Table of Contents

Automate repetitive networking tasks using PowerShell, Python, and other scripting tools. This section provides frameworks and examples for managing network infrastructure programmatically.

PowerShell Network Management

VLAN Management Framework

Enterprise VLAN management and automation framework for comprehensive VLAN planning, implementation, and monitoring.

Overview

The NetworkVLAN PowerShell class provides:

  • Automated VLAN configuration generation
  • Built-in validation against enterprise standards
  • Self-documenting network infrastructure
  • Integration with configuration management tools

Prerequisites

  • PowerShell 5.1 or later
  • Network administrator credentials
  • Access to network device management interfaces

Quick Start

# Create a new VLAN
$FinanceVlan = [NetworkVLAN]::new(
    100,                    # VLAN ID
    "Finance",              # Name
    "10.0.100.0/24"        # Subnet
)

# Set security zone
$FinanceVlan.SecurityZone = "Restricted"

# Generate switch configuration
$Config = $FinanceVlan.GenerateSwitchConfig("Cisco")
Write-Host $Config

Complete Implementation

<#
.SYNOPSIS
    Enterprise VLAN management and automation framework.
.DESCRIPTION
    Provides comprehensive VLAN planning, implementation, and monitoring
    for enterprise network environments.
#>

class NetworkVLAN
{
 [ValidateRange(1, 4094)]
 [int]$VLANId
 
 [ValidateNotNullOrEmpty()]
 [string]$Name
 
 [string]$Description
 [string]$IPSubnet
 [string]$Gateway
 [string[]]$DHCPScope
 [string]$SecurityZone
 [hashtable]$AccessPolicies
 [bool]$InterVLANRouting
 [string[]]$AllowedVLANs
 [hashtable]$QoSPolicies
 
 NetworkVLAN([int]$Id, [string]$Name, [string]$Subnet)
 {
  $this.VLANId = $Id
  $this.Name = $Name
  $this.IPSubnet = $Subnet
  $this.Description = ""
  $this.SecurityZone = "Standard"
  $this.AccessPolicies = @{}
  $this.InterVLANRouting = $true
  $this.AllowedVLANs = @()
  $this.QoSPolicies = @{}
  
  # Calculate gateway (first usable IP in subnet)
  $Network = [System.Net.IPAddress]::Parse($Subnet.Split('/')[0])
  $this.Gateway = $Network.ToString()
 }
 
 [string] GenerateSwitchConfig([string]$SwitchType)
 {
  switch ($SwitchType)
  {
   "Cisco"
   {
    return $this.GenerateCiscoConfig()
   }
   "HPE"
   {
    return $this.GenerateHPEConfig()
   }
   "Juniper"
   {
    return $this.GenerateJuniperConfig()
   }
   default
   {
    return $this.GenerateGenericConfig()
   }
  }
 }
 
 [string] GenerateCiscoConfig()
 {
  $Config = @"
! VLAN $($this.VLANId) Configuration
vlan $($this.VLANId)
 name $($this.Name)
 state active
exit

! SVI Configuration
interface vlan$($this.VLANId)
 description $($this.Description)
 ip address $($this.Gateway) $(($this.IPSubnet -split '/')[1])
 no shutdown
exit

"@
  
  if ($this.QoSPolicies.Count -gt 0)
  {
   $Config += @"
! QoS Configuration
interface vlan$($this.VLANId)
 service-policy input $($this.QoSPolicies.InputPolicy)
 service-policy output $($this.QoSPolicies.OutputPolicy)
exit

"@
  }
  
  return $Config
 }
 
 [string] GenerateHPEConfig()
 {
  return @"
# VLAN $($this.VLANId) Configuration
vlan $($this.VLANId)
   name "$($this.Name)"
   untagged 1-24
   ip address $($this.Gateway) $($this.IPSubnet)
   exit

"@
 }
 
 [string] GenerateGenericConfig()
 {
  return @"
VLAN Configuration:
  VLAN ID: $($this.VLANId)
  Name: $($this.Name)
  Description: $($this.Description)
  IP Subnet: $($this.IPSubnet)
  Gateway: $($this.Gateway)
  Security Zone: $($this.SecurityZone)
  Inter-VLAN Routing: $($this.InterVLANRouting)

"@
 }
}

class NetworkManager
{
 [hashtable]$VLANs
 [hashtable]$Subnets
 [hashtable]$Devices
 [string]$ConfigPath
 [string]$BackupPath
 
 NetworkManager([string]$ConfigurationPath)
 {
  $this.VLANs = @{}
  $this.Subnets = @{}
  $this.Devices = @{}
  $this.ConfigPath = $ConfigurationPath
  $this.BackupPath = Join-Path (Split-Path $ConfigurationPath) "Backups"
  
  # Ensure directories exist
  foreach ($Path in @($this.ConfigPath, $this.BackupPath))
  {
   $Dir = if (Test-Path $Path -PathType Leaf) { Split-Path $Path } else { $Path }
   if (!(Test-Path $Dir))
   {
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $Dir -Force | Out-Null
   }
  }
  
