NetDriver

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Table of Contents

• About
• Comparison
• Architecture
• Support Devices
  • Supported Vendors and Models
  • Plugin Architecture
  • Adding Device Support
• Quick Start
• Contributions and Requests
• License
• Contacts

About

NetDriver is an advanced open-source framework for automating network devices. Its main purpose is to use a high-level HTTP RESTful interface to make it easier to execute low-level commands on different networking equipment. This architecture makes it easier to develop generalised automation solutions and integrate third parties. Its design is centred on features that guarantee operational efficiency and stability, such as advanced session management that keeps persistent connections to enhance system performance and a command queue to avoid configuration conflicts during concurrent operations. Its plugin architecture enables simple extensibility to support a broad and changing range of vendor hardware, and its asynchronous foundation provides desirable concurrency.

NetDriver adopts a Monorepo architecture consisting of multiple sub-projects:

• netdriver-agent - Provides REST APIs for device connectivity testing and command execution
• netdriver-simunet - Simulates network device terminals for automated testing and other scenarios requiring device emulation

Features:

• 🌐 HTTP RESTful API : Easy integration with third-party platforms
• 🔄 Session Management : Customizable session persistence for improved efficiency, eliminating repeated connections per command
• 📋 Command Queue : Ensures sequential command execution on devices, preventing configuration errors and failures caused by concurrent modifications
• ⚡ AsyncSSH Foundation : Superior concurrency capabilities through asynchronous SSH implementation
• 🔌 Plugin Architecture : Simplified and accelerated development of new vendor support

Comparison

Feature	NetDriver	Netmiko
HTTP RESTful API for third-party integration	✅	❌
Session persistence with customizable duration	✅	❌
Python-based implementation	✅	✅
Command execution queue to prevent concurrent conflicts	✅	❌
Plugin architecture for easier device support development	✅	❌
Standard CLI automation	✅	✅
Open source	✅	✅
AsyncSSH-based architecture for high concurrency	✅	❌

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐
│  Your App/Tool  │
└────────┬────────┘
         │ HTTP API
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ NetDriver Agent │
└────────┬────────┘
         │ SSH
    ┌────┴────┐
    │         │
    ▼         ▼
┌────────┐ ┌────────┐
│SimuNet │ │ Real   │
│Devices │ │Devices │
└────────┘ └────────┘

Support Devices

NetDriver currently supports a wide range of network devices from major vendors. The plugin architecture makes it easy to add support for new devices.

Supported Vendors and Models

Vendor	Model	Device Type	Description
Cisco	ASA	Firewall	Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance
	ASR	Router	Cisco Aggregation Services Router
	Catalyst	Switch	Cisco Catalyst Series Switches
	ISR	Router	Cisco Integrated Services Router
	Nexus	Switch	Cisco Nexus Data Center Switches
Huawei	CE	Switch	Huawei CloudEngine Series Switches
	USG	Firewall	Huawei Unified Security Gateway
Juniper	EX	Switch	Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches
	MX	Router	Juniper MX Series Universal Routing Platforms
	QFX	Switch	Juniper QFX Series Data Center Switches
	SRX	Firewall	Juniper SRX Series Services Gateways
Fortinet	FortiGate	Firewall	Fortinet FortiGate Next-Generation Firewalls
Palo Alto	PA	Firewall	Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls
Arista	EOS	Switch	Arista Networks EOS-based Switches
H3C	SecPath	Firewall	H3C SecPath Series Firewalls
	VSR	Router	H3C Virtual Services Router
Check Point	Security Gateway	Firewall	Check Point Security Gateway
Hillstone	SG	Firewall	Hillstone StoneOS-based Security Gateways
DPTech	FW	Firewall	DPTech Firewall Series
Topsec	NGFW	Firewall	Topsec Next-Generation Firewalls
Venustech	USG	Firewall	Venustech Unified Security Gateway
Maipu	NSS	Switch	Maipu Network Security Switch
Array	AG	Gateway	Array Application Gateway
Chaitin	CTD-SG	Gateway	Chaitin SafeLine Security Gateway
Qianxin	NSG	Gateway	Qianxin Next-Generation Security Gateway
Leadsec	PowerV	Firewall	Leadsec PowerV Series

Plugin Architecture

The plugin system allows for easy extension and customization:

• Vendor Base Plugins: Common functionality shared across device models from the same vendor
• Model-Specific Plugins: Device-specific implementations for unique features and behaviors
• Pattern Matching: Automatic plugin selection based on vendor/model/version detection
• Extensible: Add new device support by creating a new plugin class

Adding Device Support

To add support for a new device, create a plugin in components/netdriver/plugins/{vendor}/ that inherits from the vendor base class or Base plugin. See Development Guidelines for more information.

Quick Start

We can first run the Simunet service to obtain simulated network devices for testing, then use the Agent to connect and execute commands. Of course, if you have real devices that are on the support devices, you can skip the Simunet guide and start using the Agent service directly.

• Simunet Guide
• Agent Guide

Contributions and Requests

Your contributions matter!Our project can always be better so we would be happy to recive your help!Please take a look at contributing guide before submiting a pull request! For questions, issues, or feature requests, please open an issue on the project repository.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

Contacts

We look forward to assisting you and ensuring your experience with our products is successful and enjoyable!

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