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AI for Network Operations

5 min read
NetworkSysadmin

Network

Use AI for config generation and topology analysis. Verify against your actual hardware and policies.

Sysadmin

Log analysis and runbook drafts — AI speeds these up. You own the 'is this actually the problem?' call.

AI for Network Operations

TL;DR

  • AI can help with config templates, log analysis, and troubleshooting flows.
  • It doesn't know your topology, vendors, or policies. You verify.
  • Use AI for the repetitive parts. You own the critical decisions.

Network ops is a mix of automation and deep expertise. AI accelerates the former. The latter — understanding your network, vendor quirks, and "why is this weird?" — stays human.

Config Management

Good use cases:

  • "Generate Cisco/Juniper/Arista config for [scenario]"
  • "Convert this config to Ansible playbook"
  • "Suggest ACL rules for [access pattern]"

Cautions:

  • Vendor and version — AI may use syntax from wrong OS or version. Check.
  • Production configs — never paste real configs with credentials. Use sanitized examples.
  • Compliance — your org may have policies AI doesn't know. Validate.

Workflow: Generate → review for correctness → test in lab → then prod.

Troubleshooting

Good use cases:

  • "I'm seeing [symptom]. Here are relevant logs. What's the likely cause?"
  • "Explain this BGP/OSPF/routing output"
  • "Suggest diagnostic steps for [connectivity/performance] issue"

What AI can't do:

  • Access your network. It can't run show commands or look at live traffic.
  • Know your topology. "Check the firewall" — which one? Where?
  • Replace packet-level analysis. For deep dives, you need traces and tools.

Use AI for hypotheses and explanation. You gather data and verify.

Monitoring and Alerting

Good use cases:

  • "Suggest Prometheus/Grafana queries for [metric]"
  • "Draft alert rules for [condition]. Severity: warning/critical"
  • "Improve this alert description. Add runbook link"

Cautions:

  • Thresholds — AI doesn't know your baselines. It'll guess. You set.
  • Alert fatigue — AI may over-suggest. Consolidate and tune.

Documentation and Runbooks

Good use cases:

  • "Draft a runbook for 'interface flapping'"
  • "Document this network diagram" (from description)
  • "Create a troubleshooting flowchart for [common issue]"

Customize for your gear and procedures.

You need ACL rules for a new access pattern. You dig through existing configs, check vendor docs, manually craft the rules. One typo could lock you out. 90 minutes of careful work.

Click "AI draft → review → lab → prod" to see the difference →

Quick Check

AI generates Prometheus alert rules for you. What must you do before enabling them?

Do This Next

  1. Use AI to explain one network issue you've seen. Paste logs or config snippet. See if the explanation holds up.
  2. Generate one config or runbook with AI. Review and adapt for your environment. Note what you had to change.