As we automate more things, we need to be extra careful about security.
Yeah, that makes sense, especially when we're talking about automating critical network functions.
Absolutely, authentication, authorization, encryption, those are all crucial.
This has been really insightful. I'm starting to grasp the potential of YANG, but also the complexity.
You've got it. It's powerful, but it's not magic. You need planning, you need the right expertise.
Okay, before we wrap up this part of our deep dive, one more question. We've talked about the theory, the challenges, but I'm really curious about real world examples how our businesses actually using YANG to solve real problems.
That's a great question, Yeah, and one that we will into in the final part of our deep dive.
This is getting exciting. I can't wait to see how YANG is being used out in the wild. But for now, let's take a short break and come back refreshed and ready to finish our deep dive into the world of network programmability. Welcome back for the final part of our deep dive. It's been quite the journey exploring this whole world of network programmability.
It really has. We've covered a lot of ground we have.
From the good old CLI all the way to YANG and these new protocol. I'm excited to hear about those real world examples. You promised you know how our business is actually using YANG to solve real problems and you know, make their networks run better.
Let's start with a big one service providers, telecom companies. They're using YANG to automate all those services we use every day, broadband, mobile, data, voi, IP, you name it.
So they're not like manually configuring routers and switches for every new customer anymore.
Exactly. Yang models define what each service needs and then orchestration system take care of the configuration automatically.
I bet that not only saves time, but also cuts down on those human errors.
You got it. And it's not just about the initial setup. YANG also helps with monitoring performance, finding problems, and even optimizing traffic in real time.
So it's like having a self driving network. That's pretty amazing.
It is pretty amazing. And service providers need this kind of automation to keep up with the demand for bandwidth and need to scale quickly, and YANG helps them do that.
Okay, so Yang's great for service providers, but what about other industries? Are regular companies using this too? Oh?
Yeah, absolutely, enterprises are using YANG for all sorts of things, data centers, office networks, even the Internet of Things.
Wow, so YANG isn't just for telecoms. It's going mainstream. Can you give me an example, like, how are companies using it in their data centers?
Well, for example, they're using to automate the setup of virtual machines, storage networks, load balancers, all those crucial data center components so they.
Can like scale their IT infrastructure on demand, right, responding quickly to changes in their business exactly.
That's essential these days. And YANG also plays a big role in technologies like SDN and NFB, software defined networking and network functions virtualization.
So it sounds like YANG is a key part of this whole software defined future of networking.
It is, and as networks get more complex, more spread out, yang's importance is only going to grow.
That makes a lot of sense. But like any new technology, I'm sure there are challenges and new things popping up all the time. What are some of those things shaping the future of Yang?
One big trend is open source YANG models. Organizations like open config are creating standardized models that anyone can use.
That sounds like a good way to make sure everything works together, right it is.
And another cool trend is using AI and machine learning with YANG.
Oh that's interesting. How does that work?
Well? Yang gives those AI and mL algorithms the structured data they need to analyze what's happening in the network. They can find patterns, make predictions, all sorts of things.
So we're not just automating tasks, but actually moving towards networks that can learn and adapt on their own.
Exactly, self optimizing, self healing networks.
That's a pretty incredible vision of the future. But what about the challenges? You know, there's always something.
Right, of course, one thing is the need for better tools. We have some good ones, but there's always room for improvement, making them easier to use, more powerful, that kind of thing.
It's making YANG more user friendly is important absolutely.
And then there's security. As we automate more, security becomes even more critical. We need to make sure everything is locked down tight well.
Security is always a top priority, especially when we're talking about automating important network functions.
You got it.
This has been a truly eye opening deep dive. We've gone from CLIs to YANG, explored the details, looked at real world uses, and even talked about the future. It's clear that YANG is changing networking in a big way.
I completely agree. It's giving businesses what they need to build those modern and agile, intelligent networks that are ready for the future.
And to our listener, I hope this deep dive has given you a solid understanding of this whole YANG thing. You came to us with a ton of questions and materials, and hopefully we've been able to break.
It all down. We've only scratched the surface, but hopefully we spark your interest and you'll want to keep exploring.
The world of network Programmability is a vast and ever changing landscape. It is, so keep learning, keep experimenting, and who knows, maybe you'll be the one building the next amazing Yang powered network solution, Happy networking