  $this.LoadConfiguration()
 }
 
 [NetworkVLAN] CreateVLAN([int]$VLANId, [string]$Name, [string]$Subnet)
 {
  if ($this.VLANs.ContainsKey($VLANId))
  {
   throw "VLAN $VLANId already exists"
  }
  
  $VLAN = [NetworkVLAN]::new($VLANId, $Name, $Subnet)
  $this.VLANs[$VLANId] = $VLAN
  
  $this.LogActivity("VLANCreated", "Created VLAN $VLANId : $Name ($Subnet)")
  $this.SaveConfiguration()
  
  return $VLAN
 }
 
 [void] RemoveVLAN([int]$VLANId)
 {
  if (!$this.VLANs.ContainsKey($VLANId))
  {
   throw "VLAN $VLANId not found"
  }
  
  $VLANName = $this.VLANs[$VLANId].Name
  $this.VLANs.Remove($VLANId)
  
  $this.LogActivity("VLANRemoved", "Removed VLAN $VLANId : $VLANName")
  $this.SaveConfiguration()
 }
 
 [hashtable] PerformNetworkAnalysis()
 {
  $Analysis = @{
   TotalVLANs          = $this.VLANs.Count
   VLANUtilization     = @{}
   SecurityIssues      = @()
   Recommendations     = @()
   SubnetOverlaps      = @()
  }
  
  # Check for subnet overlaps
  $Subnets = $this.VLANs.Values | ForEach-Object { $_.IPSubnet }
  for ($i = 0; $i -lt $Subnets.Count; $i++)
  {
   for ($j = $i + 1; $j -lt $Subnets.Count; $j++)
   {
    if ($this.CheckSubnetOverlap($Subnets[$i], $Subnets[$j]))
    {
     $Analysis.SubnetOverlaps += @{
      Subnet1  = $Subnets[$i]
      Subnet2  = $Subnets[$j]
      Severity = "High"
     }
    }
   }
  }
  
  # Security analysis
  foreach ($VLAN in $this.VLANs.Values)
  {
   if ($VLAN.SecurityZone -eq "Standard" -and $VLAN.VLANId -lt 100)
   {
    $Analysis.SecurityIssues += @{
     VLAN           = $VLAN.VLANId
     Issue          = "Management VLAN should be in secure zone"
     Severity       = "Medium"
     Recommendation = "Change security zone to 'Management'"
    }
   }
   
   if ($VLAN.InterVLANRouting -eq $true -and $VLAN.SecurityZone -eq "Guest")
   {
    $Analysis.SecurityIssues += @{
     VLAN           = $VLAN.VLANId
     Issue          = "Guest VLAN allows inter-VLAN routing"
     Severity       = "High"
     Recommendation = "Disable inter-VLAN routing for guest networks"
    }
   }
  }
  
  # Generate recommendations
  if ($Analysis.SubnetOverlaps.Count -gt 0)
  {
   $Analysis.Recommendations += "Resolve subnet overlaps to prevent routing issues"
  }
  
  if ($Analysis.SecurityIssues.Count -gt 0)
  {
   $Analysis.Recommendations += "Address security configuration issues"
  }
  
  if ($Analysis.TotalVLANs -gt 50)
  {
   $Analysis.Recommendations += "Consider VLAN consolidation for better management"
  }
  
  return $Analysis
 }
 
 [bool] CheckSubnetOverlap([string]$Subnet1, [string]$Subnet2)
 {
  # Simplified overlap check - would need more sophisticated implementation
  $Network1 = $Subnet1.Split('/')[0]
  $Network2 = $Subnet2.Split('/')[0]
  
  # Basic check for same network
  return $Network1 -eq $Network2
 }
 
 [void] SaveConfiguration()
 {
  $ConfigData = @{
   VLANs        = @{}
   Devices      = $this.Devices
   LastModified = Get-Date
   Version      = "1.0"
  }
  
  # Convert VLANs to serializable format
  foreach ($VLANId in $this.VLANs.Keys)
  {
   $VLAN = $this.VLANs[$VLANId]
   $ConfigData.VLANs[$VLANId] = @{
    VLANId           = $VLAN.VLANId
    Name             = $VLAN.Name
    Description      = $VLAN.Description
    IPSubnet         = $VLAN.IPSubnet
    Gateway          = $VLAN.Gateway
    DHCPScope        = $VLAN.DHCPScope
    SecurityZone     = $VLAN.SecurityZone
    AccessPolicies   = $VLAN.AccessPolicies
    InterVLANRouting = $VLAN.InterVLANRouting
    AllowedVLANs     = $VLAN.AllowedVLANs
    QoSPolicies      = $VLAN.QoSPolicies
   }
  }
  
  $ConfigData | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10 | Out-File -FilePath $this.ConfigPath -Encoding UTF8
 }
 
 [void] LoadConfiguration()
 {
  if (Test-Path $this.ConfigPath)
  {
   try
   {
    $ConfigData = Get-Content $this.ConfigPath | ConvertFrom-Json
    
