BGP Failover and Health Check Automation

Network automation test suite for validating BGP failover behavior, convergence, and neighbor health across NX-OS devices using pyATS, Genie, and Robot Framework.

Overview

This repository contains automated tests designed to validate:

• BGP Failover Convergence: Measure BGP convergence time during link failures
• BGP Neighbor Health: Monitor BGP neighbor states and operational metrics
• Interface Validation: Verify interface states and configurations via RESTCONF

Tests are built on industry-standard frameworks for network device testing and can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines.

Project Structure

.
├── README.md                          # This file
├── requirements.txt                   # Python dependencies
├── testbed/
│   └── nexus_testbed.yaml            # Testbed definition for NX-OS devices
├── tests/
│   ├── bgp_bdd_failover.robot        # BDD-style BGP failover test
│   ├── bgp_failover_convergence.robot # BGP convergence measurement test
│   ├── bgp_neighbor_health.py         # pyATS BGP neighbor health checks
│   ├── bgp_neighbor_health.robot      # Robot Framework BGP health test
│   ├── interface_validation_restconf.robot # RESTCONF interface validation
│   ├── helper.py                      # Python helper functions
│   └── keywords.robot                 # Custom Robot Framework keywords
└── .github/
    ├── instructions/                  # Security and design guidelines
    └── skills/network-testing/        # Reusable test patterns and documentation

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• pyATS - Network test automation framework
• Genie - Network data models and parsing
• Robot Framework - Test automation framework
• Requests - HTTP library for RESTCONF calls

Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Setup

1. Configure Your Testbed

Edit testbed/nexus_testbed.yaml with your NX-OS device details:

devices:
  nxos-spine-1:
    os: nxos
    platform: n9k
    credentials:
      default:
        username: "%ENV{PYATS_USERNAME}%"
        password: "%ENV{PYATS_PASSWORD}%"
    connections:
      cli:
        protocol: ssh
        ip: <your-device-ip>
        port: 22

2. Set Environment Variables

Before running tests, set your device credentials:

export PYATS_USERNAME=admin
export PYATS_PASSWORD=<your-password>

Important: Never commit real credentials to version control. Use environment variables or secure credential stores.

Running Tests

Run All Tests

# Robot Framework tests
robot tests/

# pyATS tests
python -m pytest tests/bgp_neighbor_health.py -v

Run Specific Test Suite

# BGP neighbor health checks
robot tests/bgp_neighbor_health.robot

# BGP failover convergence
robot tests/bgp_failover_convergence.robot

# Interface validation
robot tests/interface_validation_restconf.robot

Run with Testbed

robot --variable TESTBED:testbed/nexus_testbed.yaml tests/bgp_neighbor_health.robot

Test Descriptions

bgp_neighbor_health.robot & bgp_neighbor_health.py

Validates BGP neighbor operational state across the topology:

• Neighbor state (Established, Active, etc.)
• Prefix counts and statistics
• Session uptime

bgp_failover_convergence.robot

Measures BGP convergence time during link failures:

• Triggers link failure
• Monitors convergence time
• Validates reroute correctness

bgp_bdd_failover.robot

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) style tests for failover scenarios:

• Gherkin syntax for business-readable tests
• Step-by-step failover validation

interface_validation_restconf.robot

RESTCONF-based interface state validation:

• Verifies interface operational state
• Checks bandwidth and speed configurations
• Validates MTU settings

Key Features

✅ Multi-Device Support: Tests across spine, leaf, and border leaf devices
✅ Multiple Protocols: CLI, NETCONF, and RESTCONF connectivity options
✅ Convergence Timing: Accurate BGP failover convergence measurement
✅ Reusable Keywords: Custom Robot Framework keywords for common operations
✅ Helper Functions: Python utilities for device interaction
✅ Clear Reporting: Detailed test reports with device state snapshots

Security Considerations

• Credentials are environment-variable based, never hardcoded
• HTTPS/NETCONF recommended for production use
• Test environment should be isolated and non-production
• Review .github/instructions/ for security best practices

CI/CD Integration

Example GitHub Actions workflow:

- name: Run Network Tests
  env:
    PYATS_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.PYATS_USERNAME }}
    PYATS_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.PYATS_PASSWORD }}
  run: |
    pip install -r requirements.txt
    robot tests/

Troubleshooting

Connection Timeout

• Verify device IP and SSH port in testbed
• Check network reachability: ping <device-ip>
• Ensure credentials are correct

Authentication Failed

• Verify PYATS_USERNAME and PYATS_PASSWORD are set
• Confirm user has proper privileges on devices

Missing Dependencies

pip install --upgrade -r requirements.txt

Contributing

1. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/test-name
2. Add tests following existing patterns
3. Test locally before submitting
4. Commit and push to GitHub

References

• pyATS Documentation
• Genie Documentation
• Robot Framework User Guide
• RESTCONF RFC 8040

License

[Add your license information here]

Support

For issues or questions, open an issue on GitHub or contact the team.