HN780: The Whys and Hows of Automated Network Testing

Network testing as a component of network automation is explored, emphasizing its low-risk entry point for learning and adoption. Danny Wade, Network Automation Practice Lead at Blue Ally and co-author of "Cisco Pi ATS Network Test and Automation Solution," defines unit, integration, end-to-end, and regression testing, relating them to NetOps workflows. He advocates for comparing intended network states against operational realities to identify discrepancies, and also highlights the value of network testing in validating or invalidating design documents. The discussion covers data gathering methods, including screen scraping, APIs, and Yang data models via NETCONF, RESTCONF, and gNMI, as well as testing frameworks such as Python's unit test and PyTest with the NUTS plugin.