    # Load VLANs
    foreach ($VLANId in $ConfigData.VLANs.PSObject.Properties.Name)
    {
     $VLANData = $ConfigData.VLANs.$VLANId
     $VLAN = [NetworkVLAN]::new($VLANData.VLANId, $VLANData.Name, $VLANData.IPSubnet)
     
     # Restore all properties
     $VLAN.Description = $VLANData.Description
     $VLAN.Gateway = $VLANData.Gateway
     $VLAN.DHCPScope = $VLANData.DHCPScope
     $VLAN.SecurityZone = $VLANData.SecurityZone
     $VLAN.AccessPolicies = $VLANData.AccessPolicies
     $VLAN.InterVLANRouting = $VLANData.InterVLANRouting
     $VLAN.AllowedVLANs = $VLANData.AllowedVLANs
     $VLAN.QoSPolicies = $VLANData.QoSPolicies
     
     $this.VLANs[$VLANId] = $VLAN
    }
    
    # Load devices
    if ($ConfigData.Devices)
    {
     $this.Devices = $ConfigData.Devices
    }
   }
   catch
   {
    Write-Warning "Failed to load network configuration: $($_.Exception.Message)"
   }
  }
 }
 
 [void] LogActivity([string]$Action, [string]$Message)
 {
  $LogEntry = [PSCustomObject]@{
   Timestamp = Get-Date
   Action    = $Action
   Message   = $Message
   User      = $env:USERNAME
   Computer  = $env:COMPUTERNAME
  }
  
  $LogFile = Join-Path (Split-Path $this.ConfigPath) "Network-$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMM').log"
  $LogEntry | ConvertTo-Json -Compress | Out-File -FilePath $LogFile -Append -Encoding UTF8
 }
}

# Global functions for network management

function Initialize-NetworkManagement
{
 [CmdletBinding()]
 param(
  [Parameter()]
  [string]$ConfigPath = "C:\NetworkInfrastructure\Configuration.json"
 )
 
 $Global:NetworkManager = [NetworkManager]::new($ConfigPath)
 
 Write-Host "Network Management initialized" -ForegroundColor Green
 Write-Host "Configuration path: $ConfigPath" -ForegroundColor White
}

function New-NetworkVLAN
{
 [CmdletBinding()]
 param(
  [Parameter(Mandatory)]
  [int]$VLANId,
  
  [Parameter(Mandatory)]
  [string]$Name,
  
  [Parameter(Mandatory)]
  [string]$Subnet,
  
  [Parameter()]
  [string]$Description = "",
  
  [Parameter()]
  [string]$SecurityZone = "Standard"
 )
 
 if (!$Global:NetworkManager)
 {
  Initialize-NetworkManagement
 }
 
 try
 {
  $VLAN = $Global:NetworkManager.CreateVLAN($VLANId, $Name, $Subnet)
  $VLAN.Description = $Description
  $VLAN.SecurityZone = $SecurityZone
  
  Write-Host "VLAN $VLANId '$Name' created successfully" -ForegroundColor Green
  return $VLAN
 }
 catch
 {
  Write-Error "Failed to create VLAN: $($_.Exception.Message)"
 }
}

Usage Examples

Example 1: Create Multiple VLANs

# Initialize network management
Initialize-NetworkManagement -ConfigPath "C:\Network\config.json"

# Create Management VLAN
$MgmtVlan = New-NetworkVLAN -VLANId 10 -Name "Management" `
 -Subnet "192.168.10.0/24" `
 -Description "Network management devices" `
 -SecurityZone "Management"

# Create Server VLAN
$ServerVlan = New-NetworkVLAN -VLANId 20 -Name "Servers" `
 -Subnet "10.0.20.0/24" `
 -Description "Application servers" `
 -SecurityZone "Restricted"

# Create User VLAN
$UserVlan = New-NetworkVLAN -VLANId 30 -Name "Users" `
 -Subnet "10.0.30.0/22" `
 -Description "User workstations" `
 -SecurityZone "Standard"

Example 2: Generate Configuration for Different Platforms

# Generate Cisco configuration
$CiscoConfig = $MgmtVlan.GenerateSwitchConfig("Cisco")
$CiscoConfig | Out-File -FilePath "C:\Network\cisco-vlan-config.txt"

# Generate HPE configuration
$HPEConfig = $MgmtVlan.GenerateSwitchConfig("HPE")
$HPEConfig | Out-File -FilePath "C:\Network\hpe-vlan-config.txt"

Example 3: Perform Network Analysis

# Run security analysis
$Analysis = $Global:NetworkManager.PerformNetworkAnalysis()

# Display results
Write-Host "Total VLANs: $($Analysis.TotalVLANs)"
Write-Host "Security Issues: $($Analysis.SecurityIssues.Count)"
Write-Host "Subnet Overlaps: $($Analysis.SubnetOverlaps.Count)"

# Show recommendations
foreach ($Recommendation in $Analysis.Recommendations)
{
 Write-Warning $Recommendation
}

Python Network Automation

Coming soon: Python-based network automation using Netmiko, NAPALM, and Nornir.

Ansible Playbooks

Coming soon: Ansible playbooks for network device configuration and management.

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